ChatGPT 2026: 900M Weekly Users, GPT-5.5, Plans $0-$200
Last updated: 2026-06-14
ChatGPT by OpenAI has 900M weekly users and runs on GPT-5.5 (88.7% SWE-bench, 1M token context). Plans range free to $200/mo Pro—chat, code, images, voice.
ChatGPT is OpenAI's AI assistant with 900 million weekly active users as of February 2026, making it the most widely used consumer AI product. It runs on GPT-5.5 (released April 2026), which scores 88.7% on SWE-bench Verified and supports a 1 million token context window via the API. Plans start free, with Plus at $20/month, Business at $20-25/seat/month, and Pro at $200/month for the highest usage limits and GPT-5.5 Pro access.
About ChatGPT
ChatGPT is OpenAI's conversational AI assistant, launched in November 2022 and now the most widely used consumer AI product in history. As of early 2026, it serves 900 million weekly active users and 50 million paid subscribers, generating roughly $25 billion in annualized revenue. OpenAI raised $122 billion in its most recent funding round at an $852 billion valuation (March 2026), the highest private company valuation ever recorded. The current flagship model, GPT-5.5 (released April 23, 2026), scores 88.7% on SWE-bench Verified, 92.4% on MMLU, and reduces hallucinations by 60% compared to GPT-5.4. ChatGPT's breadth is its defining advantage: writing, code, image generation (DALL-E), web search, voice conversations, computer use, and agentic coding (Codex) are all native features within a single interface. GPT-5.4 achieved 75% on OSWorld, surpassing the 72.4% human expert baseline, making ChatGPT the only commercial AI to exceed human performance on autonomous computer-use benchmarks. Memory retains context across conversations; Projects organize files and context for recurring workflows; 60-plus application connectors integrate Slack, Google Drive, GitHub, and more. GPT-5.5 supports a 1 million token context window via API and 400K tokens in Codex. Codex is OpenAI's agentic coding tool, available in ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise. It operates across the terminal, IDE, web, GitHub, and the ChatGPT iOS and Android apps. Developers can start a Codex task on a Windows desktop and monitor progress from an iPhone. Deep Research conducts multi-source web research and synthesizes cited reports, available to Plus users at 10 runs/month. The 1-800-CHATGPT feature (US only) lets users interact via phone without an account. Pricing spans six tiers in 2026: Free ($0, GPT-5.3 with message limits and ads in the US), Go ($8/month, more volume with ads), Plus ($20/month, full model suite including GPT-5.5, Sora, Codex, and Deep Research), Pro at $100/month (5x Plus usage) and $200/month (20x usage, 1M-token context), Business at $20/seat/month annual ($25 monthly), and Enterprise at custom pricing with private hosting and org-wide controls. ChatGPT's main limitation for advanced users is pricing transparency: the credit system means heavy use of GPT-5.5 on a Plus plan can hit limits quickly, requiring an upgrade to Pro. Trustpilot's 1.6/5 from 2,800+ reviewers reflects billing and support complaints from consumer users rather than product quality — G2's 4.7/5 from 2,000+ business-user reviews tells the opposite story. For teams and enterprises, ChatGPT's depth of features, compliance certifications, and the widest third-party integration ecosystem make it the default starting point for AI adoption.
Screenshots
Pricing
Free at $0 (GPT-5.3 with message limits; ads in US). Go at $8/month (more volume, ads). Plus at $20/month (full model suite, ad-free, 10 Deep Research runs/month). Pro at $100/month (5x Plus usage) or $200/month (20x Plus, 1M-token context, GPT-5.5 Pro). Business at $20/seat/month (annual) or $25/seat/month (monthly), 2-seat minimum. Enterprise custom-priced. Annual billing saves ~20% on most paid plans. API: GPT-5.5 at $5/$30 per million tokens.
Feature Comparison by Tier
| Feature | Go | Free | Plus | Pro $100 | Pro $200 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $8 | $0 | $20 | $100 | $200 |
| Default model | GPT-5.3 | GPT-5.3 | GPT-5.5 | GPT-5.4 Pro | GPT-5.4 Pro |
| Messages per window | 100 | 10 | 400-2000 | 2000+ | Unlimited |
| DALL-E 4 image generation | yes | - | yes | yes | yes |
| Deep Research | - | - | yes | yes | yes |
| Codex coding agent | - | - | - | yes | yes |
| Context window | 128K | 128K | 128K | 128K | 2M |
| Voice mode | yes | - | yes | yes | yes |
| Sora video generation | - | - | yes | yes | yes |
Key Features
- GPT-5.5: Frontier Model with 88.7% SWE-bench: GPT-5.5 scores 88.7% on SWE-bench Verified and cuts hallucinations by 60% vs GPT-5.4, supporting a 1 million token context window in the API and 400K tokens in Codex. GPT-5.2 was retired June 12, 2026 — all GPT-5.2 conversations auto-migrated to the corresponding GPT-5.5 tier.
