ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini all have a free tier, and the main paid plans for all three cost about $20 a month at the time of research. So the question is less “which is cheapest?” and more “which one fits what you actually do all day?”
Our short answer: ChatGPT is the best all-rounder. It covers chat, image creation, voice, deep research and coding in one app, and its free tier offers unlimited everyday text chats. Claude is the one to pay for if most of your work is writing or code: Anthropic’s top model leads public leaderboards for both. Gemini is the best value if you already use Google’s apps, because Google AI Pro bundles Gemini in Gmail and Docs with 5 TB of storage.
Below we compare the free tiers, paid plans, limits and privacy settings, based on each company’s own pricing and help pages and on independent public rankings. We did not test these tools hands-on.
Why you should trust us
We compared ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini using each company’s official pricing pages, help centers and privacy documentation, all checked on the date of publication. For quality, we relied on LMArena, a public leaderboard built from blind, head-to-head votes, rather than our own impressions. We scored each product with our published Research Score. We did not run hands-on tests for this comparison.
Who should pay for which
- Pay for ChatGPT if you want one assistant that handles a bit of everything: questions, drafting, images, voice conversations and research.
- Pay for Claude if most of your AI use is long-form writing, editing, analysis of long documents, or code.
- Pay for Gemini if you already use Gmail, Google Docs and Google Drive, or if you’d pay for extra Google storage anyway.
- Pay for none if you only ask a few questions a week. All three free tiers are capable, and ChatGPT’s offers unlimited everyday text chats.
How we compared them
- Free tier: what you get without paying, and which model powers it.
- Main paid plan: the roughly $20 plan most people consider, plus cheaper and pricier tiers.
- Context and file limits: how much text the assistant can take in at once.
- Image generation and voice: whether they’re included and on which plans.
- Integrations: office apps, browsers and other tools.
- Privacy: whether your chats are used for training by default, and how to opt out.
- Quality: LMArena rankings for overall text, creative writing and web development.
Best all-rounder · The AI that does the most things well
C
ChatGPT
8.2/10
ChatGPT has the broadest feature set of the three, from image creation and voice to deep research and Codex, and the most flexible ladder of plans.
ChatGPT wins the all-rounder slot because no other assistant packs as many tools into one place. According to OpenAI’s pricing page, even the Free plan includes web search, file and image uploads, image creation, voice chats and a limited amount of deep research, and OpenAI’s help center says Free users get “unlimited everyday text chats,” subject to abuse safeguards. Uploads, image generation, voice and data analysis have their own, separate limits.
Paying gets you more of everything rather than a different product. Plus costs $20 a month, billed monthly only (OpenAI says there is no annual option). The pricing page lists advanced reasoning models, expanded deep research, projects, scheduled tasks and custom GPTs, and expanded Codex use for Plus. Heavy users can step up to Pro, which OpenAI’s help center lists at $100, $200 or $500 a month, with Pro 500 the only tier that includes the faster “Ultrafast” mode. There is also a cheaper Go plan with higher limits than Free, but we couldn’t confirm its US price on the official pages, so check current pricing.
One limit to know about: on OpenAI’s comparison table, the standard “Instant” model has a total context window of 27,000 tokens on Free (roughly 12 pages of input) and 54,000 on Go and Plus (about 40 pages). Pro gets 128,000 tokens (about 250 pages). OpenAI says the reasoning models’ context “varies.” If you regularly paste in whole contracts or long reports, Claude and Gemini Pro advertise much larger windows.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Privacy defaults are the main drawback. OpenAI’s data controls page says that on personal Free, Plus and Pro accounts, “Improve the model for everyone” is on by default, so your conversations can be used for training until you turn it off. Temporary chats are never used for training but may be kept for up to 30 days for safety.
On independent rankings, ChatGPT’s models are close to the top but, at the time of research, not first. On LMArena’s text leaderboard, OpenAI’s highest-ranked model scored below the top Google and Anthropic models.
Who it’s for
People who want one AI for many jobs: questions, writing, images, voice chats, research and some coding.
Who should skip it
You mostly write long documents or code and want the model that public rankings currently rate highest for that, or you don't want your chats used for training by default.
