There are no affiliate links in this article, and no AI company pays this site anything. Facts were checked on 17 October 2026 on OpenAI’s own pages; prices are US list prices before tax unless stated otherwise.
AI assistants series, part 2 of 6: 1. Grok · 2. ChatGPT · 3. Claude · 4. Meta AI · 5. Gemini · 6. The comparison
ChatGPT is the assistant most of our clients have already tried, usually before they’ve tried anything else. That makes it the one we get asked about most. This is part two of six; the Grok piece came first, and the comparison closes the series.
How ChatGPT has evolved: a timeline
Dates from OpenAI’s own announcements and the ChatGPT release notes. Checked on 17 October 2026.
2022–2024: the start
- 30 November 2022: ChatGPT launches.
- 14 March 2023: GPT-4, first offered in ChatGPT Plus.
- 13 May 2024: GPT-4o, working across text, audio and images.
2025: GPT-5 and cheaper plans
- 7 August 2025: GPT-5, presented as one system with built-in thinking.
- 30 October 2025: the low-cost Go plan becomes available in Spain.
- 12 November 2025: GPT-5.1. 11 December 2025: GPT-5.2.
2026: ads, then GPT-6
- 9 February 2026: OpenAI starts testing ads for Free and Go users in the US. The test extends to Australia, New Zealand and Canada (16 April) and the UK (4 June).
- 5 March 2026: GPT-5.4 Thinking. 5 May 2026: GPT-5.5 Instant becomes the default.
- 13 July 2026: ChatGPT returns to WhatsApp in the EEA.
- 3 September 2026: GPT-6 Astra, the flagship, for paid customers first.
- 22 September 2026: GPT-6 Sol and Luna arrive in ChatGPT Work and Codex.
- 29 September 2026: GPT-6.1 Sol; a $500 Pro tier; and “dots”, always-on agents that keep working between conversations.
- 7 October 2026: GPT-6 and Intelligent UI for everyone.
- 16 October 2026: ChatGPT Slides, for creating and editing presentations with your team.
What GPT-6 and Intelligent UI change
OpenAI describes Intelligent UI as answers that can include “graphics, tappable buttons, forms, charts, and interactive experiences” in the conversation, with the model choosing the format. A comparison might appear side by side; a plain question still gets a plain answer.
Which model you get depends on your plan. Since 7 October 2026, Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise use GPT-6 Sol in standard chat, and Free and Go use GPT-6 Luna. The models in ChatGPT Work and Codex didn’t change with that release. OpenAI says the release was built for “more than 1.2 billion people who use ChatGPT each week”; that’s OpenAI’s figure, not one we can check.
Current API models
Checked on 17 October 2026 on OpenAI’s models page.
| Model | Price per million tokens (input / output) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GPT-6 Astra | $10 / $50 | Flagship; 1.05 million-token context; knowledge cutoff 30 April 2026 |
| GPT-6.1 Sol | $2 / $10 | Mid-tier |
| GPT-6 Luna | $0.10 / $0.50 | Low cost; knowledge cutoff 18 May 2026 |
OpenAI publishes its own benchmark results for these models. We haven’t reproduced them, so they’re not here.
Plans and prices
Checked on 17 October 2026 on ChatGPT’s pricing page. US prices before tax; Spanish and UK prices will differ once local tax applies.
| Plan | Price per month | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | GPT-6 Luna; may show ads where the test runs |
| Go | $8 | Low-cost paid plan; “may include ads” |
| Plus | $20 | GPT-6 Sol |
| Pro | from $100 | Tiers at $100, $200 and $500 |
| Business | $25 per seat ($20 billed annually) | Premium seats $125 ($100 annually) |
| Enterprise | Custom | Contracts and admin controls |
Where ChatGPT fits in web and agency work
Coding help. Codex is OpenAI’s coding product, and GPT-6.1 Sol was rolled out there first, starting with Pro. For WordPress work that usually means explaining a PHP error, writing a small custom plugin or a WP-CLI command, or reviewing a snippet before it goes on a live site. Whatever it writes, test it on staging before it goes near a live site.
Content. Drafting page copy, FAQs and client emails is the everyday use. If you write for UK or Spanish audiences, put your spelling and tone preferences in custom instructions rather than repeating them in every prompt. As with any assistant, ask for British English (or Spanish from Spain) explicitly, and edit the draft before it goes out.
Research. Useful for a first pass: summarising a topic, listing questions to ask, comparing options. As with every assistant, check facts and prices on the original source before they go in front of a client.
Business use. Business plans don’t train on business data by default, which matters if you handle client material. ChatGPT Slides (16 October 2026) and the export to PowerPoint, PDF or Google Slides may save time on client proposals.
Privacy, data and the EU
On consumer plans, OpenAI’s pricing page says “Content is used to train our models”, with an opt-out available in settings. Business and Enterprise don’t train on your business data by default.
EU and Spain notes, from the release notes:
- Go has been available in Spain since 30 October 2025.
- Dots weren’t available to Pro users in the EEA, Switzerland or the UK at launch on 29 September 2026.
- The ads test has run in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK. We found no release note extending it to Spain as of 17 October 2026.
The same rule for client work applies across this series: no client personal data or passwords in a consumer chat.
Pros and cons
Pros
- The widest range of plans, from Free and an $8 Go plan up to Enterprise.
- Intelligent UI can turn comparisons and plans into something easier to read and act on.
- Strong all-rounder: writing, coding (via Codex), images and now slides in one place.
- Business plans exclude your data from training by default.
- Familiar to clients, so handing over prompts or workflows is easier.
Cons
- Ads on Free and Go in several markets, and they may spread.
- Free and Go get Luna, not Sol, so the free experience isn’t the same model as the paid one.
- Some new features launch outside the EEA, Switzerland and the UK first.
- Consumer chats are used for training unless you opt out.
- The product changes very quickly (four model generations in 2026 alone), so team guides go out of date.
- Pro tiers at $100–$500 a month are hard to justify for a small business.
Who ChatGPT suits
ChatGPT suits small businesses that want one general assistant and don’t want to think about it too much. Go or Plus covers most solo needs. Agencies handling client data should look at Business for the training default and the admin controls.
In short: the safest all-round choice for most small businesses. Free or Go is enough to start, Plus covers most solo work, and an agency handling client material should look at Business for the training default and admin controls.
Next in the series: part 3 of 6, Claude in 2026.
The AI assistants series
This is part 2 of 6.
- Grok in 2026
- ChatGPT in 2026 (you are here)
- Claude in 2026
- Meta AI in 2026
- Gemini in 2026
- Grok vs ChatGPT vs Claude vs Meta AI vs Gemini (the comparison)
Facts checked on 17 October 2026 on OpenAI’s own pages. AI products change monthly; we re-check models and prices before each update and note the date here.