- DALL-E Image Generation: Generates, edits, and remixes images from text prompts natively within ChatGPT on Plus and above, the most widely used AI image generation tool with over 500 million images created monthly.
- Codex (Agentic Coding): Agentic coding tool powered by GPT-5.3 Codex that operates across the terminal, IDE, web, and GitHub, available on iOS and Android. June 2026 update adds developer mode for browser use, the /init command, rate-limit banking for Plus/Pro, and customizable macOS Dock icons.
- Scheduled Tasks: A new Scheduled page (June 2026) lets users create reminders, recurring work, and monitoring tasks set for specific times or broad windows like 'morning' or 'evening.' Replaces the Pulse feature, with Pro users getting 14-day Pulse access during the transition.
- Computer Use (OSWorld 75%): GPT-5.4's OSWorld score of 75% exceeds the 72.4% human expert baseline, making ChatGPT the first commercial AI to autonomously operate computer interfaces above human-level performance.
- Memory Controls: Memory retains context across conversations for all paid users. Users can now delete individual memories, edit memory summaries through text input or highlighting, and turn memory off entirely. Temporary Chat mode prevents memory creation entirely.
- 60-Plus Application Connectors: Business and Enterprise users get native integrations with Slack, Google Drive, GitHub, OneDrive, and 60+ other apps, enabling ChatGPT to reference live organizational data in its responses.
- Voice Mode and 1-800-CHATGPT: Conversational voice mode is available on iOS, Android, and web; 1-800-CHATGPT (US) allows phone-based AI interaction without an account or app, the first major AI telephone interface.
Pros
- 900 million weekly active users and 50 million paid subscribers makes ChatGPT the most widely adopted AI product ever, giving it the largest third-party plugin ecosystem and strongest community support.
- DALL-E image generation, Sora video generation, and Codex agentic coding are all native in a single interface, eliminating the need to switch between specialized tools for creative and technical tasks.
- GPT-5.5 is the first commercial AI to exceed the human expert baseline (75% vs 72.4%) on OSWorld computer-use benchmarks, and reduces hallucinations by 60% compared to its predecessor.
Cons
- Plus plan limits on Deep Research (10 runs/month), Sora, and GPT-5.5 usage push heavy users to the Pro plan at $100 to $200/month, making the effective cost for power users 5-10x the $20 headline price.
- Trustpilot shows 1.6/5 from 2,800+ reviews, driven by billing complaints, support access difficulties, and free-tier usage frustrations that OpenAI's customer operations have not resolved at scale.
- API pricing for GPT-5.5 at $5/$30 per million tokens is among the most expensive in the market; comparable quality from Claude Opus 4.8 at $5/$25 undercuts it, and smaller tasks are better served by cheaper models.
Product Information
- Cloud
- Yes
- Self-Hosted
- No
- On-Premise
- No
- Languages
- English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Korean, Arabic, Hindi
- Training
- Help Center, API Documentation, Community Forum, Video tutorials, Webinars
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ChatGPT and who built it?
ChatGPT is an AI chatbot built by OpenAI, a research company founded in 2015 and based in San Francisco. Launched in November 2022, ChatGPT has grown into the most widely used consumer AI product, reaching 900 million weekly active users by February 2026 and crossing 1 billion monthly app users by June 2026, the fastest app in history to hit that milestone according to Sensor Tower. The current underlying model is GPT-5.5, released in April 2026, which OpenAI says cuts hallucinations by 60% compared to GPT-5.4. ChatGPT is available on web, iOS, and Android, and offers a phone-based interface via 1-800-CHATGPT in the US. OpenAI has raised roughly $190 billion in total funding, including a $122 billion round in March 2026 at an $852 billion valuation, and is reportedly preparing for an IPO targeting fall 2026.
How much does ChatGPT cost?
ChatGPT offers six pricing tiers. The Free plan is $0/month and includes GPT-5.3 with message limits and ads in the US. Go costs $8/month for higher usage volume. Plus costs $20/month and unlocks the full model suite (GPT-5.5, GPT-5.5 Thinking, DALL-E, Sora), voice mode, and 10 Deep Research runs per month, ad-free. Pro costs $100/month for 5x Plus usage or $200/month for 20x Plus usage with a 1 million token context window and priority access to GPT-5.5 Pro. Business costs $20/seat/month billed annually or $25/seat/month billed monthly, with a 2-seat minimum. Enterprise is custom-priced. Annual billing saves roughly 20% on most paid plans, and the GPT-5.5 API costs $5 per million input tokens and $30 per million output tokens.
What does ChatGPT do that competitors don't?