Pros
- Free tier includes unlimited everyday text chats, plus limited image creation, voice, uploads and deep research
- Plan ladder from Free to Go, Plus and three Pro tiers
- Plus adds projects, scheduled tasks and custom GPTs
- Add-ins for Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Google Sheets
Cons
- Chats are used for training by default on Free, Plus and Pro; you have to opt out
- Free and Plus have smaller standard context windows than Claude or Gemini Pro
- Ads may appear on Free in some countries, and the Go plan may show ads
Research Score
8.2/10
- Features (30%)9
- Value for money (25%)8
- Privacy & security (20%)7
- Compatibility (15%)9
- Docs & support (10%)8
Free; Plus $20/month billed monthly; Pro $100, $200 or $500/month (at the time of research)
Try ChatGPT
Affiliate link · price at the time of research, may have changed
Best for writing and coding · The pick if words or code are your job
C
Claude
7.5/10
Anthropic’s top model leads LMArena’s creative-writing and web-development rankings, and every Claude plan advertises a context window of up to 1 million tokens.
If your main use is writing, editing or coding, Claude is the one to pay for. On LMArena, where people vote blind on which of two anonymous answers is better, Anthropic’s Claude Opus 5.5 ranked first in both the creative-writing category and the WebDev (web development) leaderboard at the time of research. Rankings shift often and measure the models rather than the apps, but the lead was consistent across both categories.
The catch is that you have to pay for that model. According to Claude’s pricing page, the Free plan includes the Sonnet and Haiku models, web search, memory, connectors, voice mode, Artifacts, and file creation with code execution, but not Opus, Research, Claude Code or Claude in Chrome. Pro costs $20 a month billed monthly, or $17 a month if you pay $200 up front for a year. It adds Opus, Research, Projects, Claude Code, and Claude in Chrome and Microsoft 365. Max starts at $100 a month for five or 20 times Pro’s usage.
Claude also lists the biggest context window across its plans: “up to 1M” tokens on all of them, depending on the model. That matters if you work with long reports, books or codebases.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Claude’s pricing page does not list image generation, so if you want an assistant that makes pictures, ChatGPT or Gemini is the better fit. Usage is also less predictable than with ChatGPT: Anthropic says limits reset on a rolling five-hour window, paid plans add weekly limits, and there’s no fixed message count. Pro gives “at least 5x” Free’s usage.
Who it’s for
Writers, analysts and developers who work with long documents or code and want the model that public rankings rate highest for that.
Who should skip it
You want built-in image generation, or you'll stay on the free tier, which doesn't include the top Opus model.
Pros
- Top model (Opus) ranks first on LMArena for creative writing and web development
- Context window of up to 1M tokens on all plans, depending on the model
- Pro includes Claude Code, Research, and Claude in Chrome and Microsoft 365
- Annual billing option brings Pro to $17/month
Cons
- No image generation listed on Claude's pricing page
- Free tier lacks Opus, Research and Claude Code
- Usage limits reset on a rolling five-hour window, with no fixed message count
Research Score
7.5/10
- Features (30%)8
- Value for money (25%)7
- Privacy & security (20%)7
- Compatibility (15%)8
- Docs & support (10%)8
Free; Pro $20/month billed monthly or $17/month billed annually ($200 up front); Max from $100/month (at the time of research)
Try Claude
Affiliate link · price at the time of research, may have changed
Best for Google users · The best value if you live in Gmail and Docs
G
Gemini
7.9/10
Google AI Pro bundles Gemini’s top model, a 1M-token context window and Gemini in Gmail and Docs with 5 TB of storage, at the same price as its rivals.
Gemini is the easiest recommendation for anyone already using Google’s apps. Google AI Pro costs $19.99 a month in the US at the time of research, and according to Google’s plan page it includes access to Gemini 4 Argon, Deep Research, a 1-million-token context window, Gemini in Gmail, Docs and Vids, a limited trial of the Veo 3.1 Lite video model, and 5 TB of cloud storage. If you were going to pay for extra Google storage anyway, the AI comes along almost as a bonus.
Google’s top model also does well on independent rankings: Gemini 4 Argon (High) held the top spot on LMArena’s overall text leaderboard at the time of research, slightly ahead of Claude Opus 5.5.
The free tier is useful too. Google’s plan page lists the Flash-Lite model, image generation and editing, Deep Research and 15 GB of storage at no cost. A new Google AI Plus plan ($4.99 a month) adds the Flash model, twice the free usage, video generation in the Gemini app, 400 GB of storage, and Gemini in Gmail and Vids.
Flaws but not dealbreakers
Privacy needs attention. Google’s Gemini privacy hub says that when Keep Activity is on, Google uses your activity to improve its services, including training generative AI models, and that some chats are reviewed by humans, including service providers. Reviewed chats are kept for up to three years. Activity auto-deletes after 18 months by default. You can turn Keep Activity off, but Google still keeps chats with your account for 72 hours.
