Comparison
ChatGPT Go vs Plus
How ChatGPT Go and ChatGPT Plus compare on price, models, limits, ads and tools, how both sit against Free and Pro, and which plan suits which kind of use.
Quick answer: ChatGPT Plus ($20 a month) is the better plan for work, study and coding, because it is the cheapest ChatGPT plan with OpenAI’s larger GPT-6 models (GPT-6 Sol in regular chat, plus GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol), wider access to Codex and ChatGPT Work, expanded deep research and no ads. ChatGPT Go ($8 a month) suits people who mostly chat, write and ask questions and want more uploads, images, voice and memory than Free: it runs GPT-6 Luna, the same model as Free, and can show ads. Both plans have unlimited everyday text chats, so the $12 difference buys models and tools, not more messages.
Free also has unlimited text chats, with tighter limits on tools. If you already pay for Plus and keep hitting its limits, the comparison you want is ChatGPT Plus vs Pro. This page covers the step from $8 to $20.
Go vs Plus at a glance
| ChatGPT Go | ChatGPT Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (US) | $8/month | $20/month |
| Billing | Monthly | Monthly |
| Model in regular chat | GPT-6 Luna, with a Think button | GPT-6 Sol |
| GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol | No | Yes |
| Everyday text chats | Unlimited* | Unlimited* |
| Context window | 54K tokens instant, 256K with reasoning | 54K tokens instant, 256K with reasoning |
| Response times | Limited by bandwidth and availability | Fast |
| Uploads, images, memory | More than Free | Expanded |
| Deep research | Limited | Expanded |
| Codex | Limited | Expanded |
| ChatGPT Work | Limited, desktop app | Desktop, web and mobile |
| Ads | Can show ads | No ads |
| Best for | Everyday chat on a budget | Work, study and coding |
Prices are OpenAI’s US rates (TestingCatalog). Models, context windows, limits and features are from OpenAI’s pricing page, and the Think button from TechCrunch. *Unlimited everyday text chats are subject to OpenAI’s abuse guardrails.
ChatGPT plans compared: Free, Go, Plus and Pro
ChatGPT has four consumer plans, plus Business and Enterprise for organisations.
| Plan | Price (US) | Regular chat model | Larger GPT-6 models | Ads | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | GPT-6 Luna | No | Yes | Trying ChatGPT, casual use |
| Go | $8/month | GPT-6 Luna | No | Yes | More uploads, images and memory, cheaply |
| Plus | $20/month | GPT-6 Sol | GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol | No | Work, study and coding |
| Pro | $100, $200 or $500/month | GPT-6 Sol | GPT-6 Astra, expanded, with Pro reasoning | No | Heavy Codex, Work and research use |
Free and Go have run GPT-6 Luna as their default since 8 October 2026, and Plus and the plans above it moved regular chat to GPT-6 Sol on 7 October (MacRumors). Pro’s three price points buy progressively more usage than Plus, and OpenAI’s pricing page lists “Pro reasoning powered by GPT-6 Astra” on Pro (OpenAI). Usage multiples and Business pricing are in ChatGPT Plus vs Pro.
What each plan costs
ChatGPT Go costs $8 a month in the US, and ChatGPT Plus costs $20 a month (TestingCatalog). The difference is $12 a month, or $144 a year. Go costs 40% of the Plus price.
Go started in India in August 2025 and began rolling out to every country where ChatGPT is available on 16 January 2026, when OpenAI set the US price at $8 (TestingCatalog).
OpenAI sells Go and Plus as monthly plans; annual billing is offered on Business and Enterprise (OpenAI).
Models: what the extra $12 buys
Go runs the same model as Free; Plus adds OpenAI’s larger GPT-6 models.
Go runs GPT-6 Luna, the small model in the GPT-6 family, with a Think button for harder questions (TechCrunch). OpenAI’s pricing page lists Luna as the only GPT-6 model on Go, with response times “limited on bandwidth & availability” (OpenAI).
Plus runs GPT-6 Sol in regular chat and adds GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol, along with the GPT-5.6 models and older models, with response times listed as “fast” (OpenAI). The pricing page lists GPT-6 Astra on Plus without saying where in ChatGPT it is available. OpenAI’s help centre, as quoted in a September 2026 thread on OpenAI’s developer forum, says “Plus plans include GPT‑6 Astra in ChatGPT Work and Codex as it rolls out”, and that GPT-6 Pro, powered by Astra, is in regular chat on Pro, Business and Enterprise (OpenAI Developer Community). GPT-6.1 Sol is in ChatGPT Work and Codex from Plus up (ToolColumn).
