ChatGPT: what it does, what it costs, where it struggles
OpenAI's chat assistant, which can now also browse the web and work on longer jobs for you on paid plans.
- Made by
- OpenAI
- Kind
- general assistant
- Free to try
- Free plan with limits
- Where
- web, iOS, Android, Mac and Windows desktop apps
What it does
ChatGPT answers questions, writes and edits text, reads files and images, makes images and talks by voice. It runs on the web, phone apps and desktop apps, and the desktop app has a built-in browser on every plan.
ChatGPT Work is OpenAI's name for longer jobs: projects, tasks and team work. It is limited and desktop-only on the Free and Go plans, and on desktop, web and phone for Plus and Pro. Tasks can be scheduled or set to start on events, such as a new Gmail message, on paid plans.
Agent mode, on paid plans, uses a virtual browser to click through websites for you, and hands control back to you to sign in. 'Dots' are always-on agents that work on their own cloud computers; OpenAI offers them only on Pro, Business Premium and Enterprise, and they are still rolling out.
ChatGPT Atlas, OpenAI's separate web browser, has been retired and no longer gets updates; its browsing features now live in ChatGPT itself.
Main features
- Chat, writing and file reading
- Voice conversations and image making
- Agent mode that browses websites in a virtual browser (paid plans)
- Built-in browser in the desktop app
- Scheduled and event-triggered tasks (Go and up)
- Memory of past chats
- Dots: always-on agents with their own cloud computers (Pro, Business Premium, Enterprise)
What it costs
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Limited use and limited memory; ChatGPT Work limited and desktop-only |
| Go | $8/month | More use than Free; may include ads; scheduled tasks |
| Plus | $20/month | Agent mode (40 agent messages a month); ChatGPT Work on desktop, web and phone |
| Pro | From $100/month | Three tiers: Pro 100 ($100), Pro 200 ($200), Pro 500 ($500), each with that amount a month in API credits; agent mode 400 messages a month; includes Dots |
| Business / Enterprise | Listed separately on the pricing page | For teams; Business gets 40 agent messages a month |
Who it's for
- Anyone who wants one all-round assistant for writing, questions and ideas
- People who want an assistant that can also click through websites, on a paid plan
- Heavy users willing to pay for Pro's higher limits and always-on agents
Where it struggles
- Agent mode is not on the Free plan, and Plus gets only 40 agent messages a month (OpenAI help: ChatGPT agent).
- OpenAI warns that agent mode can be tricked by hidden instructions on websites (prompt injection), and it stops for you to sign in to sites.
- The always-on Dots agents are only on Pro, Business Premium and Enterprise, and are still rolling out by market.
- The Atlas browser was retired, so people who adopted it had to move back into the ChatGPT app (OpenAI help: Atlas retirement).
- Texting it on WhatsApp stopped working on January 15, 2026 after a Meta policy change (Engadget).
At a glance
| ChatGPT | |
|---|---|
| What it is | OpenAI's chat assistant, which can now also browse the web and work on longer jobs for you on paid plans. |
| Price | Free: $0; Go: $8/month; Plus: $20/month |
| Free to try | Free plan with limits |
| Does the task itself | yes agent mode and Work tasks click through websites on paid plans; Free mostly answers and drafts |
| Its own email address | no it can read and act on your connected Gmail, but has no address of its own |
| You can text it | no the WhatsApp number stopped working in January 2026 |
| Its own computer and browser | partly agent mode uses a virtual browser; Dots get their own cloud computers on Pro and up |
| Remembers you | Remembers facts and past chats across conversations; limited on Free, more on paid plans |
| Where it lives | web, iOS, Android, Mac and Windows desktop apps |
How it compares
If you want an assistant that does the work itself rather than helping you do it, see how ChatGPT stacks up: ChatGPT vs Your Own AI Assistant, ChatGPT vs Claude, ChatGPT vs Gemini, Grok vs ChatGPT, Comet vs ChatGPT agent (and Atlas).
Listed in: The best AI agents for small business owners in 2026, The best AI personal assistants in 2026, The best AI agents in 2026, for people who aren't engineers.
Questions people ask
- Is ChatGPT free?
- Yes. The Free plan costs $0 with limited use and memory. Go is $8 a month and Plus $20 a month.
- Can ChatGPT do things on websites for me?
- On paid plans, agent mode opens a virtual browser and clicks through sites for you; it hands control back to you for sign-ins. Plus allows 40 agent messages a month.
- What happened to ChatGPT Atlas?
- OpenAI retired the Atlas browser; it no longer gets updates. Browsing is now built into the ChatGPT desktop app and ChatGPT Work.
Checked 2026-11-08 on OpenAI's own pages: Plans and Pricing | ChatGPT, ChatGPT Work, Dots | ChatGPT, About ChatGPT Pro tiers (OpenAI Help), ChatGPT agent (OpenAI Help), ChatGPT Atlas retirement (OpenAI Help). Prices change; check the maker's pricing page before you buy.
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