Quick answer: Both are general AI assistants with free plans and paid plans at about $20 a month. ChatGPT covers a very wide mix of tasks in one app, including images, voice and deep research reports. Claude is known for careful writing, long documents and coding, with Claude Code included on every paid plan.
Pick ChatGPT if…
- You want images, voice chats and deep research reports in one app
- You want to connect it to many apps (more than 1,400 plugins)
- You want a lower-cost option between free and $20 (the Go plan)
Pick Claude if…
- You write or edit long documents and want careful drafts
- You write code, since Claude Code comes with every paid plan
- You want editable docs, decks and designs you can share by link or export to PowerPoint, Google Slides or PDF
ChatGPT vs Claude at a glance
| ChatGPT | Claude | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | ChatGPT is an AI language model from OpenAI that generates human-like text for writing, coding, and answering questions. | Claude is an AI assistant built by Anthropic that handles coding, research, writing, and analysis tasks through conversation. |
| Best for | Freelancer, Solo Consultant, Content Creator | Solo Founder / Indie Maker, Freelancer, Solo Consultant, Micro Team (2 to 5) |
| AIME Score | 73 | 76 |
| Reviews | Proven (1,000+ reviews) | Proven (100+ reviews) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | Plus: $20 a month, billed monthly (as of October 2026) | Pro: $17 a month billed yearly ($200 up front), or $20 billed monthly (as of October 2026) |
| Platforms | Not listed | Enterprise security (SSO & SOC 2) |
| Works with | Not listed | GitHub |
| Standout features |
|
|
Reviews: our public review level, never exact counts. Free plan and prices: from each tool’s own pricing page; plans change, so check there before you buy.
Where they differ
Coding: Claude Code is included on every paid Claude plan, and Claude works inside VS Code and JetBrains. ChatGPT also helps write and debug code in the chat.
Making things: ChatGPT makes images, talks out loud, and builds docs, decks, spreadsheets and PDFs from your files with ChatGPT Work. Claude makes docs, decks and designs you can edit, share by link or export to PowerPoint, Google Slides or PDF.
Limits: Claude usage limits reset on a rolling five-hour window, with weekly limits on paid plans and no fixed message count. ChatGPT Free and Go have tighter limits on uploads, images, voice and deep research, and Plus raises them.
Connections: ChatGPT lists more than 1,400 plugins, including Gmail, Slack and Google Drive. The Claude directory has more than 900 connectors, including Google Drive, Gmail, Notion, Slack and HubSpot.
Plans: ChatGPT Plus is $20 a month, billed monthly only. Claude Pro is $20 billed monthly, or $17 a month billed yearly. For heavy use, ChatGPT Pro and Claude Max both start at $100 a month.
AIME Score: Claude has the higher AIME Score: 76 out of 100, against 73 for ChatGPT. Both are Proven tools (4.0 stars or better from 25 or more verified reviewers). How the AIME Score works
Where they’re the same
Both answer questions, write and edit, read files you upload, have apps for the web, desktop, iPhone and Android, and have a free plan. Both can get facts wrong, so check anything you send to a client. On personal plans, both can use your chats for model training unless you opt out in settings.
Pricing in plain words
ChatGPT
Start on Free. Plus is the plan we would pick for daily solo work. Pro is for very heavy use, and Business adds a shared, admin-managed workspace for teams of 2 or more.
- Free: $0 forever
- Go: Low cost (a month, price shown on chatgpt.com/pricing)
- Plus: $20 a month, billed monthly
- Pro: $100 a month, with $200 and $500 tiers
- Business: Per seat (billed monthly or yearly, standard and premium seats)
Plus and Pro prices from OpenAI's help center (What is ChatGPT Plus and About ChatGPT Pro tiers) on October 20, 2026. The Go and Business seat prices did not load for us on chatgpt.com/pricing, so check there before you buy. Enterprise is priced by OpenAI's sales team. API use is billed separately.
Claude
Start on Free to see how you like it. Pro is the usual step up for daily work and adds Claude Code, Cowork, Research and more usage. Max is for people who work with Claude all day and keep running into limits.
- Free: $0 forever
- Pro: $17 a month billed yearly ($200 up front), or $20 billed monthly
- Max: From $100 a month ($100 for 5x, $200 for 20x)
Usage limits apply on every plan and prices do not include tax. Team and Enterprise plans are also available. Prices from claude.com/pricing on October 10, 2026; check there before you buy.
Who should choose which
Choose ChatGPT
People use it to draft emails, write content, get coding help, and learn new concepts.
Best for: Freelancer, Solo Consultant, Content Creator
Choose Claude
Developers use Claude for complex coding projects, including long-running tasks and pair programming inside VS Code or JetBrains.
Best for: Solo Founder / Indie Maker, Freelancer, Solo Consultant, Micro Team (2 to 5)
Questions
What is the difference between ChatGPT and Claude?
ChatGPT covers a very wide mix of tasks, including images and voice. Claude is known for careful writing, long documents and coding, with Claude Code on every paid plan.
Is ChatGPT or Claude cheaper?
They cost about the same. ChatGPT Plus is $20 a month. Claude Pro is $20 billed monthly, or $17 a month if you pay for a year up front. ChatGPT also has a lower-cost Go plan.
Do ChatGPT and Claude have a free plan?
Yes, both have a free plan. Free plans have limits, so check what each one includes in the pricing section above.
Which has the higher AIME Score, ChatGPT or Claude?
Claude has the higher AIME Score: 76 out of 100, against 73 for ChatGPT. Both are Proven tools (4.0 stars or better from 25 or more verified reviewers). The AIME Score is our 0 to 100 score for every AI tool; partner links never change it.
Should I pick ChatGPT or Claude?
Pick ChatGPT if you want images, voice chats and deep research reports in one app. Pick Claude if you write or edit long documents and want careful drafts.
More comparisons
Sources
- ChatGPT: AI Made Easy profile and Spotlight research (checked October 20, 2026)
- Claude: AI Made Easy profile and Spotlight research (checked October 10, 2026)
- AIME Score and review level: How the AIME Score works. We never show exact review counts or other sites’ ratings.