Claude vs ChatGPT vs Gemini: plans, prices and limits
Three assistants, one price point. Each vendor spends that $20 differently: Anthropic on context, OpenAI on a long ladder of tiers, Google on a bundle.
Facts checked 1 Oct 202680 of 93 cells sourced, 13 marked not verified
The short version
- Main paid plan: ChatGPT Plus $20, Claude Pro $20 (or $17 on annual billing), Google AI Pro $19.99 a month.
- Lowest paid price we could verify: Google AI Plus at $4.99 a month. ChatGPT Go’s US price was not verified. Claude lists no paid plan below Pro.
- Largest published context in the app: Claude, up to 1M on every plan. ChatGPT publishes 27K to 400K depending on plan and model type. Google’s plans page showed no token figure for the app.
- Free plans differ: ChatGPT and Gemini list a research mode and image generation on Free; Claude’s free plan lists web search, file creation and memory but not Research or Claude Code.
- Heavy-use plans all start around $100 a month: ChatGPT Pro 100, Claude Max, Google AI Ultra at $99.99.
Plans and prices
US dollars unless a cell says otherwise. Vendors show different prices in different countries and add tax in some.
| What | ClaudeAnthropic | ChatGPTOpenAI | GeminiGoogle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes. Chat on web, desktop and mobile; web search, file creation, code execution, memorySource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Yes. Unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna; limited uploads, images, voice and deep researchSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Yes, with a Google Account. Access to 3.6 Flash and varying access to 3.1 Pro; 15 GB storageSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Low-cost tier | None listed between Free and ProSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Go. A$13/month on the Australian page; this plan may include adsUS dollar price not verified: OpenAI's help page for Go gives no figure and points to the pricing page, which showed A$ from our connection (re-checked 2 Oct 2026).Source: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Google AI Plus, $4.99/month. 2x the Free usage limits, 400 GB storageSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Main paid plan | Pro, $20/month billed monthly, or $17/month on annual billing ($200 up front)Source: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Plus, $20/month, billed monthlySource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Google AI Pro, $19.99/month. 4x the Free usage limits, 5 TB storageSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Heavy-use plans | Max, from $100/month. Choose 5x or 20x the Pro usagePrice of the 20x option was not shown as a number on the page we read.Source: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Pro 100, Pro 200 and Pro 500: $100, $200 and $500/monthSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Google AI Ultra, $99.99/month (5x AI Pro limits) or $199.99/month (20x)Source: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Team plan | Team: standard seat $20/month on annual billing or $25 monthly; premium seat $100 or $125. For 2 to 150 peopleSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Business: standard seat $20/month on annual billing or $25 monthly; premium seat $100 or $125. At least 2 seatsSource: OpenAI, checked 2 Oct 2026 | Not verified Google points business accounts to the Gemini Enterprise app; we did not read its pricing. |
| Bundled extras on the main paid plan | No cloud storage or other non-Claude service is listed for Pro on the pricing pageSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | No cloud storage or other non-ChatGPT service is listed for Plus on the pricing pageSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | AI Pro lists 5 TB of storage across Gmail, Drive and Photos, a YouTube Premium Lite plan, and the Google Home Premium Standard planSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
Limits and models
| What | ClaudeAnthropic | ChatGPTOpenAI | GeminiGoogle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Context window in the app | Up to 1M on every plan, varies by modelSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Instant models: 27K (Free), 54K (Go and Plus), 128K (Pro). Reasoning models: 256K (Go and Plus), 400K (Pro)Source: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Not verified The plans page gives file-upload size (up to 1,500 pages) but no token figure for the app. |
| How usage limits are described | Pro has 'more usage' than Free; Max is 5x or 20x Pro; Team premium seats are 5x standard. No message counts on the pricing pageSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Free: limited messages with uploads. Go: more messages with tools and more uploads. Plus: expanded messages and uploads. Pro: three usage tiers. Exact message counts are not published on the pricing pageSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Compute-based limits that refresh every 5 hours up to a weekly limit; paid tiers are 2x, 4x and up to 20x. AI credits can extend themSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Models you get | Free: Sonnet and Haiku. Pro and up: adds Opus. Fable: usage credits on Pro, up to 50% of weekly limits on MaxSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Free: GPT-5.6 Luna. Plus: advanced reasoning models with GPT-6. Pro: Pro reasoning powered by GPT-6 AstraSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Free: 3.6 Flash, varying access to 3.1 Pro. Paid plans raise access to 3.1 Pro; Ultra adds first access to Deep ThinkSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
Features by plan
| What | ClaudeAnthropic | ChatGPTOpenAI | GeminiGoogle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deep research | Research: not on Free; included from ProSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Limited on Free; expanded on Plus; maximum on ProSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Deep Research is listed on the Free planSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Coding agent | Claude Code: not on Free; included from ProSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Codex: limited on Free, expanded on Plus, longer sessions on ProSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Jules (beta) with higher limits from AI Pro; entry rate limits for the Google Antigravity agent from AI ProSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Voice | Voice mode on every planSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Limited voice chats on Free; more on GoSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Gemini Live on the Free planSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Image generation | Not verified Not listed on Anthropic's pricing page. We did not check further, so we make no claim either way. | Limited on Free; more on Go; unlimited and faster on ProSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Image generation and editing on the Free plan; video generation on paid plansSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Memory | Memory across conversations on every planSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Limited memory and context on Free; longer on Go; expanded on PlusSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Not verified Google lists 'Personal Intelligence' and memory import as features; plan-level detail was not on the page we read. |
