# Free vs paid AI plans: what you actually get > Free vs paid AI plans for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot and Perplexity: what the $20 tier and business plans add as of October 2026, and when to pay. Source: https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/compare/free-vs-paid-ai-plans · Updated 2026-10-08 · Free from Stepthrough (https://learn.ynteractive.com) Quick answer Free AI plans are good enough to learn on and to handle a few everyday jobs a day. Paying about **$20 a month** buys higher limits, the vendor's stronger models and extras such as deep research and bigger file uploads. Paying for a **business plan**, usually $20 to $25 per user a month, buys something different: your data is kept out of model training by default, and an admin controls who has access. For client work, that business tier is the one that matters. Last updated October 8, 2026 By [Robert Breen](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/about) · Published October 8, 2026 · Prices and features checked as of October 2026 This page is for anyone deciding whether to pay, and for owners deciding what to buy for a team. Prices are as listed by each vendor as of October 2026. Before you pay for anything, learn to prompt well on a free plan with the free [Prompt Writing 101 lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format): a better prompt often fixes what people expect an upgrade to fix. ## How do they compare at a glance? **Free, individual and business plans by vendor (US prices as listed by each vendor, as of October 2026)** | | Free | Individual paid | Business | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | ChatGPT | Free; Go $8 a month, which may include ads | Plus $20 a month; Pro from $100 | Business $25 per user a month, or $20 billed annually | | Claude | Free | Pro $20 a month, or $17 billed annually; Max from $100 | Team Standard $25 a month, or $20 billed annually | | Gemini | Gemini app, $0 with a Google account | Google AI Pro $19.99 a month | Included in Google Workspace, from $7 per user a month | | Microsoft Copilot | Copilot app, subject to capacity limits | Microsoft 365 Premium $19.99 a month | Copilot Chat included with eligible Microsoft 365 plans; Copilot Business add-on from $21 per user a month paid yearly | | Perplexity | Free | Pro $20 a month; Max $200 | Enterprise Pro from $40 per seat a month | Prices and features as listed on each vendor's own pages, as of October 2026. Plans change often, so check the vendor's pricing page before you buy. Sources are at the end of this page. ## What do free AI plans include? More than most people expect. As of October 2026, every major assistant lets you chat, upload files, get help writing and search the web for free. ChatGPT's Free plan runs a GPT-5.6 model; Claude's Free plan includes its Sonnet and Haiku models; Gemini's free app uses Google's Flash model with limited access to Gemini 3.1 Pro. The catches are limits and data. Free plans cap how many messages you can send, especially to the strongest models, and you hit those caps fastest with long files. And free plans are personal plans: ChatGPT and Gemini can use your chats for training unless you change a setting, and Claude asks you to choose. That makes a free plan fine for learning and general writing, and the wrong place for client records. ## What does a $20 a month AI plan add? ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro, Google AI Pro and Perplexity Pro all sit at about $20 a month. What you get is mostly more: more messages, more access to the vendor's stronger models and reasoning modes, bigger uploads and longer context, plus features such as deep research. Google AI Pro also bundles 5 TB of storage and Gemini in Gmail and Docs for a personal account; Claude Pro adds Claude in Excel, Word and PowerPoint and Claude in Chrome. Upgrade when you keep hitting the free limits on real work, or when you need a feature only the paid tier has. If you use AI a few times a week, the free plan is usually enough. ChatGPT also offers Go at $8 a month, between Free and Plus, which OpenAI notes may include ads. ## What does a business AI plan add? Business plans change the terms, not just the limits. OpenAI says ChatGPT Business data is not used for training by default; Anthropic says the same for Claude Team; Google says Gemini in Workspace does not use customer data for training without permission; and Microsoft's [enterprise data protection](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/enterprise-data-protection) covers Copilot on work accounts. Business plans also add an admin console, single sign-on and central billing, so the company, not each employee, owns the accounts. If anyone on your team handles client, patient, employee or financial details, this is the plan to budget for. Check whether your existing Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace subscription already includes an assistant before you add a new one. ## Does a ChatGPT or Claude subscription include the API? No. Subscriptions cover the chat apps. Automations in tools like n8n call the models through an API, which is billed separately by [token pricing](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/token-pricing). The free [AI Social Media Idea Agent lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-ai-agent-tutorial-google-sheets) shows the setup: you add a small credit balance on OpenAI's developer platform, where, as the lesson puts it, you pay per request, not per month. The blog post [OpenAI API vs ChatGPT Plus](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/openai-api-vs-chatgpt-plus) explains the difference in more detail. ## Who is each one for? ### Free plans Best for learning, occasional writing help and testing which assistant suits you. Work through [Prompt Writing 101](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format) and [Your first chat with Claude](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-first-chat-tutorial) on free plans before paying for anything. ### $20 individual plans Best for people who use AI every day for their own work and keep hitting free limits, and who don't handle confidential client data in it. ### Business plans Best for any team that puts client or company information into AI. They add no-training-by-default terms, admin control and single sign-on. Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace customers may already have one included. ## Which of these tools have a free Stepthrough lesson? - **ChatGPT:** free lesson: [Reply Faster: Turn a Messy Customer Email Thread into a Clear, Friendly Reply](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-reply-to-customer-emails) - **Claude:** free lesson: [Your First Chat with Claude: Models, Files and a Great First Prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-first-chat-tutorial) - **Gemini:** free lesson: [Gemini in Gmail: Summarize a Thread and Draft the Reply](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/gemini-in-gmail-summarize-and-reply) - **Microsoft Copilot:** a free Stepthrough lesson is coming. - **Perplexity:** a free Stepthrough lesson is coming. ## Practice it free, step by step **Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task, Format**. Ask ChatGPT for the same customer email twice, once vaguely and once with a four-part prompt, and see exactly why structure gets a better answer. