There are almost countless AI chatbots you can pick up and start using for free, with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot remaining the typical go-to options. For most people, the free options are good enough for general text and image queries, though there are limits, like only having more basic models, or not being able to generate many images.
If you're running into these limitations on a free version of your favorite chatbot, the thought of upgrading to a paid version may have crossed your mind. Most popular AI bots have a starting monthly subscription of about $20, which isn't terrible. But your $20 stretches in different ways depending on the chatbot you choose. Essentially all of these subscriptions will provide faster models and more images you can generate, but some will give you much more.
Ultimately, it comes down to your needs and how you're using the tools. Below, I'll go over the pricing structures of some of the most popular individual AI subscriptions and what you get for these premium experiences.
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By the numbers
Here's a price breakdown of the most popular chatbots out there.
Chatbot premium pricing Chatbot Tier Monthly / Annual price ChatGPT Plus $20 | No annual pricing ChatGPT Pro $200 | No annual pricing Gemini AI Pro $20 | $200 / year Gemini AI Ultra $250 / No annual pricing Claude Pro $20 | $200 / year Claude Max $100-$200 / No annual pricing Perplexity Pro $20 | $200 / year Perplexity Max $200 | $2000 / year Copilot Pro $20 | No annual pricing Grok SuperGrok $30 | $300 Grok SuperGrok Heavy $300 | $3000
ChatGPT Plus and Pro
ChatGPT's premium pricing is straightforward and is easy to understand what its features and limitation are. Anadolu/Contributor/Getty Images
OpenAI's first premium tier, ChatGPT Plus, opens the doors to extended GPT-5 access and higher limits on messaging, uploads, data analysis and image generation. You'll also get advanced voice mode with video and screensharing, the ChatGPT agent, and limited access to Sora video generation.
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