Claude vs ChatGPT: Which Should You Use? (October 2026)

Plans and prices checked against Anthropic’s and OpenAI’s own pricing and help pages on 7 October 2026.

The short answer

Both have a free plan, and both cost $20 a month for the main paid plan (Claude Pro and ChatGPT Plus).

Pick ChatGPT if you want image generation, unlimited quick text chats for free, or one app that covers the most features. Pick Claude if you work with long documents, want a yearly discount, or want Claude Code and Projects. On ChatGPT’s Free and Go plans you will see ads; Plus and above are ad-free. Many people try both free plans first, and that costs nothing.

Plans and prices side by side

Level	Claude	ChatGPT
Free	$0. Sonnet and Haiku models, usage resets every 5 hours	$0. GPT-6 Luna from 8 October 2026, unlimited text chats, shows ads
Budget	No equivalent	Go: $8 a month in the US, shows ads
Main paid plan	Pro: $20 a month, or $17 a month paid yearly. UK: £18 (£15 paid yearly)	Plus: $20 a month, monthly only. No ads
Heavy use	Max: $100 (5x Pro) or $200 (20x Pro). UK: from £90	Pro: $100, $200 or $500. UK: £89, £200 or £445

US prices exclude tax; UK prices include VAT. Sources listed at the end of this article.

Every Claude and ChatGPT plan by monthly US price, October 2026.

Update, 7 October 2026: OpenAI released GPT-6. Plus and Pro users get GPT-6 Sol from 7 October, and Free and Go users get GPT-6 Luna from 8 October. OpenAI hasn’t announced price changes. On the Claude side, the newest models are Opus 5.5, Sonnet 5.5 and Haiku 5.5. We tested them in Opus vs Sonnet and Haiku vs Sonnet.

What each one includes

This table only lists what each company’s own plan pages say, as of 7 October 2026. Claude’s pricing page and ChatGPT’s pricing page change often, so check before you buy.

Feature	Claude	ChatGPT
Free text chat	Yes, with a rolling 5-hour limit	Yes, unlimited text chats on GPT-6 Luna
Image generation	Not listed on Claude’s plans	Yes, limited on Free
Voice mode	Yes, all plans	Yes, limited on Free
Deep research reports	Research, on Pro and above	Deep research, limited on Free
Coding agent	Claude Code, on Pro and above	Codex, limited on Free
Browser and app helpers	Claude in Chrome and Microsoft 365, on Pro and above	Agent features on Pro plans
Projects	Up to 5 on Free, unlimited on paid	Yes, on Free
Memory across chats	Yes, all plans	Yes, limited on Free
Context window (how much it can read at once)	Up to 1 million tokens, varies by model	Not listed on the pricing page
Ads	Not listed on any plan	On Free and Go (UK since June 2026)

Which should you use?

If you mainly want to…	Try first	Why
Make images	ChatGPT	Image generation is included, even on Free
Chat a lot without paying	ChatGPT Free	Unlimited text chats, but with ads
Work with long PDFs or reports	Claude	Its plans list a context window of up to 1 million tokens
Save money on a yearly plan	Claude Pro	$17 a month paid yearly (£15 in the UK); ChatGPT Plus is monthly only
Write or fix code	Either	Claude Code and Codex are both available
Avoid ads on a free plan	Claude Free	ChatGPT Free shows ads

Want the detail on one side? See Is Claude free?, Is ChatGPT free? and Claude Pro vs Max.

About ChatGPT’s ads

OpenAI started testing ads in the US in early 2026 and brought them to the UK on 6 June 2026, according to PPC Land. They appear for Free and Go users, clearly labelled and separate from answers. OpenAI says Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise stay ad-free.

Already using Claude? Learn how to turn on Claude Skills so it can make spreadsheets, Word documents and slides for you.

FAQ

Is Claude better than ChatGPT?

It depends on the job. ChatGPT covers more features, like image generation, and gives unlimited free text chats. Claude offers a yearly discount, a large context window for long documents, and no ads on its free plan. Trying both free plans is the quickest way to decide.

Are Claude Pro and ChatGPT Plus the same price?

Yes, both are $20 a month in the US. Claude Pro also has a yearly option at $17 a month. In the UK, Claude Pro is £18 a month including VAT.

Does ChatGPT Free have ads?

Yes. OpenAI shows ads to Free and Go users in the US and, since June 2026, in the UK. Plus and Pro are ad-free.

Can Claude make images?

Image generation isn’t listed on any of Claude’s plans. If you need images, ChatGPT includes them, even on its free plan.

Can I use both?

Yes. Both free plans cost nothing, so many people keep one of each and use whichever suits the task.

How this guide was made

Every plan, price and feature was checked on Anthropic’s and OpenAI’s own pricing and help pages on 7 October 2026. UK prices were checked on the UK versions of those pages.
Drafted with help from an AI writing assistant, then fact-checked and edited by Adsen.
We recheck this page monthly. No affiliate links.