What should I pay for AI?

ChatGPT Plus$20/mo

The main plan: advanced models, expanded messages, uploads, images, deep research, projects and the Codex coding tool.

Who it's for: The default for daily use: writing, studying, research, images and coding help in one app. (our editorial view)

Models: GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-6 Astra, GPT-6 Sol and others per pricing page (exact lineup changes often)

Usage limits: 'Expanded' vs Go; no numbers. About 320 pages of input on the reasoning model.

Annual or other billing: None (monthly only).

Price confidence: Confirmed on the official page. Checked 2026-10-16. source 1, source 2

• OpenAI's pricing page did not show prices when we read it, so the $20 comes from OpenAI's help pages and launch post.

Claude Pro$20/mo

Everything in Free with at least 5x more usage per 5-hour session, plus Claude Code, research mode and Opus.

Who it's for: People who write, study or code a lot and want more room than Free, plus the top Opus model. (our editorial view)

Models: Opus, Sonnet, Haiku; Fable via usage credits

Usage limits: 'At least 5x' Free per 5-hour session, plus weekly limits.

Annual or other billing: $17/month billed annually ($200 up front); $20 if billed monthly.

Price confidence: Confirmed on the official page. Checked 2026-10-16. source 1

Google AI Pro$19.99/mo

The main plan: 4x Free usage, Gemini 4 Argon, Pro model, reads about 1,500 pages at once (rule of thumb), 5 TB storage, YouTube Premium Lite.

Who it's for: People who live in Gmail, Docs and Google Drive. The 5 TB of storage and YouTube Premium Lite are part of the value. (our editorial view)

Models: Gemini 4 Argon, Pro, Flash

Usage limits: 4x Free (refreshes every 5 hours up to a weekly limit).

Annual or other billing: Not shown on pages we read.

Price confidence: Confirmed on the official page. Checked 2026-10-16. source 1, source 2

Grok Premium$30/mo

4x Plus usage, latest Grok models, image and video creation, Grok Bot agent.

Who it's for: xAI recommends it for new AI users. A bit above the $20 mark, with the latest Grok models. (our editorial view)

Models: Latest Grok models

Usage limits: 4x Plus.

Annual or other billing: About $300/year (third party, unconfirmed).

About $30, a little above the usual $20 tier.

Price confidence: Confirmed on the official page. Checked 2026-10-16. source 1

Microsoft 365 Premium$19.99/mo

Extensive Copilot usage, Researcher, Analyst and agent features, 2 TB shared storage.

Who it's for: People who want AI inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook more than a stand-alone chatbot. (our editorial view)

Models: Chosen by Microsoft

Usage limits: 'Extensive'; no numbers.

Annual or other billing: $199.99 a year

Price confidence: Confirmed on the official page. Checked 2026-10-16. source 1, source 2

• Microsoft's compare page lists $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year (read directly October 16, 2026).

Meta One Premium$19.99/mo

Higher tier of the same bundle with more AI generation.

Who it's for: Heavy social-media users who want more Meta AI image and video creation. This is a social bundle, not a general chatbot plan. (our editorial view)

Models: As Core

Usage limits: Not published.

Price confidence: From press or an older official post. Checked 2026-10-16. source 1

Confirm at checkout. We could not read this price on the current official page, so it comes from press or an older official post.

Perplexity Pro$17/mo billed annually

Expanded usage, model choice, deep research, 4,000 bonus credits, Perplexity Computer.

Who it's for: People who research all day and want cited answers and a choice of models. (our editorial view)

Models: Choose among top models

Usage limits: Higher than Free; no numbers.

Annual or other billing: $17/month when billed annually. Monthly-billed price not shown on the page we could read; a third-party site says $20 (unconfirmed).

Price confidence: Annual-billing price only. Checked 2026-10-16. source 1

Confirm at checkout. The official page only shows the price when billed annually, so the monthly-billed price is not confirmed.

• Perplexity's pricing page prints only the annual rate. Third-party price trackers list $20 a month (including on the Apple App Store), which we could not confirm on Perplexity's own page.