And the free tier’s Flash-Lite model is not the model that tops the rankings; you need AI Pro or higher for Gemini 4 Argon.
Who it’s for
People who already use Gmail, Google Docs and Google Drive, and anyone who wants the most extras for $20 a month.
Who should skip it
You're wary of human review of your chats, or you don't use Google's apps.
Pros
- Gemini 4 Argon ranked first on LMArena's overall text leaderboard at the time of research
- AI Pro ($19.99/month) includes 5 TB of storage and Gemini in Gmail, Docs and Vids
- Free tier includes image generation and editing, plus Deep Research
- Cheaper Google AI Plus plan at $4.99/month
Cons
- Free tier uses the smaller Flash-Lite model
- With Keep Activity on, some chats are read by human reviewers and kept up to three years
- The most useful integrations (Docs, Gmail) need a paid plan
Research Score
7.9/10
- Features (30%)8
- Value for money (25%)9
- Privacy & security (20%)6
- Compatibility (15%)9
- Docs & support (10%)7
Free; Google AI Plus $4.99/month; Google AI Pro $19.99/month; AI Ultra from $99.99/month (at the time of research)
Try Gemini
Affiliate link · price at the time of research, may have changed
Price compared
At the time of research, the main paid plans cost almost the same: ChatGPT Plus is $20 a month (monthly billing only), Claude Pro is $20 a month or $17 a month billed annually ($200 up front), and Google AI Pro is $19.99 a month in the US.
The differences show up above and below that price point:
- Cheaper options: Google AI Plus costs $4.99 a month. OpenAI offers ChatGPT Go as a low-cost plan, but we couldn’t confirm its US price on official pages; see current pricing. Claude has no plan between Free and Pro.
- Power-user plans: ChatGPT Pro comes in three monthly tiers at $100, $200 and $500. Claude Max starts at $100 a month for five or 20 times Pro’s usage. Google AI Ultra costs $99.99 a month (five times AI Pro’s limits) or $199.99 (20 times).
- What’s bundled: Google AI Pro is the only one that includes cloud storage (5 TB) and non-AI extras. Google’s plan page lists YouTube Premium Lite and Google Home Premium (Standard) for AI Pro.
For most people, value comes down to what you’d use. If you’d pay for Google storage anyway, Gemini is the clear value pick. If not, the $20 plans are effectively a tie on price.
Privacy compared
All three companies can use your consumer chats to improve their models, and all three let you limit that. The defaults and details differ:
- ChatGPT: OpenAI says data sharing is on by default for personal Free, Plus and Pro accounts. Turn off “Improve the model for everyone” under Settings > Data controls. Temporary chats aren’t used for training but may be kept for up to 30 days. Business and Enterprise workspaces aren’t used for training by default.
- Claude: Claude’s pricing page lists model training as “opt-out” on Free, Pro and Max. If you allow model improvement, Anthropic says it may keep chats in de-identified form for up to five years. Incognito chats are never used for training. Deleted chats leave its back-end storage within 30 days.
- Gemini: With Keep Activity on, Google uses your chats to improve its services, including training AI models, and some chats are read by human reviewers and kept for up to three years. Activity auto-deletes after 18 months by default (you can choose 3 or 36 months, or no auto-delete). With Keep Activity off, chats are still kept for 72 hours.
If privacy is your top concern, turn off training in whichever app you choose, and use the temporary or incognito chat modes for anything sensitive.
What about Copilot, Perplexity and Grok?
Microsoft Copilot makes the most sense if you already pay for Microsoft 365. Microsoft 365 Personal ($9.99 a month or $99.99 a year at the time of research) includes Copilot in the Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote desktop apps, with higher Copilot usage than the free version.
Perplexity is built around web search with citations. Its help center says Pro adds ten times as many citations per answer and a choice of AI models; its Pro page lists models from OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and xAI. We cover it as our research pick in The Best AI Chatbot.
Grok, from xAI, is free on the web, iOS and Android. xAI’s site says it searches the web and X live and generates images and video of up to 15 seconds, with a paid SuperGrok tier for higher limits. We couldn’t confirm SuperGrok’s price on xAI’s site.
The bottom line
Pay for ChatGPT if you want the most capable all-round assistant and don’t mind switching off training in its settings. Pay for Claude if your work is writing or code: its top model leads public rankings for both, and it advertises the largest context window. Pay for Gemini if you’re a Google user, since $19.99 a month buys you Google’s top model, Gemini in Gmail and Docs, and 5 TB of storage.
If you can’t decide, start with all three free tiers for a week and see which one you keep opening.
