ChatGPT
by OpenAI
The tool that started the conversation, and still one of the best for almost anything you ask it to do.
Last checked: 21 September 2026
The details
- Models and limits
- ChatGPT's available models, context limits, and usage caps vary by plan and can change over time.
- Cost
- Free tier available · Paid plans provide higher limits and additional features.
- Open Source?
- No — ChatGPT is proprietary.
- Input / Output
- TextImagesVoiceImage creation and editingFiles
Best for
- General writing and editing
- Coding help
- Creating and editing images
- Voice conversations
- Explaining concepts
Kevin’s take
“The one everyone's heard of. An excellent all-rounder. The free tier is enough to get started — I used it for a year before I paid for anything.”
— Kevin, formerly of IT Support
Privacy snapshot
General-purpose AI assistant from OpenAI for conversation, writing, coding, image generation, and more. On an Apple-silicon Mac, the ChatGPT desktop app can optionally install an Apple Messages plugin. In Codex or ChatGPT Work, that plugin can read and search iMessage, SMS, and RCS chats and send messages through the Messages app; it does not work in a regular ChatGPT chat or on mobile.
See what ChatGPT does with your data →Related reading
From the AI Glossary
- ChatbotSoftware you interact with through a conversation-style interface: you type or speak, and it replies. Chatbots are not necessarily AI; older and simpler ones follow predefined rules, decision trees, or scripts. Modern chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Grok use large language models, which makes them much more flexible and capable than the rule-based website chat boxes that came before them.
- OpenAIThe company behind ChatGPT, and one of the most influential names in AI. It started as a research lab and became a household word almost overnight when ChatGPT launched in late 2022. It builds the GPT family of models and has a close, much-discussed relationship with Microsoft. When people picture "an AI company," OpenAI is often the one they have in mind.
- TokenA token is a small chunk of text an AI model reads and writes: sometimes a whole short word, sometimes part of a longer one, plus spaces and punctuation. In English, a useful rule of thumb is that one token is about three-quarters of a word. Tools use token counts to size a conversation's memory, price developer API usage, and, in some products, decide when you've hit a limit. When ChatGPT or another chatbot acts like you've "run out," the wall may be a token limit, a separate plan usage cap, or a feature that burns credits. The words on screen do not always match the engineering term.
From the Unspun Blog
- The twenty minutes ChatGPT doesn't countThe five-minute AI draft can hide fifteen minutes of checking. A survey of 6,000 workers gave that unpaid work a name: botsitting.
- ChatGPT for Financial Services is for banks, not your tax folderOpenAI launched ChatGPT for Financial Services for banks. It is not a household money app, and it is not a reason to paste your bank statements.
- You shouldn't have to learn Spark vs Chat vs Cowork to send an emailAI apps keep asking ordinary people to choose between Spark, Daily Brief, Chat, Work, and Cowork. The app should do that homework.
- When is my kid allowed to use AI on homework?If the homework is unlabeled, treat it as red. Yellow only when a teacher names the tools. A kitchen-table rule for tonight.
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