When Artificial Analysis tested them on version 4.3 of its Intelligence Index at maximum effort, GPT-6 Luna and GPT-6 Sol scored 37 and 48 at their 22 September 2026 launch, and GPT-6 Astra scored 53 on 7 September 2026. Current scores and ranks are on the best AI models board.
Usage limits
Everyday text chats are unlimited on Free, Go and Plus, subject to OpenAI’s abuse guardrails (OpenAI). Free and Go gained unlimited text chats in mid-August 2026 (TechCrunch).
What is still metered sits on tools. Go gives more messages with tools, more uploads, more image creation, more voice chats and longer memory than Free, and lists data analysis and vision as included rather than limited. Plus expands messages and uploads, memory and context, deep research and Codex usage again (OpenAI). OpenAI’s pricing page describes these allowances as limited, more or expanded, without numbers.
The context window is the same on both plans: 54K tokens for instant answers and 256K tokens with reasoning, against 27K tokens for instant answers on Free. OpenAI puts the most you can paste in at about 40 pages of text for an instant answer and about 320 pages with reasoning on Go and Plus, against about 12 pages on Free (OpenAI). Go and Plus take the same length of document.
Features: what is Plus-only
| Feature | Free | Go | Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Voice | Yes | Expanded | Expanded |
| Voice with video | No | Yes | Yes |
| File uploads | Limited | More | Expanded |
| Data analysis and vision | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| Image generation | Limited | More | More complex, including image generation with Thinking |
| Memory | Limited | Longer | Expanded |
| Projects | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scheduled tasks | No | Yes | Yes |
| Create and share plugins | No | Yes | Yes |
| Deep research | Limited | Limited | Expanded |
| Codex | Limited | Limited | Expanded |
| ChatGPT Work | Limited, desktop app | Limited, desktop app | Desktop, web and mobile |
| Sites, developer mode, interactive tables and charts | No | No | Yes |
| Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Google Sheets extensions | Limited | Limited | Yes |
| Early access to new features | No | No | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes | No |
Feature availability is from OpenAI’s pricing page; ads are from TechCrunch.
Go raises Free’s limits; Plus adds tools Go does not have. Sites, developer mode, interactive tables and charts, image generation with Thinking and the full Office and Google Sheets extensions start at Plus (OpenAI). Codex, OpenAI’s coding agent, is limited on Go: ToolColumn reports that Go gets lightweight tasks in the Codex desktop app, while Plus adds the web, the command line, IDE extensions, iOS and cloud tasks (ToolColumn). ChatGPT Work is limited to the desktop app on Go and runs on desktop, web and mobile on Plus (OpenAI).
Plus’s plan list also includes custom GPTs, which OpenAI has scheduled for retirement on 11 December 2026 in favour of plugins, with timing it says can vary by account (Virtualization Review). Go and Plus can both create and share plugins (OpenAI).
Ads on Go
ChatGPT Go can show ads; ChatGPT Plus does not. OpenAI’s pricing page notes that Go “may include ads” and carries no such note for Plus (OpenAI). OpenAI started showing ads to US users of the Free and Go tiers in February 2026 and has since extended them to other markets, including Europe and India (TechCrunch). Plus is the cheapest paid plan without ads.
ChatGPT Free vs Plus
Free has unlimited text chats on GPT-6 Luna, but shows ads and keeps uploads, image creation, voice, memory, deep research, Codex and ChatGPT Work limited, with a 27K-token instant context window (OpenAI). Plus removes the ads, doubles the instant context window to 54K tokens, moves regular chat to GPT-6 Sol and adds GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol.
If your use is occasional, Free covers it. If you want more room on the same model, Go is the cheaper middle step.
Who should choose Go
Choose Go if you mostly chat and keep hitting Free’s tool limits. Go fits when:
- You use ChatGPT for writing, questions, summaries and study help, and don’t need the larger GPT-6 models.
- You upload files, create images or use voice often enough that Free’s limits get in the way.
- You want longer memory and scheduled tasks without paying $20.
- You don’t mind ads.
- You use Codex for light tasks or not at all.
Who should choose Plus
Choose Plus if ChatGPT is a daily work tool. Plus fits when:
- You want GPT-6 Sol in chat, or GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol, for analysis, maths, research or code.
- You use Codex beyond lightweight tasks, or want it in your terminal or IDE.
- You want ChatGPT Work on the web and mobile, or Sites, developer mode and interactive tables and charts.
