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AI Subscription Comparison (2026)
Compare every major consumer AI subscription in one table: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and Grok, with pricing, the models and features each plan includes, and the usage limits behind them. Filter by provider or price to see only the subscriptions you would actually consider. Verified June 2026 (and the market moved a lot this year).
All, Any price. 21 of 21 plans listed.
- Anthropic ClaudeFreeFree
Claude Opus/Sonnet/Haiku family on web/iOS/Android/desktop; writing, coding, vision, web search, memory
- Limits: Daily limits (unpublished, vary with demand)
- Best for: Quality-seekers on a budget
Top-tier writing/coding quality, free
- Google GeminiFreeFree
Gemini 3.6 Flash, varying access to 3.1 Pro; image gen/editing, Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas, Gems; 15 GB storage
- Limits: Standard limits reset ~every 5 hrs
- Best for: Google-ecosystem users
Free Deep Research + Gemini Live in your Google account
- OpenAI ChatGPTFreeFree
GPT-5.3 Instant (falls back to a mini model at the cap); web search, basic image gen, file uploads
- Limits: ~10 msgs / 5 hrs on the top model, then a mini model · US Free now shows ads
- Best for: Casual free use
The most-used free AI assistant
- PerplexityFreeFree
Unlimited basic search, auto model selection, basic uploads, Comet AI browser
- Limits: ~5 Pro Searches/day · no frontier-model picker
- Best for: Sourced answers, free
Best free answer-engine with real citations
- xAI GrokFreeFree
Grok 4 / 4.1 basic, real-time X + web search, basic Grok Imagine, limited voice
- Limits: ~10 prompts / 2 hrs
- Best for: X users wanting live context
Real-time access to X posts + Grok's personality
- Google GeminiGoogle AI Plus$4.99/mo
2× Gemini usage, video generation, Daily Brief, 200 Google Flow credits, Gemini in Gmail/Vids, 400 GB storage
- Limits: ~2× free-tier usage
- Best for: Light paid users wanting Gmail/Docs AI
Cheapest paid major-provider tier
- OpenAI ChatGPTGo$8/mo
Unlimited GPT-5.3 Instant, file uploads, image creation; ~10× Free messages
- Limits: ~10× Free allowance · US Go still shows 'Sponsored Tips' ads
- Best for: Budget users past the Free cap
Cheapest paid OpenAI tier
- Google GeminiGoogle AI Pro$19.99/mo
Gemini 3 Pro in Search, 4× usage, 1,000 Flow credits, Jules + Antigravity access, Gemini Notebook 5× audio overviews, 5 TB storage, YouTube Premium Lite
- Limits: ~4× free-tier usage
- Best for: Mainstream value pick
Bundles 5 TB storage + YouTube perks
- Anthropic ClaudePro$20/mo$200/yr
All Claude models, Claude Code, Cowork, Design, Science, Research, M365 integration
- Limits: Weekly + rolling usage limits · paid plans can turn on usage credits to keep going at API rates
- Best for: Devs, writers, analysts
Bundles Claude Code (terminal coding agent)
- OpenAI ChatGPTPlus$20/mo
GPT-5.5, Deep Research, Sora video, Codex, Agent Mode, advanced voice
- Limits: Deep Research ~10/mo · rolling message caps
- Best for: Most paying individuals
Full frontier feature set at the mainstream price
- PerplexityPro$20/mo
Model picker (GPT-5.x, Claude Opus/Sonnet, Gemini 3.1 Pro, Grok, Sonar); Deep Research; Comet
- Limits: 300+ Pro Searches/day · ~20 Deep Research/mo
- Best for: Researchers wanting model choice
Switch the underlying model per query
- OpenAI ChatGPTBusiness (Standard seat)$25/mo$240/yr
All ChatGPT, ChatGPT Work and Codex features; connectors for Google Workspace, Slack, GitHub and Microsoft 365
- Limits: Everyday-work seat, inside a 5-hour usage window
- Best for: Small teams
No training on your business data by default, with SAML SSO, MFA and central billing
- xAI GrokSuperGrok$30/mo
