What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT launched in November 2022 and fundamentally changed how people interact with AI. The flagship model is now GPT-5.6 (launched July 9, 2026, internally called Sol), which replaced GPT-5.5 on Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise tiers — Free and Go users still get the lighter GPT-5.5-generation Terra model rather than the full flagship. It handles a remarkable range of tasks, from drafting emails and summarising documents to debugging code and analysing data. The free tier is ad-supported in the US but still capable for everyday use. An $8/mo Go plan sits between Free and Plus for budget users. Plus ($20/mo) unlocks the full GPT-5.6 Sol experience, built-in image generation, custom GPTs, voice mode, and file uploads, while Pro splits into a $100/mo plan (5x Plus usage) and a $200/mo plan (20x Plus usage, 1M token context) for the heaviest users. The interface is clean and familiar, and the breadth of things it can do still impresses even after years of use.
Pros & Cons
What works well
- Extremely versatile — handles almost any task
- GPT-5.6 is OpenAI's most capable model yet
- Huge library of community-built custom GPTs
- Excellent code generation and debugging
- Built-in image generation on paid plans
Things to know
- Can confidently state inaccurate facts (hallucinations)
- Knowledge cutoff means it misses recent events
- Full GPT-5.6 access and the best features still require a paid plan
What people use ChatGPT for
- Content writing and editing
- Code help and debugging
- Research and summarisation
- Brainstorming ideas
- Learning new subjects
- Data analysis with Code Interpreter
Pricing
Free plan (ad-supported) with GPT-5.5-generation access only. Go at $8/month (same lighter model), Plus at $20/month (full GPT-5.6 flagship), and Pro plans at $100–$200/month for developers and power users.
See current pricing