ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini (2026): Prices, Free Plans and Which to Pick

ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini all start free, and their main paid plans cost almost the same: $20/month for ChatGPT Plus and Claude Pro, $19.99/month for Google AI Pro. The real differences are in what each plan bundles, from coding agents to storage and video credits. We track pricing and limits for 100 AI tools, and the figures below are as of October 2026.

How much do ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini cost in 2026?

ChatGPT runs from $0 to $500/month, Claude from $0 to $200/month, and Gemini from $0 to $199.99/month, according to each vendor’s US pricing.

Sources: OpenAI’s pricing page and Codex pricing docs, Anthropic’s pricing page and Google’s Gemini subscriptions page. OpenAI reopened its $200 Pro tier to new sign-ups on September 29, 2026, and the $500 tier adds the most usage. Gemini prices differ by country; the figures above are US prices.

ChatGPT Plus vs Claude Pro vs Google AI Pro: what does about $20 buy?

At about $20/month, ChatGPT Plus buys the widest feature set, Claude Pro buys Claude Code and long-document work, and Google AI Pro buys Google app integration plus 5 TB of storage.

• ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) adds OpenAI’s advanced reasoning models, expanded deep research, Codex on the web, CLI, IDE extension and iOS, and no ads. The ChatGPT Work agent has run on paid web and mobile plans since July 9, 2026.
• Claude Pro ($20/month or $200/year) adds Claude Code, the Research mode, Opus models, Claude Design, Slides and Docs, and at least 5x Free’s usage per session. See Claude Pro vs Max if you outgrow it.
• Google AI Pro ($19.99/month) gives 4x Free’s Gemini limits, 1,000 Google Flow credits, 5 TB of storage, Gemini in Gmail, Docs and Vids, and YouTube Premium Lite.

Only Claude Pro offers a yearly discount among the three main plans. OpenAI’s individual plans bill monthly only.

What do the free plans really include?

All three free plans cover everyday chat, but Gemini’s includes the most tools, ChatGPT’s offers unlimited text chats, and Claude’s is the most limited for heavy users.

• ChatGPT Free: unlimited text chats subject to abuse guardrails, plus limited file uploads, image generation, voice chats, deep research and Codex. Since February 9, 2026, US users on Free and Go may see sponsored units below answers, according to OpenAI’s help center.
• Claude Free: chat on web, desktop and mobile, web search, memory, connectors, file creation and code execution, on Sonnet and Haiku models, with up to 5 projects. It has no Claude Code, Research or Opus, and the lowest limits. On weekdays from 13:00 to 19:00 UTC, Claude’s session limits drain faster.
• Gemini Free: Gemini 3.6 Flash, varying access to 3.1 Pro, image generation and editing, Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas, Gems and 15 GB of storage. Limits are compute-based and refresh every 5 hours until a weekly cap.

On privacy, OpenAI lets you opt out of model training in Data Controls, and Anthropic lets Free, Pro and Max users opt out. For more no-cost options, see our guide to the best free AI tools.

Which is best for writing, research and long documents?

Claude is the best fit for long documents, ChatGPT for turning research into finished files, and Gemini for free deep research and drafting inside Google Docs.

Writing and long documents

• Claude is built for writers and analysts who work with long material. Upload a long contract or annual report and ask Claude to pull obligations, risks and deadlines into a table. Claude Slides and Docs, both in beta, turn a conversation into a deck or document you can download as PowerPoint or PDF.
• ChatGPT Work can take a folder of source material and return docs, sheets, slides or web apps. Projects keep files and instructions together.
• Gemini Canvas drafts documents inside the chat, and paid plans put Gemini in Gmail and Docs for summarizing threads and drafting replies.

Research

• Gemini includes Deep Research on the free plan, with higher access on AI Pro.
• ChatGPT deep research is limited on Free, expanded on Plus and at its maximum on Pro.
• Claude has web search on Free, but its Research mode needs a paid plan.

If every claim needs a citation, Perplexity is a better research tool than any of the three. Every Perplexity answer carries inline citations.

Which AI assistant is best for coding?

Claude is the best pick for daily agentic coding, ChatGPT is the cheapest way to start with a coding agent, and Gemini makes sense if you already pay for Google AI Pro.