Full Grok 4 (128K context), Grok Imagine, AI agents; Grok 4.3 rolling out in stages
- Limits: Much higher limits than Free
- Best for: Daily Grok users
Highest-context standalone Grok + agents
- Google GeminiGoogle AI Ultra$99.99/mo
Full Gemini suite incl. Deep Think, ~5× Pro usage, from 20 TB storage, full YouTube Premium, Gemini Spark agent
- Limits: ~5× Pro usage at $99.99; the $199.99 tier gives 20× vs Pro
- Best for: Advanced creators/devs
Gemini Spark autonomous agent + YouTube Premium
- Anthropic ClaudeMax 5×$100/mo
All models, 5× Pro usage, higher output, priority access, Claude Code + Cowork
- Limits: 5× Pro usage · higher output limits · priority access at busy times
- Best for: Occasional power users
Priority access + 5× headroom
- OpenAI ChatGPTPro ($100)$100/mo
GPT-5.5 Pro, extended reasoning, ~5× Plus usage, Deep Research ~50/mo
- Limits: ~5× Plus limits
- Best for: Heavy users below the $200 tier
5× Plus power for people who keep hitting caps
- xAI GrokSuperGrok Plus$100/mo
Everything in SuperGrok, plus 1080p video creation
- Limits: Significantly higher usage across Chat, Imagine, Voice and Build; priority access at peak times
- Best for: Heavy Grok users who want 1080p video
Lightning-fast replies and early access to new features
- OpenAI ChatGPTBusiness (Premium seat)$125/mo$1200/yr
Everything in the standard seat, with 5× the usage
- Limits: 5× standard usage and no 5-hour window
- Best for: Heavy users in a business workspace
The heavy-use seat, mixed with standard seats in one workspace
- Anthropic ClaudeMax 20×$200/mo
All models, 20× Pro usage, highest output, earliest features, Claude Code + Cowork
- Limits: 20× Pro usage · highest output limits · earliest access to new features
- Best for: All-day Claude (esp. coding)
Most headroom Anthropic sells to individuals
- OpenAI ChatGPTPro ($200)$200/mo
Highest GPT-5.5 Pro usage, ~20× Plus, near-unlimited frontier access
- Limits: ~20× Plus limits
- Best for: All-day power users
Effectively unlimited best-model access
- PerplexityMax$200/mo
Everything in Pro plus frontier AI models and advanced reasoning for deep investigations and large datasets
- Limits: Highest usage limits and memory · 10,000 monthly credits · 35,000 bonus credits
- Best for: Heavy, sustained research work
Expert-level research with maximum Computer usage and priority access to new features
US prices, verified June 2026. AI plans change fast and vary by region. Usage limits (messages/window, Deep Research/month) move frequently and several vendors don't publish exact caps, so treat them as approximate. Microsoft retired standalone Copilot Pro (now Microsoft 365 Premium, $19.99/mo); the legacy add-on ended 1 August 2026.Confirm on the vendor's page before subscribing.
ChatGPT pricing: every tier compared, cheapest first
How much does ChatGPT cost depends on which ceiling you keep hitting, because OpenAI sells 7 tiers rather than one. Prices are US dollars per month, verified June 2026.
- Free
- ChatGPT Free ~10 msgs / 5 hrs on the top model, then a mini model · US Free now shows ads
- $8/mo
- ChatGPT Go ~10× Free allowance · US Go still shows 'Sponsored Tips' ads
- $20/mo
- ChatGPT Plus Deep Research ~10/mo · rolling message caps
- $25/mo
- ChatGPT Business (Standard seat) Everyday-work seat, inside a 5-hour usage window
- $100/mo
- ChatGPT Pro ($100) ~5× Plus limits
- $125/mo
- ChatGPT Business (Premium seat) 5× standard usage and no 5-hour window
- $200/mo
- ChatGPT Pro ($200) ~20× Plus limits
The one worth knowing before you pay: the jump from ChatGPT Free to ChatGPT Go at $8 buys roughly ten times the messages, which is a different purchase from the $20 tier, where you are buying features rather than headroom.
