Comparison
ChatGPT vs Claude: which to use for writing, work, coding and everyday questions
Same price, different strengths. What each does that the other doesn't, what the independent rankings say, and the privacy settings to change on either.
ChatGPT and Claude both have free plans and cost $20 a month for their main paid plan, Plus and Pro. ChatGPT does more kinds of things: it makes images, its free plan includes unlimited chats with GPT-5.6 Luna (with ads), and its $100 to $500 Pro tiers add always-on agents called Dots. Claude can't generate images, but it leads people's votes in the independent rankings: on LMArena's text leaderboard, Claude models hold second to fourth place behind Google's unreleased Gemini 4 Argon, while the best GPT model is twentieth, and Claude Opus 5.5 is first for web development. Claude Pro also includes Claude Code, Anthropic's coding agent. ChatGPT is open from age 13, Claude from 18.
Key takeaways
- Price: both $20 a month (Claude Pro is $17 billed annually). ChatGPT also has Go at $8; above that, ChatGPT Pro is $100, $200 or $500 and Claude Max $100 or $200.
- Only ChatGPT: image generation, a cheaper Go plan, and Dots on Pro.
- Only Claude: Claude Code in Pro, no ads on the free plan, and a context window of up to 1 million tokens.
- Rankings: Claude leads LMArena's text and web-development votes; GPT-6 Astra leads EQ-Bench's creative-writing test.
- Privacy: both can train on personal-plan chats, and both let you switch it off.
| ChatGPT | Claude | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Unlimited GPT-5.6 Luna chats, with ads | Sonnet and Haiku, five-hour limit, no ads |
| Main paid plan | Plus, $20 a month | Pro, $20 ($17 annually) |
| Top individual plans | Pro $100, $200 or $500 | Max $100 or $200 |
| Image generation | Yes | No; diagrams and charts only |
| Coding agent | Codex | Claude Code, from Pro |
| Always-on agents | Dots, on Pro | No |
| Project sharing | Every plan | Team and Enterprise |
| LMArena text rank (Oct 7) | Best GPT 20th | Best Claude 2nd |
| Trains on personal chats | Unless you opt out | Only if the setting is on |
| Minimum age | 13 | 18 |
Which is better, ChatGPT or Claude?
It depends on the job, but the independent rankings lean to Claude for text:
- LMArena text, October 7, 2026 (LMArena): Gemini 4 Argon 1525 (preliminary), then Claude Opus 4.6, Fable 5 and Opus 5.5 at 1504 to 1505. The best OpenAI model, GPT-5.6 Sol, is 20th at 1484, and GPT-6 Astra 29th at 1477.
- Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index: Opus 5.5 57.6, Sonnet 5.5 56.0, Fable 5.1 53.4, GPT-6 Astra 52.7, GPT-6.1 Sol 51.8 (Artificial Analysis).
- Web development (LMArena WebDev): Claude Opus 5.5 first at 1814.
For writing, the verdict is split. In LMArena's creative-writing votes, Claude Opus 5.5 is second behind Gemini 4 Argon and the best GPT is 19th. On EQ-Bench's Creative Writing v3, judged by a model, GPT-6 Astra is first and Claude Fable 5.1 second (EQ-Bench).
For coding, Claude leads most boards; the details are in Claude vs ChatGPT for coding.
How do the free plans compare?
- ChatGPT Free: unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna (within abuse guardrails), web search, projects and shared projects, and limited image creation, voice, file uploads, memory and deep research (OpenAI). Ads may appear on Free and Go; there's an ad-free mode with lower limits (OpenAI).
- Claude Free: Sonnet and Haiku models with a usage limit that resets every five hours, web search, file creation, voice, memory, connectors, skills and up to 5 projects, with no ads (Anthropic). Research, Claude Code and Claude in Chrome need Pro.
ChatGPT's free plan goes further on volume; Claude's free plan gets you a stronger model in shorter bursts.
