ChatGPT and Claude are the two assistants most people shortlist first. In 2026 they cost the same at the entry paid tier – $20/month – and both offer capable free plans, so the decision comes down to how you work.
Where ChatGPT wins
OpenAI’s GPT-6 family (Sol, Astra, Luna) powers the broadest feature set: image generation, advanced voice, custom GPTs and the Codex coding agent. The new $8 Go plan is also the cheapest paid stepping stone in the market, and the ecosystem of integrations is unmatched.
Where Claude wins
Claude remains the strongest writer and one of the best coding assistants available. Claude Code, included from the $20 Pro plan, runs in your terminal and handles repo-scale refactors, and paid plans reach a 1M-token context window for long documents. Max tiers at $100 and $200 multiply usage 5x or 20x.
Our take
- General-purpose use, media and voice: ChatGPT Plus.
- Long documents, careful writing, professional coding: Claude Pro.
- Tightest budget: try both free tiers, or ChatGPT Go at $8.
Switching cost is low – use each free tier for a week and let your own tasks decide.