OpenAI’s powerful GPT-4o model is now available to all ChatGPT users, including those on the free plan. This update gives free users access to many features that were once exclusive to the paid $20/month Plus subscribers.
The change has made it more difficult for users to decide which plan is the right investment. Below, we compare the tiers to help you decide which one is the best fit for you, whether it’s the Free plan, ChatGPT Plus, or the high-performance ChatGPT Pro subscription.
Reasons to choose ChatGPT free
“Access” doesn’t mean “unlimited”. Free users get a taste of the premium features, but with significant caps.
Features:
- Use of OpenAI’s best model, GPT-4o
- Get answers that use current info from the web
- Use custom bots from the official GPT Store
- Upload files, photos, and ask questions about them
- Analyze data from files like PDFs and spreadsheets
- Save your chat preferences using “memories”
Limitations:
- There is a daily limit for using the GPT-4o model. After you hit the limit, you will use the older GPT-3.5 model.
- You do not get the most advanced data analysis tools. Those are only available in the paid plans.
- You have very limited access to research tools. For example, you can only run 5 “lightweight” tasks with the Deep Research tool each month.
For casual users who don’t hit the free tier limits, this plan might just be enough. It’s all about how often you use the AI and what features are important to you. Consider the free version if you fit into any of these categories:
- You are a casual user: If you only need AI help sometimes, the free plan is perfect. There is no need to pay for a tool you only use now and then.
- You don’t want to spend money: The free plan gives you access to an advanced AI model without any cost. It is a great option for students, enthusiasts, or anyone who wants to use powerful AI without a monthly fee.
- Your needs are covered by the basic features: Free users can access the smart GPT-4o model, use custom GPTs, and upload files. While there are limits, these features are more than enough for many tasks. If you are not hitting the usage caps, then you don’t need to upgrade.
- You just want to test it out: The free plan is the best way to learn what ChatGPT can do. You can see how it fits into your workflow, and if you later find that you need more, you can always choose to subscribe.
Reasons to choose ChatGPT Plus
The ChatGPT Plus plan costs $20 a month. It gives you all the features of the free version but with much higher usage limits. You get extended limits on messages, creating images, and analyzing files. It also adds the Codex AI coding agent and gives you the first chance to test new tools from OpenAI.
Features:
- Higher usage limits: You get much higher caps on messages with the best models, like GPT-4o.
- Full access to Voice Mode: You get full access to the Advanced Voice Mode, which lets you have real-time chats without the daily limits of the free plan.
- More image generation: The Plus plan gives you a much larger daily quota to generate pictures for your projects.
- More research tasks: You can run 10 full research tasks and an additional 15 lightweight ones each month with the Deep Research tool.
- Access to a coding assistant: Get an agent that can help write, test, and fix code.
- Create short videos with Sora: Create short videos simply by describing them in text.
Limitations:
- It’s still not the top tier: While way better than the free version, Plus still has usage limits; they’re much higher than the free plan but lower than the more expensive Pro plan.
- No access to Pro-level tools: The most advanced features, like the “o1 Pro” reasoning mode for extremely complex problems, are reserved for the Pro subscription.
The Plus plan might be ideal for you if you fit into any of these categories:
- You use ChatGPT for your daily work. If you rely on the AI for writing, research, or analysis, the higher limits are essential.
- You are a frequent creator. Anyone who regularly generates AI images, writes code, or needs in-depth research will get their money’s worth from the expanded tools.
- You constantly hit the free plan’s limits. If you often see the message telling you to “try again later”, that’s the clearest sign it’s time to upgrade.
- You want to be the first to try new things. Plus subscribers get early access to the latest features and models from OpenAI.
When to choose ChatGPT Pro
At $200 a month, ChatGPT Pro gives you everything from the Plus plan, and a lot more.
You can use the main tools like the Voice Mode and GPT-4o as much as you want, without worrying about limits. This plan is for people who need the strongest AI for their work, as it includes special tools for solving difficult problems. As a Pro user, you are always first in line, so the service is very reliable. It’s also easy to upgrade from a Plus account at any time.
Features:
- Unlimited core tools: You get unlimited use of the main tools like GPT-4o, voice mode, and image creation. You will not hit a daily cap for these features.