| Projects and custom assistants | Projects: up to 5 on Free, included on paid plansSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Projects, scheduled tasks and custom GPTs from PlusSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Gems and Canvas on the Free planSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Works inside other apps | Claude in Chrome and Claude for Microsoft 365 from ProSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Google Sheets extensions are listed; which plan gets what was not readable on the pageSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Gemini in Gmail, Vids and more from AI Plus; Docs and Gemini in Chrome from AI ProSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Training on your chats | Opt-out on Free, Pro and Max; Team is not trained on by defaultSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Opt-out available on Free, Go, Plus and ProSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Not verified The plans page links to 'how Google handles data' but states no setting; not checked further. |
| Ads | Not verified Nothing about ads is stated on the pricing page. | Ads may appear on the Free tier in certain countriesThe pricing page says the Go plan “may include ads”.Source: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Not verified Nothing about ads in the Gemini app is stated on the plans page. |
Voice, files and access
| What | ClaudeAnthropic | ChatGPTOpenAI | GeminiGoogle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voice: where it works and limits | Beta on Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise, on iOS, Android, desktop and web. Voice counts toward your plan's regular usage limits. Fable is not available in voiceSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Free: limited access to GPT-Live-1 mini. Go: 3 hours of GPT-Live-1 mini. Plus: 3 hours of GPT-Live-1, measured over a rolling 24 hours. Live does not support video or screen sharingSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Gemini Live needs the Gemini mobile app and a signed-in Google Account; it is not available in the Gemini web app. It supports video streaming and screen sharingSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| File uploads | 500MB per file in a chat, 30MB per file in a project. PDFs up to 100 pages are read with images and charts; from 101 to 1,000 pages, text onlySource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | 512MB per file; text and document files capped at 2M tokens; images 20MB each. Free users: 3 file uploads a daySource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Up to 10 files per prompt; 100 MB per file. Paid Google AI plans raise upload limitsSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Video | Not verified Video is not listed on the Anthropic pages we read. | In voice, Live does not support video or screen sharing; video and screen sharing remain available to eligible subscribers in the iOS and Android apps when using AdvancedVideo upload and video generation were not read.Source: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Upload: each video up to 2 GB; 5 minutes in total, or 1 hour with Google AI Pro or UltraVideo generation is listed on paid plans (see Image generation).Source: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Can you use it without an account? | Anthropic's help page describes logging in with a Google account or an emailed link; it does not describe a logged-out modeSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Yes at chatgpt.com in supported countries (not yet in Europe, except the UK). Logged out you get one conversation at a time and chats are not savedSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Some features of the Gemini web app work without signing in. More features, and saving activity, need a Google AccountSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Where it runs | Web (claude.ai), iOS, Android and Claude DesktopSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Web, iOS and Android for voice in chat; a desktop app on macOS and WindowsSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | The Gemini app on Android (including as the phone's assistant) and on iOSThe web app at gemini.google.com is described on Google's sign-in help page.Source: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
For developers: API
API prices are separate from the app subscriptions above. Prices are per one million tokens.
| What | ClaudeAnthropic | ChatGPTOpenAI | GeminiGoogle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top API model and price per 1M tokens | claude-fable-5-1: $10 input, $50 output. claude-opus-5-5: $4 input, $20 outputSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | gpt-6-astra: $10 input, $50 outputSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | gemini-3.1-pro-preview: $2 input, $12 output for prompts up to 200k tokens; $4 and $18 above thatSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Mid-priced API model | claude-sonnet-5-5: $2 input, $10 outputSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | gpt-6.1-sol: $2 input, $10 outputSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | gemini-3.8-flash: $0.75 input, $3.75 output through 31 Dec 2026; $1.50 and $7.50 from 1 Jan 2027Source: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Cheapest current API model | claude-haiku-4-5: $1 input, $5 outputSource: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | gpt-6-luna: $0.10 input, $0.50 outputSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Not verified Google lists several Flash-Lite models; we did not read their prices today. |
| API context window | 1M tokens on Fable 5.1, Opus 5.5 and Sonnet 5.5; 200K on Haiku 4.5Source: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | 1.05M tokens on gpt-6-astra, gpt-6.1-sol and gpt-6-lunaSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | 1,048,576 input tokens on gemini-3.1-pro-preview and gemini-3.8-flashSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| API maximum output | 128K tokens (64K on Haiku 4.5)Source: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | 128K tokensSource: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | 65,536 tokensSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Long-prompt surcharge | Not verified We did not read whether Anthropic charges a different rate for long prompts. | A separate, higher 'long context' rate is listed: gpt-6-astra $20 input, $75 outputThe token threshold where the long-context rate starts was not captured.Source: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Yes on gemini-3.1-pro-preview: prompts over 200k tokens cost $4 input, $18 outputSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Free API tier | Not verified Not read today. | Not verified Not read today. | gemini-3.8-flash has a free tier (content may be used to improve Google products); gemini-3.1-pro-preview has noneSource: Google, checked 1 Oct 2026 |
| Knowledge cutoff of top model | Jun 2026 (Fable 5.1, Opus 5.5, Sonnet 5.5)Source: Anthropic, checked 1 Oct 2026 | 30 Apr 2026 (gpt-6-astra)Source: OpenAI, checked 1 Oct 2026 | Not verified Not captured from the model page. |
Best for, and not ideal for
Each point follows from a row in the tables above. We have not run quality or speed tests, so nothing here says which one writes or codes better.