ChatGPT's biggest differentiators are scale and ecosystem breadth. With 900 million weekly active users as of February 2026, it has by far the largest user base of any AI assistant, which feeds continuous product iteration and integrations. GPT-5.4 scored 75% on the OSWorld computer-use benchmark, exceeding the 72.4% human expert baseline, making ChatGPT the first commercial AI to autonomously operate computer interfaces above human level. DALL-E image generation, built directly into ChatGPT for Plus and above, produces over 500 million images per month, the most widely used AI image tool. Business and Enterprise plans connect natively to 60+ apps including Slack, Google Drive, GitHub, and OneDrive, letting ChatGPT reference live organizational data. ChatGPT is also the only major AI assistant with a dedicated phone line, 1-800-CHATGPT, for account-free voice access in the US.
How does ChatGPT compare to Claude?
ChatGPT and Claude (made by Anthropic) target overlapping but distinct strengths. Claude, especially Claude Code, is generally regarded as stronger for complex coding, debugging, and large-codebase understanding, and Claude Opus 4.7 introduced a 1 million token context window with high-resolution 2,576px vision. ChatGPT counters with GPT-5.5's own 1 million token API context window, an 88.7% SWE-bench Verified score, and broader ecosystem integrations such as Codex for agentic coding across terminal, IDE, web, and GitHub. ChatGPT also leads on raw scale, with 900 million weekly active users versus Claude's smaller but fast-growing base, and offers native image and video generation (DALL-E, Sora) that Claude does not. Both offer free tiers and a $20/month plan as the entry-level paid option, so the choice often comes down to whether a user prioritizes coding depth (Claude) or ecosystem breadth and multimodal generation (ChatGPT).
Is ChatGPT free / does it have a free tier?
Yes, ChatGPT has a permanent free tier priced at $0/month. Free users get access to GPT-5.3 with message limits and, in the US, ads are shown alongside responses. The free tier does not include GPT-5.5, GPT-5.5 Thinking, voice mode, image generation via DALL-E, or Deep Research, all of which require Plus at $20/month or higher. Free-tier conversations may also be used by OpenAI to improve its models by default, though users can opt out in settings. For most casual use, such as quick questions, drafting, and basic coding help, the free tier is functional, but anyone wanting the latest GPT-5.5 model, higher usage limits, or ad-free responses needs to upgrade to a paid plan starting at $8/month for Go or $20/month for Plus.
Who is ChatGPT best for / who should avoid it?
ChatGPT is best for individuals and teams who want a single AI tool covering chat, image generation (DALL-E), video generation (Sora), voice mode, and broad third-party app integrations across 60+ connectors like Slack, Google Drive, and GitHub. Its 900 million weekly active user base and 1-800-CHATGPT phone access make it the most accessible option for non-technical users and mobile-first workflows. Developers building agentic coding workflows may prefer Claude Code or Cursor, which are more narrowly optimized for repo-wide code edits. Organizations with strict data residency or zero-retention requirements should evaluate the Business or Enterprise tiers, which guarantee no training on organizational data and offer SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, GDPR, and ISO 27001/27017/27018/27701 certifications. Free-tier users in regions where ads are shown, or who are uncomfortable with default training-data usage, should consider a paid tier or opt out of training in settings.
Can ChatGPT use my files and connect to apps like Slack or Google Drive?
Yes, ChatGPT Business and Enterprise plans include native connectors to more than 60 third-party applications, including Slack, Google Drive, GitHub, OneDrive, and others, allowing ChatGPT to search and reference live organizational data when answering questions. Plus and Pro users can also use Projects to organize files, custom instructions, and conversation history for recurring workflows. Deep Research, available to Plus users at 10 runs per month and at higher limits for Business and Enterprise, can browse the web and connected sources to produce multi-source, cited research reports. The GitHub connector specifically allows ChatGPT's Deep Research tool to analyze and cite code directly from repositories. For automation, GPT-5.5 supports a 1 million token context window via the API, and Codex, OpenAI's agentic coding tool, can operate across the terminal, IDE, web, and GitHub, including from iOS and Android with remote triggering.
Does ChatGPT train on user data and is it HIPAA/GDPR compliant?
It depends on the plan. For Free and Plus users, conversations may be used by OpenAI to improve its models by default, though an opt-out is available in settings. Business and Enterprise plans guarantee zero data retention and no training on organizational data. ChatGPT for Healthcare, available under Business/Enterprise with a signed Business Associate Agreement (BAA), is HIPAA-compliant. OpenAI also holds SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, and ISO 27701 certifications. Since the EU AI Act's general-purpose AI (GPAI) obligations took effect in August 2025, OpenAI has been subject to those requirements and participates in EU AI governance discussions. Users handling sensitive or regulated data should use a Business or Enterprise plan with zero data retention rather than the Free or Plus consumer tiers, where default training-data usage applies unless explicitly disabled.
Top Alternatives
- Claude: Pick Claude for longer documents and coding accuracy; pick ChatGPT if you need live web search and real-time data.
- Gemini: Choose Gemini for deep Google Workspace integration; pick ChatGPT for broader third-party app ecosystem.
- Grok: Pick Grok for live X (Twitter) data; pick ChatGPT if you need DALL-E, Sora, and the largest user community.