Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini for free: what you get
Oct 23, 2026 · 7 sourcesYou don't have to pay to use a good AI assistant. Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini all have free plans, and they're more capable than most people expect. Here's what each free plan includes, what the roughly $20 paid plans add, and the one privacy setting worth changing. Disclosure: NeoIntell uses AI tools, including Claude, in its research; the same sourcing rules apply here.
What the free plans include
Claude Free includes chat, web search, file creation with code execution, memory, connectors and Artifacts, with usage limits that reset in five-hour windows.
ChatGPT's free plan includes unlimited everyday text chats; OpenAI's low-cost Go plan adds more image, file and analysis use. Gemini Free includes the Flash-Lite model, Deep Research, Gemini Live and 15 GB of Google storage.
Sources: [1] Anthropic, [2] OpenAI, [3] Google
What paying adds
The main paid plans cost about $20 a month: Claude Pro is $20 ($17 billed yearly), Google AI Pro $19.99 in the US, and ChatGPT Plus $20, billed monthly. They add more usage and stronger models.
They also unlock the bigger tools: Claude Code and Research come with Claude's paid plans, and Google AI Pro includes the Jules coding agent. ChatGPT's Codex coding agent is part of its Pro plans, which cost $100 to $500 a month.
Sources: [1] Anthropic, [3] Google, [4] OpenAI, [5] OpenAI
Research with sources, even for free
If you mainly want a sourced report on a topic, Google lists Deep Research in Gemini's free plan. ChatGPT's deep research returns a structured report with citations, with usage that varies by plan, and Claude's Research is part of its paid plans. Whichever you use, check the citations yourself.
Sources: [3] Google, [6] OpenAI, [1] Anthropic
The privacy setting to change
All three can use your chats to improve their models unless you change a setting. Claude and ChatGPT let you opt out of training in settings (ChatGPT under Data Controls). With Gemini, turn off Keep Activity or use temporary chats.
Google notes that chats are still kept for 72 hours, and that with Keep Activity on, human reviewers may see some chats.
Sources: [1] Anthropic, [4] OpenAI, [7] Google
Keep going
Our full guides: Claude vs ChatGPT vs Gemini: what every plan costs (October 2026) · Do Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini train on your chats? How to opt out
- Can you use Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini for free?
- Can you stop AI companies training on your chats?
- Can an AI assistant research a topic and cite sources?
- Can an AI assistant write and run code for you?
Status pages: Anthropic Claude · OpenAI ChatGPT · Google Gemini
How we know (7 sources)
Claude plans as listed on Oct 22, 2026: Free ($0: chat, web search, file creation and code execution, memory, connectors, Artifacts); Pro ($20/month, $17/month billed annually: more usage, Claude Code, Research, Projects, Opus models, Claude in Chrome and Microsoft 365); Max (from $100/month: 5x or 20x Pro usage, plus $100-$200 in monthly API credits). Model training is opt-out on all individual plans. Usage limits reset in five-hour windows plus weekly caps on paid plans.
Read the sourceHelp article (read Oct 22, 2026): ChatGPT Go is a low-cost plan in all ChatGPT countries. Free and Go both include unlimited everyday text chats; Go adds higher limits for image generation, file uploads and data analysis, plus projects and custom GPTs. OpenAI may test ads in Go. Price shown on the pricing page.
Read the sourceGoogle AI plans in the US as listed on Oct 22, 2026: Free ($0: Flash-Lite model, Deep Research, Gemini Live, 15 GB storage); AI Plus ($4.99/month, 400 GB); AI Pro ($19.99/month: Gemini 4 Argon, Pro model, Jules coding agent, Gemini in Gmail and Docs, 5 TB); AI Ultra ($99.99 or $199.99/month for 5x or 20x Pro limits, from 20 TB).
Read the sourceHelp article (read Oct 22, 2026): ChatGPT Plus is $20/month, billed monthly, no annual plan. Adds priority access, higher limits, reasoning models, voice, image generation, file analysis and deep research where available. API usage is billed separately. OpenAI may use conversations to improve models; you can opt out in Data Controls.
Read the sourceHelp article (read Oct 22, 2026): three ChatGPT Pro plans, Pro 100 ($100), Pro 200 ($200) and Pro 500 ($500, the only one with Ultrafast models). Pro includes Pro models, Codex, deep research, image creation, memory and file uploads. New Pro 200 subscriptions get a lower usage allowance than before.
Read the source"Deep research in ChatGPT" help article (read Oct 23, 2026): plans, researches and synthesizes complex questions into a structured report with citations or source links. It can search the public web or chosen sites, use uploaded files and enabled apps; you can review its research plan first and interrupt it. Usage varies by plan, with a monthly allowance on some plans.
Read the sourceGemini Apps Privacy Hub (last updated Oct 19, 2026): with Keep Activity on, Google uses activity to improve services, including training generative AI, with help from human reviewers; reviewed data is disconnected from the account and kept 3 years. With Keep Activity off or in temporary chats, chats are kept 72 hours and not used to train models unless you send feedback.
Read the source