- More research tasks: You can run 125 full research tasks with the Deep Research tool each month. You also get another 125 simple research tasks on top of that.
- Better video making: You can make more videos with the Sora AI tool. They can be longer (up to 20 seconds) and in higher quality (1080p). Your videos will not have a watermark on them.
- OpenAI o1 Pro mode: This is a special, more powerful model built to solve very difficult problems in math, science, or programming that other models struggle with.
- Operator research preview (US only): This tool can do tasks for you on the internet, like booking travel or filling out forms. Right now, it is only available for users in the United States.
- Try future AI models: You get early access to test OpenAI’s newest models before they are released to other users.
Limitations:
- The price: The plan costs $200 every month.
- Some tools are in testing: Features like Operator and the GPT-4.5 Preview are not finished products. This means they are still being tested and might have bugs or change without notice.
- Some features have location limits: A few special tools are only available to users in certain countries.
Google’s Gemini is still the most powerful AI model out there
The latest version, Gemini 2.5 Pro, scores higher than other AI models on important benchmarks. It handles coding tasks better, solves complex problems more effectively, and creates more well-organized responses.
Gemini 2.5 Pro scores the highest across versatility, linguistic precision, and cultural context in text. (Source: LMArena)
At Revolgy, we offer Gemini AI services to help your business take advantage of these capabilities. If you’re curious or want to start using Gemini in your own projects, we’re here to help.
Check out next: GPT-5 is finally here: Capabilities, tools & safety overview
FAQs
Q1: What key features are available to free ChatGPT users?
Free users have access to OpenAI’s powerful GPT-4o model, the ability to get answers that use current information from the web, and access to custom bots from the GPT Store. They can also upload files and photos to ask questions about them and perform basic data analysis.
Q2: What are the main limitations of the free plan?
The primary limitation is a daily usage cap on the GPT-4o model, after which users are switched to the older GPT-3.5. Free users also have very limited access to advanced tools like Deep Research (5 “lightweight” tasks per month) and do not have access to the most advanced data analysis features.
Q3: Who is the free plan best for?
The free plan is ideal for casual users who only need AI assistance occasionally, students or enthusiasts who want to use a powerful AI without a monthly fee,
Q4: What are the main benefits of upgrading to ChatGPT Plus?
ChatGPT Plus offers significantly higher usage limits for the best models like GPT-4o, image generation, and file analysis. It also provides full, unlimited access to the Advanced Voice Mode, a dedicated AI coding assistant (Codex), and the ability to create short videos with Sora.
Q5: What are the limitations of the Plus plan?
While a major step up from the free version, the Plus plan still has usage limits, though they are much higher. It also does not include the most advanced, Pro-level features like the “o1 Pro” reasoning model for extremely complex problems.
Q6: Who should consider subscribing to ChatGPT Plus?
The Plus plan is a good fit for users who rely on ChatGPT for daily work (writing, research, analysis), frequent creators who regularly generate AI images or code, and anyone who consistently hits the usage limits of the free plan. It’s also ideal for those who want early access to new features from OpenAI.
Q7: What does the ChatGPT Pro plan offer beyond the Plus plan?
ChatGPT Pro offers unlimited use of core tools like GPT-4o, voice mode, and image creation, removing daily caps. It includes significantly more research tasks (125 full tasks per month), the ability to create more and higher-quality videos with Sora (up to 20 seconds, 1080p, no watermark), and access to exclusive, powerful tools.
Q8: What are the exclusive tools available to Pro subscribers?
Pro users get access to:
- OpenAI o1 Pro mode: A more powerful reasoning model designed to solve very difficult problems in math, science, or programming.
- Operator research preview (US only): An AI agent that can perform tasks on the internet for you, like booking travel or filling out forms.
- Early access to future AI models: Pro users can test OpenAI’s newest models before other users.
Q9: What are the potential downsides of the Pro plan?
The main limitation is the high price of $200 per month. Additionally, some of its most advanced features, like Operator, are still in a “research preview” or testing phase, meaning they may have bugs or change over time. Certain features may also be limited to specific geographic locations, such as the US-only Operator preview.