Pick ChatGPT if…
- You also need image generation (from what its own site says it does).
ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini
Paying for API tokens instead of a chat plan? See OpenAI vs Claude vs Gemini $/MTok for your volume: AI API cost calculator →
Usage limits compared (ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini): message caps, reset windows and which plan you need → AI usage limits: which plan do you need?
See alternatives: ChatGPT alternatives · Claude alternatives · Google Gemini alternatives
ChatGPT pricing · Is Claude Pro worth it?
ChatGPT vs Claude vs Google Gemini compared with prices from official pricing pages (per-tool checked dates): plans, free tiers and which is better value.
Which should you pick?
Pick Google Gemini (Google AI Pro) if price matters: $0.01/mo ($0.12/yr) less than ChatGPT (Plus) on monthly billing.
Free plan, refunds, privacy and more: see what else differs ↓
- Plan compared
- ChatGPT: Plus $20/mo, the tier comparable to the others here (its lighter entry plan is not compared: $8/mo is the Go tier, below the $20/mo Plus tier) · Google Gemini: Google AI Pro $19.99/mo, the tier comparable to the others here (its lighter entry plan is not compared: $4.99/mo is Google AI Plus, a lighter tier below Google AI Pro ($19.99/mo))
- Price on monthly billing
- Google Gemini (Google AI Pro) $19.99/mo · ChatGPT (Plus) $20/mo (+$0.01/mo, +$0.12/yr) · Claude $20/mo (+$0.01/mo, +$0.12/yr)
- Real free plan
- ChatGPT: yes · Claude: yes · Google Gemini: yes
- ToolPick Best Value pick
- Claude (for writing)
Start free with ChatGPTStart free with ClaudePaying for Claude? See your savingOpen in compare builder
Rule: we only compare prices when the tools do the same main job (from what each official site says it does), and only on the same billing (monthly with monthly, billed-yearly with billed-yearly). A real free plan on only one tool comes first. Prices from official pricing pages, each with its own checked date below. No ratings or reviews. The cheaper pick comes from price alone; the Best Value label is shown separately and never replaces it — the same rule as on each tool page.
| ChatGPT | Claude | Google Gemini | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | General-purpose AI assistant: writing, research, images, voice. | Strong long-form writing, editing and analysis assistant. | Google's assistant, integrated with Gmail, Docs and Drive. |
| All plans | Go $8/mo; Plus $20/mo; Pro from $100/mo (3 tiers); Business $25/seat/mo ($20 billed annually); monthly billing | Pro $20/mo ($17/mo billed yearly); Max $100/mo; Ultra $200/mo | Google AI Plus $4.99/mo; Google AI Pro $19.99/mo ($199.99/yr ≈ $16.67/mo); Ultra from $99.99/mo |
| Free tier | Free: $0 (unlimited text chats on GPT-6, limits on tools) | Free plan: $0 | Gemini app is free to use |
| Checked | 2026-10-24 · pricing page | 2026-11-06 · pricing page | 2026-11-06 · pricing page |
Beyond the price: ChatGPT vs Claude vs Google Gemini
Free plan limits, yearly savings, student and team deals, refunds and whether your data trains their AI, side by side. Every fact is from the tool's official page, with its source and the date we read it.
What matters to you?
Tap what matters to you. We tally which tool is ahead using only the facts in the table below.
