ChatGPT vs Merlin
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
ChatGPT
OpenAI's general-purpose AI assistant for chat, images and voice
Merlin
AI sidebar extension with models from several labs in one account
Where they differ
- Only Merlin lists a browser extension.
- Merlin also covers AI agents.
At a glance
| ChatGPT | Merlin | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $8 per month (Go) | Not published |
| Free plan | Unlimited text chats, with limits on uploads, image creation, voice chats, deep research and memory. | Free plan with up to 102 queries per day across ChatGPT, Grok, DeepSeek, Gemini and Perplexity models, according to the Google Play listing. Paid plan prices could not be confirmed. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | OpenAI | Foyer Tech, Inc. |
| Price read from | learn.chatgpt.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
ChatGPT
- General-purpose help with writing, questions and brainstorming
- People who want chat, voice, images and web search in one assistant
- Trying an AI assistant at no cost before paying
Merlin
- People who want an AI sidebar on any website
- Summarizing pages, PDFs and YouTube videos while browsing
- Trying models from several labs with one account
Worth knowing
ChatGPT
- Pro is sold at three price points, $100, $200 or $500 per month, well above the $20 Plus plan.
- Business requires at least 2 users. SCIM, EKM and role-based access control are reserved for Enterprise and Edu.
- OpenAI began testing ads in the free version for logged-in adult US users in January 2026, according to Wikipedia.
- OpenAI's pricing page says the Go plan may include ads.
Merlin
- Merlin's website answers automated readers with a security check, so its pricing page could not be read and paid plan prices are unverified.
- Store listings do not give a clear lineup: the US App Store lists Merlin Pro at $20.00 and Merlin Unlimited at $15.00 a month, and Google Play shows items from $3.49 to $499.99.
- The free plan is capped at up to 102 queries per day, and voice chat, premium tools and team collaboration are described as premium features.
- The US App Store also sells query top-ups that expire, such as 3,000 queries valid for 30 days at $4.99.
Key features
ChatGPT
- Conversational help
- Answers questions, drafts and reworks text, explains topics and reads uploaded photos in a chat, with history synced across your devices.
- Image generation
- Creates original images from a description, or transforms existing images from a short instruction.
- Advanced Voice Mode
- Hold a real-time spoken conversation in the mobile app by tapping the soundwave icon.
- Search and Deep Research
- ChatGPT Search draws on the web for more up-to-date answers, and Deep Research generates a report from extensive web searches.
- Codex
- A coding agent that runs on the web, in a CLI, in an IDE extension and on iOS from the Plus plan, with integrations such as automatic code review and Slack.
- GPTs and agents
- GPTs customize ChatGPT's behavior for a specific use case, and ChatGPT agent carries out multi-step tasks.
Merlin
- Sidebar on any tab
- Ctrl+M or Cmd+M opens Merlin beside the page you are on, where it can summarize, translate or pull the key points out of that page.
- Multiple models in one interface
- Switches among models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Mistral, DeepSeek and other providers inside the same chat view.
- Projects
- Turns a knowledge base, uploaded files or links into a dedicated assistant, with the material kept together in one searchable place.
- Chat with files, pages and videos
- Answers questions about PDFs, documents, images and one or several open tabs, and summarizes YouTube videos, with bilingual subtitles available.
- Writing and translation help
- Suggests and rewrites text in any text box, including tweets, LinkedIn posts and Gmail, and translates selected text or whole pages in more than 50 languages.
- Search answers and AI tools
- Adds concise, citation-linked answers beside Google, Bing and Yahoo results, and bundles more than 70 tools such as an AI detector and an AI humanizer.
Plans
ChatGPT
Free$0
Unlimited text chats, with limits on uploads, image creation, voice chats, deep research and memory.
Go$8
per month
More messages with tools, more uploads, image creation and voice chats than Free, and longer memory. OpenAI notes this plan may include ads.
Plus$20
per month
Advanced reasoning models, expanded deep research and memory, plus projects, scheduled tasks and custom GPTs.
Business$20
per user / month, billed annually
For 2 or more users: a dedicated workspace with admin controls, SAML SSO and MFA. $25 per user / month when billed monthly.
ProFrom $100
per month
A choice of three usage tiers at $100, $200 or $500 per month, with the highest limits, pro reasoning and an always-on agent.
Enterprise & EduCustom
Sold through sales, with priority request processing, SCIM, EKM, user analytics, domain verification and role-based access control.
Merlin
Pricing could not be confirmed. See getmerlin.in.
Ways to pay less
ChatGPT
- Annual discount
Business is cheaper when billed annually
OpenAI's pricing page lists Business at $20 per user / month when billed annually, against $25 per user / month when billed monthly.
Merlin
No public discounts listed.
