ChatGPT vs Sesame (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick ChatGPT: it is first in our ranking of AI assistants, and it grades higher too, 3.4 against 3.2.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
ChatGPT grades higher on features and platforms. Sesame grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on ease of use.
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
Which one is for you
Pick ChatGPT if
- Fits if you want one app for questions, writing help, images and voice
- Works for trying AI without paying, since text chat is free with no cap
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you live in Gmail and Docs, where Gemini plugs in and costs less to upgrade
- Pricey if you outgrow Plus: Pro is $100, $200 or $500 a month, and SCIM and role controls need Enterprise, price unpublished
- Watch out: Go at $8 may show ads, and ads have been tested in the free version for US adults since January 2026
- Tight if you upload files, make images or use voice a lot on the free plan, since each one is capped
- Watch out: the Linux app is only a preview for a few distros, and features have gone missing after updates
Pick Sesame if
- Fits if you want to talk to an AI by voice on your phone for free
- Works for iPhone owners who want it to reach Gmail and Calendar
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a desktop or web app, as only phones are listed
- Watch out: the maker calls the iOS release a preview and has published no later pricing
- Not for you if you need a language other than English, which the maker calls early and less reliable
- Watch out: the app is limited to a list of supported countries
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAChatGPTVery good | 3.2GPASesameVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CGo is $8 a month, and OpenAI says that plan may include ads. The one people actually want is Plus at $20, which is where this category's dearest tenth starts, and above it Pro runs $100, $200 or $500 a month. | AFree to download, and no paid plan or usage limit is published on the App Store page or sesame.com. Free and full counts as top value, though it may not stay that way. |
| Free plan and trial | BUnlimited text chats. Uploads, images, voice, deep research and memory are in there too, but each comes with a cap you'll meet soon enough. | AFree outright, with no plan to buy. The open question is future pricing, which the maker has not said anything about. |
| Features | AChat, image generation, real-time voice, web search and Deep Research reports in one app. Custom GPTs, projects, scheduled tasks and Codex, a coding agent, need the $20 Plus plan, and the always-on agent is on Pro. | CVoice and text chat, four characters, connected apps, skills and an incognito mode. English is the only officially supported language, and the iOS release is still a preview. |
| Ease of use | A4.8 from about 11 million App Store ratings. You open it and type a question the way you'd text a friend. There's nothing to set up first. | A4.9 on the App Store from about 2,000 ratings. There is no plan to pick before you start talking. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, with your chats synced across all of them, and a Linux app in preview. There's an API for developers too, and Codex hooks into Slack. | CPhones only: an iOS listing, with Android mentioned on the maker's site but not read. No web or desktop app, and only some countries are supported. |
| Best for | everyday questions, writing and images | talking to an AI by voice on your phone |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: ChatGPT and Sesame. How we grade
Price against what you get
ChatGPT starts at $8 a month and scores 4.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Sesame has no paid plan and scores 2.7.
ChatGPT scores higher, and starts $8 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other AI assistants on the chart, none scores higher than ChatGPT for less, and none scores higher than Sesame for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- ChatGPT also covers AI search.
- Sesame also covers dictation and AI agents.
At a glance
| ChatGPT | Sesame | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $8 per month (Go) | Free |
| Free plan | Unlimited text chats, with limits on uploads, image creation, voice chats, deep research and memory. | The iOS app is free to download, and no paid plan is listed on the App Store page or on sesame.com. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | OpenAI | Sesame AI, Inc. |
| Price read from | learn.chatgpt.com | apps.apple.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
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's pricing page says the Go plan may include ads, and Wikipedia reports ad tests in the free version for logged-in adult US users since January 2026.
- The Linux desktop app is a preview, limited to recent Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora and Arch Linux releases on x64 and ARM64.
Sesame
- The maker still calls the iOS release a preview, and the full experience was free at launch with no later pricing published.
- Sesame officially supports English; other languages work but are described as early and less reliable.
- The app is limited to a list of supported countries, so it may not be available everywhere.
- The app list on the maker's site says it is available on iOS and Android, but only the iOS listing was read for details.
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.
Sesame
- Voice and text conversation
- Agents are built for spoken back-and-forth and can be texted when talking is not practical.
- Four characters
- Maya, Miles, Simone and Charlie each have their own personality and voice, and each keeps its own memory and app access.
- Connected apps
- Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Drive can be connected, and external MCP servers that use OAuth are supported.
- Skills
- A skill is a plain-language playbook created in conversation that runs on demand or on a schedule.
- Incognito mode
- In this mode nothing new is saved to memory or to Sesame's servers, according to the App Store description.
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.
Sesame
Free$0
The app is free; the maker has published no paid plan and no usage limits.
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.
Sesame
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, ChatGPT or Sesame?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Sesame is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $8 a month for ChatGPT. ChatGPT starts at $8 per month (Go), and Sesame is free.
Which has a free plan, ChatGPT or Sesame?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both ChatGPT and Sesame have a free plan.
Which platforms do ChatGPT and Sesame run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only ChatGPT lists a web app and macOS, Windows and Linux apps. Both list iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.