- You want deep research beyond the limited allowance.
- You want no ads.
If you are comparing Plus against other $20 assistants, see ChatGPT vs Claude and ChatGPT vs Gemini. For coding specifically, the best AI for coding ranking covers the alternatives.
Which plan should you pick?
- Best for work, study and coding: Plus ($20/month). No ads, GPT-6 Sol in chat, GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol, expanded deep research, and Codex and ChatGPT Work beyond the limited allowance.
- Best budget plan: Go ($8/month) for everyday chat with more uploads, images, voice and memory than Free, on GPT-6 Luna and with ads.
- Best free option: Free ($0) for occasional use, with unlimited text chats. More free options are in best free AI tools.
- Best for heavy users: Pro (from $100/month) once you regularly hit Plus’s Work and Codex limits; see ChatGPT Plus vs Pro.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between ChatGPT Go and Plus?
ChatGPT Go costs $8 a month in the US and runs GPT-6 Luna, the same model as Free, with more uploads, images, voice and memory than Free; it can show ads. ChatGPT Plus costs $20 a month, runs GPT-6 Sol in regular chat, adds GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol, expands deep research, Codex and ChatGPT Work, and has no ads. Both plans have unlimited everyday text chats.
Is ChatGPT Go worth it?
ChatGPT Go fits people who mainly chat with ChatGPT and keep hitting Free’s limits on uploads, images, voice or memory. At $8 a month it is the cheapest paid ChatGPT plan, but it keeps you on GPT-6 Luna and can show ads. For the larger GPT-6 models, Codex beyond limited use or expanded deep research, the plan is ChatGPT Plus at $20 a month.
Is ChatGPT Plus worth it over Go?
The extra $12 a month buys GPT-6 Sol in regular chat, GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol, expanded deep research and Codex, ChatGPT Work on the web and mobile, Sites and developer mode, and no ads. It does not buy more everyday text chats, which are unlimited on both.
What model does ChatGPT Go use?
ChatGPT Go uses GPT-6 Luna, the same default model as ChatGPT Free, since 8 October 2026, with a Think button for harder questions. ChatGPT Plus and higher plans use GPT-6 Sol in regular chat.
Does ChatGPT Go have ads?
Yes. OpenAI’s pricing page says Go “may include ads”. OpenAI started showing ads on the Free and Go tiers in the US in February 2026 and has since extended them to other markets, including Europe and India. ChatGPT Plus has no ads.
Does ChatGPT Plus get GPT-6 Astra?
Yes. OpenAI’s pricing page lists GPT-6 Astra on Plus. OpenAI’s help centre, as quoted on its developer forum in September 2026, says Plus gets GPT-6 Astra in ChatGPT Work and Codex, and that GPT-6 Pro, the version of Astra in regular chat, is for Pro, Business and Enterprise. Regular chat on Plus runs GPT-6 Sol. ChatGPT Go and Free do not get GPT-6 Astra.
Can you use Codex with ChatGPT Go?
Yes, with limits. OpenAI lists Codex as limited on Go and expanded on Plus. ToolColumn reports that Go gets lightweight tasks in the Codex desktop app, while Plus adds the web, the command line, IDE extensions, iOS and cloud tasks, with GPT-6.1 Sol.
Is the context window bigger on ChatGPT Plus than Go?
No. ChatGPT Go and ChatGPT Plus both have a 54K-token context window for instant answers and 256K tokens with reasoning, according to OpenAI’s pricing page. ChatGPT Free has 27K tokens for instant answers.
What is the difference between ChatGPT Free and Plus?
ChatGPT Free costs nothing, runs GPT-6 Luna, shows ads and keeps uploads, images, voice, memory, deep research, Codex and ChatGPT Work limited. ChatGPT Plus costs $20 a month, runs GPT-6 Sol in regular chat, adds GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol, expands those tools and has no ads. Both have unlimited everyday text chats.
What are the ChatGPT plans and prices?
ChatGPT has four consumer plans in the US: Free ($0), Go ($8 a month), Plus ($20 a month) and Pro ($100, $200 or $500 a month). Business and Enterprise are sold per user for organisations. Prices in other countries are shown in your account.
Is ChatGPT Go available in my country?
ChatGPT Go launched in India in August 2025 and began rolling out to every country where ChatGPT is available on 16 January 2026. Check the price shown in your account.
Can I pay for ChatGPT Go or Plus annually?
No. OpenAI sells Go and Plus as monthly plans, and offers annual billing on Business and Enterprise.