Quick Answer
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OpenAI costs Free to $100 per month as of September 2026, with 7 plans available including a free tier. Plans: Free (free), Go at $8/month, Plus at $20/month, Pro at $100/month, Business (annual) at $20/month, and Business (monthly) at $25/month. Custom pricing is available on request. Pricing depends on your chosen tier, contract length, and negotiated discounts.

Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.

  • Free tier: Yes

OpenAI offers 7 pricing tiers: Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business (annual), Business (monthly), Enterprise. A free plan is available. Paid plans include Go at $8/user/month, Plus at $20/user/month, Pro at $100/user/month. The Go plan is light users who want more capacity than the free tier at a low monthly cost.

Last verified: | Sources: 2 pricing pages and reviews
Freemium plan type

Yes, OpenAI offers a freemium plan as of September 2026. The free tier includes 7 features with limits on usage. Paid plans start at $8/user/month (Go). Pricing verified from 2 sources by CostBench.

Freemium

OpenAI offers a freemium model with limited features; upgrade to unlock more.

What's Included in the Free Plan

  • Unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna
  • Limited messages with uploads
  • Limited and slower image generation
  • Limited voice chats
  • Limited deep research
  • Limited memory and context
  • Limited Codex access
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What's NOT Included (Paid Only)

  • More messages with tools
  • More uploads
  • More image creation
  • More voice chats
  • Longer memory
  • May include ads

You'll Need to Upgrade When...

  • You exceed the user limit
  • You need features like More messages with tools or More uploads
  • You require premium support or SLA guarantees
  • You need to remove branding or watermarks
  • You need advanced integrations or API access

Hidden Restrictions on Free Plan

  • ! OpenAI branding may appear on your content or communications
  • ! Support is limited to community forums or email with longer response times
  • ! Export options may be restricted or include watermarks
  • ! API access is typically limited or not available
  • ! Advanced reporting and analytics require paid plans

Free vs Paid: Which Do You Need?

Free Plan is Enough If...

  • You're an individual or very small team
  • You need only basic features
  • You don't mind usage limits
  • Branding on output is acceptable
  • Community support is sufficient

Free vs Go Plan Comparison

Free $0
Features 7 included 6+ included
Support Community/Email Priority Support
Branding OpenAI branding Your branding
Best For Casual users exploring ChatGPT with limited daily usage Light users who want more capacity than the free tier at a low monthly cost

Frequently Asked Questions

01 Is OpenAI free?

Yes, OpenAI offers a freemium plan with 7 core features included. However, there are limits on users and features that may require upgrading.

02 What's included in OpenAI's free plan?

OpenAI's free plan includes: Unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna, Limited messages with uploads, Limited and slower image generation, Limited voice chats, Limited deep research, and 2 more features. Key limits include basic usage caps.

03 What's NOT included in OpenAI's free plan?

The free plan excludes: More messages with tools, More uploads, More image creation, More voice chats, Longer memory. You'll also have OpenAI branding and limited support options.

04 When should I upgrade from OpenAI's free plan?

Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like More messages with tools or More uploads, require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $8/user/month.

05 Is OpenAI's free plan really free forever?

Yes, OpenAI's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit. However, feature and usage limits may restrict what you can do without upgrading to a paid plan.

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