• Claude Code comes with every paid Claude plan. It works in the terminal, VS Code, JetBrains IDEs and the desktop app, and shares one usage pool with chat. Since May 6, 2026, Claude Code on Pro and Max is exempt from the peak-hour reduction.
• Codex ships with every ChatGPT plan. Free covers quick coding tasks, Go at $8/month covers lightweight work, and Plus adds Codex on the web, CLI, IDE extension and iOS plus cloud integrations, according to OpenAI’s Codex pricing docs.
• Jules and Google Antigravity: Google’s subscriptions page lists Jules, an asynchronous coding agent, and access to the Antigravity agent platform on Google AI Pro and Ultra, with higher rate limits on Ultra.

If Claude Code becomes your daily tool, see whether Pro’s limits hold before you pay for Max. For a wider field that includes Cursor and GitHub Copilot, read our roundup of the best AI coding tools.

Which is best for images and video?

Gemini is the strongest of the three for video, ChatGPT for quick image creation in chat, and Claude’s plans list no image or video tool.

• Gemini offers image generation and editing on the free plan. Paid plans add Google Flow credits (200 on AI Plus, 1,000 on AI Pro and up to 25,000 on Ultra) and Gemini Omni, which creates and edits videos from text, photos and clips for subscribers aged 18 and over.
• ChatGPT creates and edits images in the chat. Free is limited and slower, while Pro gets unlimited, faster creation under abuse guardrails.
• Claude’s pricing page lists no image or video generator, so pair Claude with a dedicated tool for visuals.

Which fits Google or Microsoft apps best?

Gemini fits Google Workspace best, while Claude and Microsoft Copilot fit Microsoft Office users best.

• Gemini works inside Gmail, Docs, Vids and other Google apps on paid plans, and every Google AI plan bundles cloud storage, from 400 GB on AI Plus to 5 TB on AI Pro.
• Claude paid plans add Claude for Excel, PowerPoint and Word, an Outlook add-in in beta and a Chrome extension. Connectors to your apps come with every Claude plan, including Free.
• ChatGPT Work operates across your apps and files for hours, and ChatGPT has desktop apps for Mac and Windows plus a Chrome extension.

If your day runs on Word, Excel and Teams, compare Microsoft Copilot as well; it is covered below.

Which student and device deals cut the price?

US college students can get ChatGPT Plus free for 4 months or Google AI Pro free for a year, and Pixel 10 Pro buyers get 12 months of Google AI Pro.

ChatGPT Plus renews at $20/month after the free months, and the offer can’t be redeemed through App Store or Google Play billing. Google AI Pro renews at $19.99/month unless you cancel. Anthropic’s pricing page lists no individual student discount for Claude; universities can buy the Education plan instead. Our AI student discounts guide lists every offer we track.

What other AI assistants are worth a look?

Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot, Grok, Mistral Vibe and DeepSeek each fill a specific gap, such as citations, Office integration, live X search or price.

Perplexity

Perplexity is an answer engine with inline citations on every answer. Pro costs $20/month, Max $200/month, and verified students and educators pay $10/month for Education Pro.

Microsoft Copilot

Microsoft Copilot chat is free, subject to capacity. Microsoft 365 Personal at $9.99/month brings Copilot into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote, and Premium costs $19.99/month.

Grok

Grok adds real-time X and web search, even on its free plan. SuperGrok costs $30/month and SuperGrok Plus $100/month, with Grok Imagine for images and video.

Mistral Vibe

Mistral renamed Le Chat to Vibe in May 2026. Pro costs $14.99/month, or $5.99/month for verified students, and it suits professionals who want a European option.

DeepSeek

DeepSeek’s web chat and mobile apps are free with no subscription. It defaults to a 1M-token context window and publishes open model weights.

Bottom line: which should you pick?

Pick by your main job, not by brand: the three main plans cost within 1 cent of each other.

• Free only: start with Gemini Free for Deep Research and image tools, or ChatGPT Free for unlimited text chats if ads don’t bother you.
• Writers and analysts with long documents: Claude Pro, billed yearly at $200.
• Developers: Claude Pro or Max for Claude Code; ChatGPT Plus if you want Codex across web, CLI and IDE with image tools on the side.
• Google Workspace and Android users, video creators: Google AI Pro at $19.99/month, which also replaces a 5 TB storage plan.
• Microsoft Office users: Microsoft 365 with Copilot, or Claude Pro for its Excel, PowerPoint and Word add-ins.
• US college students: claim the 4 free months of ChatGPT Plus by October 31, 2026, and the free year of Google AI Pro by December 31, 2026.
• Researchers who need sources: Perplexity Pro at $20/month.