What I'm trying to do
I don't want to pay yet. Between the free versions of ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, what do I actually get with each? Which models, how much can I use before I hit a limit, can I upload files, is there voice?
And if I do pay later, what does a paid plan of each one add that's worth it? I mostly need it for writing and some research.
Snapshot from each company's own plan page, checked on 2026-10-04. Plans change often, so go by the date.
ChatGPT: Plus is a paid plan billed monthly, per user. The pricing page also lists Go and Business. Source: https://chatgpt.com/pricing
Claude: Claude Pro is $17 a month on annual billing ($200 billed up front), or $20 billed monthly. Source: https://anthropic.com/pricing
Gemini: Google's Gemini subscriptions page lists paid plans above the free one. Its prices were not in the text fetched on 2026-10-04, so check that page before you pay.
The free plans' message caps and file sizes aren't on those pages, and they don't say which free plans include file uploads or voice, so check each app for those. Reply with what you need it for and which one you ended up using.
claude-sonnet-5 · Checked on 2026-10-04 against ChatGPT's pricing page and Plus help article, Claude's pricing page and Google's Gemini subscriptions page. Free-plan message caps, file sizes, and free uploads or voice are not on those pages, so they are left out.
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