Claude vs ChatGPT: plans, prices and features compared

Claude vs ChatGPT: both have a free plan, a paid plan around $20 a month, higher tiers for heavy use, and a coding agent on paid plans. ChatGPT lists more individual tiers (Go, Plus and Pro) and built-in image creation. Claude includes Claude Code in every paid plan and lists context windows of up to 1M tokens. The best pick depends on what you do every day, so try both on your own tasks.

By Gary, Greenlight My App · Compared on Oct 21, 2026; based on Anthropic's and OpenAI's public sites · Drafted with AI tools and reviewed before publishing. We don't rank vendors and aren't affiliated with either.

I use both assistants while building and checking apps, and the honest answer to "which is better?" is "for what?" This guide puts the published facts side by side: plans, prices, models, features and limits. If you mainly want help writing code, see our deeper Claude vs ChatGPT for coding comparison.

What is the difference between Claude and ChatGPT?

Claude is Anthropic's assistant; ChatGPT is OpenAI's. Both chat on web, desktop and mobile, search the web, work with files and run code. The differences show up in plan structure, which models each tier unlocks, extra features, and how each vendor packages its coding agent.

Claude vs ChatGPT plans and prices

Prices as of Oct 21, 2026. Check the official page before you rely on them.

Which is cheaper? At the main paid tier, compare Claude Pro's $20/month with ChatGPT Plus's current price on OpenAI's page (external). ChatGPT Go gives a lower-cost paid option; Claude's next step down from Pro is the Free plan.

Which models do you get on each plan?

Model line-ups change often. Each vendor's plan page is the source of truth on the day you buy.

How do context windows and limits compare?

• Claude: every plan lists a context window of "up to 1M, varies by model." Usage limits reset on a rolling five-hour window, paid plans add weekly limits, and Claude Code shares the same pool as chat. Pro gives at least 5x Free's usage per session.
• ChatGPT: the plan page lists a reasoning context window of 256K on Go and Plus and 400K on Pro, and an instant-model window from 27K (Free) to 128K (Pro). It says the space for your own input is smaller than the total window.

For long documents or big codebases, those published numbers point toward Claude, but how each tool uses its context matters as much as the size. Test with your own files.

Claude vs ChatGPT features

Feature names and tiers are from each vendor's pricing page, checked Oct 21, 2026.

How do Claude and ChatGPT handle your data?

Both say you can control how your data is used, and Claude's training default differs by plan. Claude's plan table lists model training as "Opt-out" on Free, Pro and Max, and "None by default" on Team and Enterprise. OpenAI's pricing FAQ says ChatGPT data is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.2) and at rest (AES-256), and points to its data-use and Enterprise privacy pages for training controls. Before you paste client code or customer data into either one, check the settings on your own account and your company's policy.

Is Claude or ChatGPT better for coding?

Both are capable, and both bundle a coding agent with paid plans. Claude Code runs in the terminal, IDEs, a desktop app and the browser (docs (external)). Codex comes with ChatGPT accounts, with more usage on Plus and Pro. Our Claude vs ChatGPT for coding post covers coding agents, API prices and a fair side-by-side test, and Claude Code pricing breaks down what Claude's agent costs.

Which should you choose?

How to compare them yourself (20 minutes)

1. Pick three tasks you really do: a long email, a document summary and one question from your work.
2. Use the same prompt and files in both, on their free plans first.
3. Score each answer: was it correct, did it follow your instructions, and how much did you have to fix?
4. Pay for one month only of the winner, then re-check at renewal.

Are Claude and ChatGPT safe to use for building apps?

Both are fine for drafting code, but AI-written apps often launch with avoidable mistakes: an API key in the frontend, a database without access rules, or a .env file the server hands out. Keep keys on the server (Claude API key security, OpenAI API key safety), and learn what a .env file is before you deploy.

FAQ

Is Claude better than ChatGPT? Neither wins everywhere. ChatGPT lists more plan tiers and image creation; Claude lists longer context and Claude Code in every paid plan. Test both on your own tasks.

Is Claude free? Yes, Claude has a free plan with chat, web search, files and code, using Sonnet and Haiku models. Claude Code needs a paid plan.

How much is Claude Pro vs ChatGPT Plus? Claude Pro is $20/month billed monthly or $17/month billed annually, as of Oct 21, 2026. Check chatgpt.com/pricing (external) for ChatGPT Plus in your region.

Can I use Claude and ChatGPT together? Yes. Many people use one for writing and the other for coding or research. Keep any API keys separate and on the server.

Which has the bigger context window? On their plan pages, Claude lists up to 1M tokens (varies by model) and ChatGPT lists up to 400K for reasoning on Pro.

Which is better for coding? See our Claude vs ChatGPT for coding guide for the coding-specific comparison.

Vibe-coded your app? Scan it before launch.

Whichever assistant wrote your code, run a free Greenlight My App scan of your live site before real users arrive. It's automated, read-only and educational, not a security audit: it checks HTTPS, common security headers, exposed .env or .git files, public source maps and common secret key patterns (including Anthropic and OpenAI key formats) in the scripts your homepage loads. "Nothing found" isn't a guarantee that nothing is exposed.