How much do ChatGPT and Claude cost?
- ChatGPT: Free; Go $8; Plus $20; Pro $100, $200 or $500, all monthly only; Business $20 a seat billed annually or $25 monthly.
- Claude: Free; Pro $20, or $17 a month billed annually; Max $100 or $200; Team from two seats at $20 to $25 each.
Plan-by-plan detail is in ChatGPT Plus vs Pro and Claude Max vs Pro.
What can ChatGPT do that Claude can't, and the reverse?
- Images: ChatGPT creates them with Images 2.5. Claude "doesn't generate photos or illustrations"; it draws diagrams and charts in code instead (Anthropic).
- Research: ChatGPT's deep research is on every plan, limited on Free; Claude's Research is Pro and up.
- Memory: both remember across chats. Claude's memory is on by default on Free, Pro and Max (Anthropic), and Claude can import memory from other assistants.
- Agents: ChatGPT's agent mode has been retired in favor of ChatGPT Work for long tasks (OpenAI), and Dots, always-on agents, are on Pro. Claude has Claude in Chrome and Cowork, which Anthropic folded into the main chat in September 2026.
- Coding: Claude Pro includes Claude Code; ChatGPT plans include Codex (Claude Code vs Codex).
- Office: both have add-ins for Excel, Word and PowerPoint; ChatGPT's work on Free with limits, Claude's need a paid plan.
- Sharing: ChatGPT shares projects on every plan; Claude shares projects only on Team and Enterprise. Neither has group chats any more (ChatGPT shared projects).
Is ChatGPT or Claude better for privacy?
Both can use your personal-plan chats to train models, and both let you opt out:
- ChatGPT: "we may use your content to train our models"; turn off "Improve the model for everyone" in Settings, Data controls. Temporary chats are never used (OpenAI).
- Claude: since Anthropic's August 2025 terms update, Free, Pro and Max chats can be used for training if the setting is on, and kept for up to five years; with it off, deleted chats are removed within 30 days (Anthropic).
Business, Team, Enterprise and API data is excluded from training by default on both.
What about Gemini and Grok?
- Gemini: Google AI Pro is $19.99 a month and bundles 5 TB of storage, Gemini in Gmail and Docs, and image and video generation, and can be shared with up to five family members. Gemini 4 Argon tops LMArena's text votes but isn't publicly available yet (Gemini vs Claude for coding).
- Grok: SuperGrok is $30 a month, with image and video generation (xAI).
Using ChatGPT and Claude together
Many people keep both: one for images and volume, one for writing and code. Poly (usepoly.co) is a shared browser room where a group works with one AI and can switch between models from several labs, Claude and GPT included, in the same conversation; everyone sees each step live. Free to start. What is Poly?
Common questions
Is ChatGPT or Claude better?
For text and coding, Claude leads people's votes on LMArena: its models rank second to fourth for text and first for web development, while the best GPT ranks 20th for text. ChatGPT does more kinds of things, including image generation, and has a more generous free plan.
Is Claude better than ChatGPT for writing?
The rankings disagree. People voting on LMArena's creative-writing board rank Claude Opus 5.5 second and the best GPT 19th, but EQ-Bench's model-judged Creative Writing test ranks GPT-6 Astra first and Claude Fable 5.1 second.
Is Claude cheaper than ChatGPT?
The main plans cost the same, $20 a month, and Claude Pro is $17 billed annually. ChatGPT has a cheaper Go plan at $8, and its top Pro tier costs $500 against Claude Max's $200.
Can Claude generate images like ChatGPT?
No. Claude doesn't generate photos or illustrations; it can draw diagrams, charts and interactive visuals in code. ChatGPT generates images on every plan, with limits on Free.
Do ChatGPT and Claude train on my chats?
Both can on personal plans. In ChatGPT, turn off Improve the model for everyone in Data controls. In Claude, turn off the model-improvement setting in privacy settings. Business and team plans are excluded by default on both.