| What you get | ChatGPT | Claude | Google Gemini |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan Free plan limits → | Yes: Free: $0 (unlimited text chats on GPT-6, limits on tools)source for ChatGPT (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-24 | Yes: includes chat on web, desktop and mobile; web search, files and code; memory; Artifactssource for Claude (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-22 | Yes: Gemini app is free to usesource for Google Gemini (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-11-06 |
| Yearly billing Monthly or yearly? → | Plus: $20/mo, monthly only (no yearly plan)source for ChatGPT (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-11-01 | Pro: $20/mo monthly, $17/mo billed yearly (save 15%)source for Claude (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-30 | Google AI Plus: $4.99/mo monthly Yearly price not in our checkssource for Google Gemini (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-30 |
| Student deal Student discounts → | None on its official pagesource for ChatGPT (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-24 | Not in our checks yet | Free for 1 year: Google AI Pro free for 1 yearsource for Google Gemini (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-24 |
| Team plan Team plan costs → | Business (standard seat): $25/seat/mo monthly ($20 billed yearly); from 2 seatssource for ChatGPT (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-26 | Team (standard seat): $25/seat/mo monthly ($20 billed yearly); from 2 seatssource for Claude (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-26 | No clean per-seat price on its page |
| Refunds and cancelling Refund rules → | Refund window: Possible within 7 days of the charge, if the subscription is unused (their call). Cancel: Settings → Billing (or Account) → Cancel plan → Cancel (at least 24 hours before your next billing date)source for ChatGPT (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-27 | Case by case: only payments their Consumer Terms call refundable, or where the law requires. Cancel: Settings → Billing → Cancel (at least 24 hours before your next billing date)source for Claude (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-27 | Refund rule unclear on its page |
| Trains on your data? Data privacy → | Yes, by default (you can switch it off) Free, Plus and Pro: OpenAI may use your chats to train its models unless you turn it off. Opt out: Settings → Data controls → turn off “Improve the model for everyone”. Or ask “Do not train on my content” in OpenAI's Privacy Portal. Temporary chats aren't used for training. Team plans: not used for training by defaultsource for ChatGPT (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-29 | Ahead Only if you opt in Free, Pro and Max: Anthropic uses your chats and coding sessions for training only if you allow it in your privacy settings (also if you send feedback, or a chat is flagged for safety review). Team plans: not used for training by defaultsource for Claude (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-29 | Yes, by default (you can switch it off) Personal Google accounts: while Keep Activity is on, Google uses your Gemini activity to improve its services, including training generative AI models, and human reviewers may read some chats. Opt out: Open Gemini Apps Activity → turn off Keep Activity. Or use a temporary chat. Chats are still kept for 72 hours. Team plans: not used for training by defaultsource for Google Gemini (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-29 |
“Ahead” means better on that row only, by a fixed rule: a free plan beats none; the bigger yearly saving; free student plan, then discount; the lower per-seat price on the same billing; a stated refund window, then case by case, then none; not training on your data, then opt-in, then opt-out, then no opt-out. No row is called when a tool hasn't been checked. See how we pick.
Who should pick which
Pick Claude if…
- You'd rather your chats and files weren't used for AI training by default.
Pick Google Gemini if…
No clear edge in the facts we checked. Decide on price and features above.
More: best AI ai assistants tools · all ai assistants tools · cost calculator
Comparisons
- Claude vs ChatGPT for writing
- Perplexity vs ChatGPT
- ChatGPT vs Claude
- ChatGPT vs Gemini
- Claude vs Gemini
- ChatGPT vs Le Chat (Mistral)
- ChatGPT vs Perplexity vs Claude
- ChatGPT vs Microsoft Copilot
FAQ
How much does ChatGPT cost?
Per its official pricing page (checked 2026-10-24): Go $8/mo; Plus $20/mo; Pro from $100/mo (3 tiers); Business $25/seat/mo ($20 billed annually); monthly billing.
Does ChatGPT have a free plan?
Free: $0 (unlimited text chats on GPT-6, limits on tools) (checked 2026-10-24).
How much does Claude cost?
Per its official pricing page (checked 2026-11-06): Pro $20/mo ($17/mo billed yearly); Max $100/mo; Ultra $200/mo.
Does Claude have a free plan?
Free plan: $0 (checked 2026-11-06).
How much does Google Gemini cost?
Per its official pricing page (checked 2026-11-06): Google AI Plus $4.99/mo; Google AI Pro $19.99/mo ($199.99/yr ≈ $16.67/mo); Ultra from $99.99/mo.
Does Google Gemini have a free plan?
Gemini app is free to use (checked 2026-11-06).
What is ToolPick's best-value pick for ai assistants?
Le Chat (Mistral): Pro at $14.99/mo, plus a free plan.
Which should I pick, ChatGPT or Claude or Google Gemini?
Pick Google Gemini (Google AI Pro) if price matters: $0.01/mo ($0.12/yr) less than ChatGPT (Plus) on monthly billing (ToolPick rule using prices checked on official pricing pages).
Writing about this? Embed this price card — it updates when we re-check prices.