Is ChatGPT free?
Yes, and it stays free with no card and no trial clock. What you actually run into is a cap: ~10 msgs / 5 hrs on the top model, then a mini model, and US Free now shows ads. Nothing stops working when you hit it. You keep talking to a smaller model until the window resets, which is why so many people describe ChatGPT as having quietly got worse when what changed was the tier they were being served.
The best free AI chatbot depends on which ceiling you hit first
All 5 major providers give away a usable tier, so the question is never which one is free. It is which limit you meet on a normal Tuesday, and that is where they stop being comparable.
ChatGPT Free
The most-used free AI assistant
- The cap
- ~10 msgs / 5 hrs on the top model, then a mini model · US Free now shows ads
Claude Free
Top-tier writing/coding quality, free
- The cap
- Daily limits (unpublished, vary with demand)
Gemini Free
Free Deep Research + Gemini Live in your Google account
- The cap
- Standard limits reset ~every 5 hrs
Perplexity Free
Best free answer-engine with real citations
- The cap
- ~5 Pro Searches/day · no frontier-model picker
Grok Free
Real-time access to X posts + Grok's personality
- The cap
- ~10 prompts / 2 hrs
We are not going to rank these, and the reason is the useful part. One counts messages, one counts searches, one counts prompts, and Anthropic does not publish a number at all. Any list that puts the best free AI at number one has picked a unit and hidden the choice. Read the caps instead: if you write in long sessions, an unpublished daily limit that moves with demand is a worse deal than a small published one, and if you mostly look things up, the search allowance is the only line that matters.
Want the verdict, not just the table?
The table lays out every plan; these head-to-heads add the opinionated pick, which to choose, and when.
Frequently asked
What's the cheapest way to get a paid AI chatbot in 2026?
Google AI Plus at $4.99/month is currently the cheapest paid tier from a major provider, followed by ChatGPT Go at $8/month. Both sit between the free tier and the flagship $20 plans. Prices are US-based and change frequently.
Which $20/month plan should a normal person pick?
The mainstream $20 plans are ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro, and Google AI Pro (Perplexity Pro is also $20 but it's an answer-engine, not a general chatbot). Pick ChatGPT Plus for the broadest feature set (Sora video, agents, Deep Research), Claude Pro for the best writing/coding quality plus the Claude Code tool, and Google AI Pro if you want Gemini in Gmail/Docs plus 5 TB storage and YouTube Premium Lite, which arguably makes it the best value of the three.
Why does ChatGPT show two different 'Pro' prices ($100 and $200)?
OpenAI added a $100 'Pro' tier on April 9, 2026 that gives ~5× Plus usage, while keeping the original $200 tier that gives ~20×. Confusingly, the interface labels both 'Pro.' If you regularly hit Plus limits but don't need near-unlimited access, the $100 tier is the middle ground; the $200 tier is for all-day heavy use.
Is Microsoft Copilot Pro still available for $20/month?
Not for new individual consumers. Microsoft retired standalone Copilot Pro in late 2025 and replaced it with Microsoft 365 Premium ($19.99/month), which bundles the Copilot assistant with the Office apps and storage. Standalone Copilot Pro survived only as a $20/month add-on for existing Microsoft 365 subscribers, and that ended on 1 August 2026.
How accurate are these prices and limits?
Per-plan dollar prices were verified against vendor sources current as of June 2026 (US dollars). Usage limits (messages per window, Deep Research per month, image-gen boosts) change very frequently and several vendors (notably Anthropic and Google) don't publish exact numeric caps, so treat every limit as approximate and check the vendor's page before subscribing, especially outside the US.