Claude
Best for
- Long documents and big codebases. The pricing page lists a context window of up to 1M on every plan, free included.
- Paying yearly. Pro drops to $17 a month on annual billing.
- Small teams that want published seat prices: $20 or $25 per standard seat.
Not ideal for
- Free users who want a research mode or a coding agent. Research and Claude Code start at Pro.
- Paying less than Pro. No paid plan is listed below Pro, which is $20 billed monthly or $17 a month on annual billing.
ChatGPT
Best for
- People who want tiers to grow into: there are Go, Plus and three Pro levels between free and $500 a month.
- Heavy image use. Image creation is listed from the Free plan and becomes unlimited on Pro.
- Developers who need a very cheap model: gpt-6-luna lists $0.10 per million input tokens, the lowest price among the models we read today.
Not ideal for
- Pasting very long documents on a $20 plan. Plus is capped at a 54K context window on Instant models and 256K on reasoning models.
- Anyone who wants an ad-free low-cost plan: OpenAI says Go may include ads.
Gemini
Best for
- People already paying for Google storage. AI Pro bundles 5 TB and AI Plus 400 GB.
- A low paid price: AI Plus at $4.99 a month, the lowest paid price we could verify among ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini.
- Free users who want research and image tools. Deep Research and image generation are on the Free plan.
- Developers watching token cost at the top end: gemini-3.1-pro-preview lists $2 input and $12 output per million tokens for prompts up to 200k tokens, and $4 and $18 above that.
Not ideal for
- Long API responses. Maximum output is 65,536 tokens; OpenAI and Anthropic list 128K.
- People who want a plain token number for the app: Google describes app limits as compute-based, refreshing every 5 hours.
Questions people ask
- Which is the cheapest of the three?
- All three have a free plan. Among paid plans, Google AI Plus is the lowest price we could verify at $4.99 a month. Billed monthly, the main plans are within a cent of each other at about $20; Claude Pro is $17 a month on annual billing.
- Which has the biggest context window?
- In the apps, Anthropic lists up to 1M on every Claude plan. Through the API, all three list a context window of about one million tokens on their current top models: 1.05M for OpenAI, 1M for Anthropic and 1,048,576 input tokens for Google.
- Which is best for coding?
- We have not run coding tests, so we do not rank them. What the vendors list: Codex is listed on ChatGPT Free (limited), Plus and Pro, Claude Code starts at Claude Pro, and Google lists Jules with higher limits from AI Pro, plus entry rate limits for the Antigravity agent.
Sources
Every figure on this page was read from these vendor pages on 1 Oct 2026. A cell marked “Not verified” means we could not confirm it from a vendor page that day, so we left it blank.
- Anthropic: Claude pricing page, checked 1 Oct 2026. Prices shown with a $ sign; the page says they exclude applicable tax.
- OpenAI: ChatGPT pricing page, checked 1 Oct 2026. Read in a browser from an Australian connection; plan prices on this page were shown in A$.
- Google: Google AI plans (United States page), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- OpenAI: What is ChatGPT Plus? (Help Center), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- OpenAI: About ChatGPT Pro tiers (Help Center), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- OpenAI: ChatGPT Business overview (Help Center), checked 2 Oct 2026. The page gives these as USD prices for most countries and says pricing may vary by country and currency.
- OpenAI: ChatGPT Free Tier FAQ (Help Center), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- Anthropic: Models overview (Claude Platform docs), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- OpenAI: Models (API docs), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- Google: Gemini API pricing, checked 1 Oct 2026.
- Google: Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview model page, checked 1 Oct 2026.
- OpenAI: Pricing (API docs), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- Anthropic: Use voice mode (Claude Help Center), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- OpenAI: ChatGPT Voice (Help Center), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- Google: Talk naturally with Gemini Live (Gemini Apps Help), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- Anthropic: Upload files to Claude (Claude Help Center), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- OpenAI: File Uploads FAQ (Help Center), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- Google: Upload and analyze files in Gemini Apps (Gemini Apps Help), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- Anthropic: Log in to your Claude account (Claude Help Center), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- OpenAI: The ChatGPT home page (Help Center), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- Google: What you need to sign in to Gemini Apps (Gemini Apps Help), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- Anthropic: What interfaces can I use to access Claude? (Claude Help Center), checked 1 Oct 2026.
- Google: Get started with the Gemini mobile app (Gemini Apps Help), checked 1 Oct 2026.
Other comparisons
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