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of ChatGPT, it checks your work as you go, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on. Free, and nothing touches your real accounts. [Start the free lesson](https://learn.ynteractive.com/modules/prompt-writing-101) [Or read the full step-by-step guide](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format) ## Watch it in a free lesson: Same Task, Four Assistants: ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini vs Copilot ### Same Task, Four Assistants: ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini vs Copilot: video walkthrough Full walkthrough · 1:47 · with captions Give one real office task to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Microsoft Copilot, check each answer on the facts, and pick the one to use at work. The whole lesson narrated step by step, recorded in Stepthrough’s simulated practice environment. [Watch it with chapters and the full transcript](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-vs-claude-vs-gemini-vs-copilot-same-task#watch) From the free lesson [Same Task, Four Assistants: ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini vs Copilot](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-vs-claude-vs-gemini-vs-copilot-same-task) ## Key takeaways - Free plans are good enough to learn on and for light everyday use. - The $20 a month tier buys higher limits, stronger models and extras, not better privacy. - Business plans, about $20 to $25 per user a month as of October 2026, are what keep your data out of training by default. - Subscriptions never include API use for automations; that is billed separately by tokens. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is ChatGPT Plus worth it? It is worth it if you use ChatGPT daily and hit the free limits, or need deep research and the stronger models. For occasional use, the free plan is usually enough. For client data, ChatGPT Business is the plan to consider instead. ### Which free AI plan is best? ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini all have strong free plans for writing; Perplexity's is good for quick cited answers. Try the same task in two of them and keep the one you prefer. ### Is my data safer on a paid personal plan? Not automatically. Paid personal plans like ChatGPT Plus use the same training settings as free ones. Business plans are the tier with no training by default. ### Can I share one paid account with my team? Vendors' terms generally don't allow shared logins, and it removes any record of who did what. Use a team or business plan with a seat per person. ## Where do these prices and features come from? Every price and feature on this page was checked against the vendor's own page, as of October 2026. No numbers here are estimates or third-party figures. The example businesses in the Stepthrough lessons are made up. - [OpenAI: ChatGPT pricing](https://chatgpt.com/pricing) - [Anthropic: Claude plans and pricing](https://claude.com/pricing) - [Google: Gemini subscriptions](https://gemini.google/subscriptions/) - [Google Workspace pricing](https://workspace.google.com/pricing) - [Microsoft Copilot plans for individuals](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/pricing/individuals) - [Microsoft Copilot business pricing](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-copilot/pricing) - [Perplexity Help Center: Perplexity Max](https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/11680686-perplexity-max) - [Perplexity Help Center: Enterprise pricing and billing](https://www.perplexity.ai/help-center/en/articles/10352986-enterprise-pricing-and-billing-frequently-asked-questions) ## Free lessons mentioned on this page - [Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task, Format](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/prompt-writing-101-role-context-task-format): Ask ChatGPT for the same customer email twice, once vaguely and once with a four-part prompt, and see exactly why structure gets a better answer. - [Your First Chat with Claude: Models, Files and a Great First Prompt](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/claude-first-chat-tutorial): Pick a model, attach a customer's complaint email with the + menu, write a four-part prompt, read Claude's reply, ask a follow-up, then star and rename the chat. - [n8n AI Agent Tutorial: Save Social Media Ideas to Google Sheets](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/n8n-ai-agent-tutorial-google-sheets): Build an AI agent for BrightPath Marketing that generates social media post ideas and saves them to Google Sheets — chat trigger, AI Agent, system prompt, model… - [Reply Faster: Turn a Messy Customer Email Thread into a Clear, Friendly Reply](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/chatgpt-reply-to-customer-emails): Turn a messy customer email thread into a clear, friendly reply: give ChatGPT the thread and your facts, check every promise, fix the tone, and send it from Gmail. ## Related posts - [OpenAI API vs ChatGPT Plus: What You Pay For](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/blog/openai-api-vs-chatgpt-plus): OpenAI API vs ChatGPT Plus: why your ChatGPT plan doesn't power n8n, how pay-per-request API billing works, and how to set up a… ## Related terms Plain-English definitions, each with an example from a free lesson. [Enterprise data protection](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/enterprise-data-protection) · [Token pricing](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/token-pricing) · [AI training opt-out](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/ai-training-opt-out) · [API usage billing](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/api-usage-billing) · [Perplexity](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/perplexity) · [OpenAI](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary/openai) [The full AI glossary](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/glossary) ## More tool comparisons - [Which AI Should I Use? A Plain-English Guide (2026)](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/compare/which-ai-should-i-use): Which AI should you use at work? A plain-English table by job: email, spreadsheets, research, meetings, images, Microsoft or Google, client data, budget. - [ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini vs Copilot for office work](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/compare/chatgpt-vs-claude-vs-gemini-vs-copilot): ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini vs Copilot for office work: October 2026 prices side by side, which fits Gmail or Outlook teams, and which to try first. - [The best AI for small business in 2026](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/compare/best-ai-for-small-business): The best AI tools for a small business as of October 2026: which assistant to buy for your team, what it costs per user, and when to add automation. [All tool comparisons](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content/compare) · [All free tutorials](https://learn.ynteractive.com/content)