The entry price for a paid plan at the three big assistants is the same: 20 dollars a month for ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro and Google AI Pro. Above that, plans split sharply, from 100 dollars a month for Claude Max and Google’s AI Ultra to 200 dollars or more for the top tiers.
Prices move often, and some of the numbers below come from news reports because the vendors’ own pages did not show them. We checked what we could on 31 October 2026 and mark the source of each figure. Start with what AI tools are if the terms are new, and use this alongside how to choose the right AI tool for your workflow, and for the product comparison see ChatGPT vs Gemini vs Claude.
The Plan Price Table
| Plan level | ChatGPT | Claude | Google AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 0 dollars; limited access | 0 dollars; limited usage | Free Gemini app (plan details not on the page we read) |
| Light paid | Go: 8 dollars a month (OpenAI, Jan 2026) | None listed | Plus: price not found |
| Standard paid | Plus: 20 dollars a month | Pro: 20 dollars a month, or 200 dollars billed upfront for a year | AI Pro: 20 dollars a month |
| Heavy use | Pro: 100, 200 and 500 dollar tiers (third-party, Oct 2026) | Max: 100 dollars a month; Ultra: 200 dollars a month | AI Ultra: from 100 dollars a month; 200 dollar tier adds Project Genie |
| Team seats | Business: 20 dollars per user billed annually, 25 monthly (third-party) | Team Standard: 25 per seat monthly, 20 annually; Premium: 125 monthly, 100 annually | Not covered here |
Sources: Claude’s pricing page; Daring Fireball quoting OpenAI for Go, Plus and Pro in January 2026; GEO Toolbox for the Pro tiers and Business prices; Engadget for Google’s AI Pro and Ultra prices. The GEO Toolbox post says it could not check OpenAI’s own page, so treat those tier numbers as unconfirmed. ChatGPT’s own pricing page showed no numeric prices when we fetched it, and Google’s showed none either.
What Does Each Paid Tier Add?
On the official pages, ChatGPT Plus lists GPT-5.5 Thinking, more messages and uploads, deep research, agent mode, projects, tasks, custom GPTs and expanded Codex. Claude Pro lists Claude Code, Opus, Projects, Research, Claude in Chrome and Claude for Microsoft 365. Google AI Pro lists 5 TB of storage, Gemini 4 Argon access, a 1 million token context window and monthly media and cloud credits.
Claude Max lists 5 times Pro usage, and Ultra lists 10 times Pro usage weekly with no five-hour limit for verified accounts. These are what the vendors say, not our measurements.
How Much Does a Year Cost?
| Plan (example) | Monthly price | 12 months (our arithmetic) |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Go | 8 dollars | 96 dollars |
| ChatGPT Plus | 20 dollars | 240 dollars |
| Claude Pro paid monthly | 20 dollars | 240 dollars |
| Claude Pro paid upfront | 200 dollars a year | 200 dollars |
| Google AI Pro | 20 dollars | 240 dollars |
| Claude Max or Google AI Ultra entry | 100 dollars | 1,200 dollars |
| Claude Ultra or top Google AI Ultra | 200 dollars | 2,400 dollars |
The annual totals are simple multiplication and exclude tax and any regional price differences. For team plans, multiply by seats. A team of five on Claude Team Standard paying annually would cost 5 times 20 dollars a month, or 100 dollars a month, by the listed price.
What About India?
OpenAI launched ChatGPT Go in India in August 2025 at about 399 rupees a month, and offered it free for 12 months to new sign-ups from 4 November 2025, according to Outlook Business. That was a limited promotion, and we could not verify current Indian prices, so check the app store or the vendor’s site in your region. Google’s page said Chrome auto browse is available to Pro and Ultra subscribers in India.
When Is a Paid Plan Worth It?
| Sign (ours) | Meaning |
|---|---|
| You hit free limits on most days | Usage is the constraint |
| A feature you need is only on paid plans | For example coding agents or research modes |
| Your log shows hours saved | Compare hours saved with the monthly price |
| Your work data needs business terms | Team or Business plans have different data terms |
Before you pay, run the checks in our AI tool safety checklist. If you are starting out, try a daily workflow around free AI tools first. For small teams, free AI tools for small business and the economics of running AI costs for startups add context.
What Is the Cheapest Way to Test Before Paying?
Use the free plans for a week, then pay for one month of a single plan if limits block you. Claude’s page lists annual billing at 200 dollars upfront, but a monthly trial is safer until you are sure. Cancel any plan you do not use.
Our post on AI startup costs in 2026 puts subscription costs in a wider budget, and startup tools on a tight budget gives other low-cost options.
