Pay for Gemini if you live in Gmail, Docs and Drive: AI Pro costs $19.99 a month with 5 TB of storage. Pay for Claude Pro ($20) for long writing, documents or coding with Claude Code. Pay for ChatGPT Plus ($20) for the broadest all-round toolkit. On a budget, compare Google AI Plus ($4.99) and ChatGPT Go ($8).
For current plans, prices and every Maitz article on each tool, see our ChatGPT hub, Claude hub and Gemini hub.
Checked October 8, 2026, against OpenAI’s, Anthropic’s and Google’s official plan pages, help centers and privacy policies. US prices first; UK and euro prices appear only where the company publishes them for that country. This is a buying guide built on official information. We didn’t benchmark the three models against each other, and we don’t crown a winner.
At a glance
- All three have a usable free tier. Try the free versions on your own tasks before paying.
- The $20 tier is the real decision: ChatGPT Plus $20, Claude Pro $20 ($17 billed annually), Google AI Pro $19.99.
- Cheapest paid options: Google AI Plus $4.99 and ChatGPT Go $8 (US price).
- Power tiers: ChatGPT Pro from $100, Claude Max from $100, Google AI Ultra from $99.99.
Prices side by side
| Tier | ChatGPT | Claude | Gemini (Google AI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Budget | Go: $8 (US price; localized in some markets) | None | AI Plus: $4.99 |
| Standard | Plus: $20 | Pro: $20, or $17/month billed annually ($200) | AI Pro: $19.99 |
| Power | Pro 100, Pro 200, Pro 500: $100, $200 or $500 | Max 5x: $100; Max 20x: $200 | AI Ultra: $99.99 (5x) or $199.99 (20x) |
| UK and euro prices | Not published on a page we could read; billing in GBP and EUR is supported, with the amount shown at checkout | Not published; prices shown exclude applicable tax | UK: £4.49, £18.99, £79.99 or £189.99. Ireland and Germany: €4.99, €21.99, €99.99 or €219.99 |
OpenAI’s own pricing page blocks automated reading, so ChatGPT figures come from its help center (Plus, Pro) and the Go launch post, which shows $8 as the US price. Google’s figures come from its country-specific subscription pages. Claude’s come from claude.com/pricing.
What the free tiers give you
- ChatGPT Free: unlimited everyday text chats, subject to abuse safeguards, with separate limits for file uploads, image generation, voice and data analysis. OpenAI says ads may appear in the Free tier in certain countries. Codex, OpenAI’s coding agent, is included on every plan, Free included. OpenAI is also rolling out GPT-6 to every plan, including Free and Go; see our GPT-6 rollout report.
- Claude Free: chat on web, desktop and mobile, web search, file creation and code execution, memory, connectors and up to 5 Projects. No Claude Code, no Research, no Opus models.
- Gemini Free: image generation and editing, Deep Research, Gemini Live, Canvas and 15 GB of Google storage. One important change: from October 9, 2026, Google’s help center says personal accounts without a plan get only the Flash-Lite model, while AI Plus gets Flash-Lite and Flash, and AI Pro and Ultra get all three, including Pro.
For a plan-by-plan breakdown of ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus and the three Pro tiers, see our ChatGPT plans review.
The $20 decision: Plus vs Pro vs AI Pro
| ChatGPT Plus ($20) | Claude Pro ($20) | Google AI Pro ($19.99) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headline | Higher model limits, advanced reasoning, Deep Research where available | More usage, Claude Code, Research, all Claude models, scheduled tasks | 4x the Free usage limits, Pro model access, video generation |
| Writing and documents | File uploads and analysis, image generation and voice, with higher limits than Free | Projects, Claude Design, Slides and Docs (beta), file creation | Gemini inside Gmail, Docs, Vids and more |
| Coding | Codex, including Codex Cloud on eligible Plus accounts | Claude Code in the terminal, IDEs, desktop and web | Higher limits for Jules and entry access to Google Antigravity |
| Bundled extras | None beyond ChatGPT | Claude in Chrome and Microsoft 365 add-ins | 5 TB storage, YouTube Premium Lite, Google Home Premium Standard |
| Annual discount | Not listed in the help article | Yes: $200 a year | Not shown on the US page |
Two caveats apply to all three. Usage limits are dynamic and none of them publishes a fixed message count for every task. And feature lists change fast: OpenAI says to check the model picker for what your account gets, and Anthropic and Google both say plans are subject to change.
Who should pick which
| If you mainly… | Pay for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Work in Gmail, Google Docs and Drive | Google AI Pro | Gemini works inside those apps, and 5 TB of storage may replace a separate storage plan |
| Write long documents, reports or articles | Claude Pro | Projects, file creation and Claude Docs (beta); see our Claude writing review below |
| Code with an AI agent | Claude Pro, or ChatGPT if you want to start free | Claude Code needs Pro; Codex is included even on ChatGPT Free |
| Want one generalist tool for chat, images, voice and files | ChatGPT Plus | Broad tool set with higher limits than Free and Go |
| Need the cheapest upgrade from free | Google AI Plus or ChatGPT Go | $4.99 for 2x Free usage and 400 GB storage, or $8 for higher limits on images, files and data analysis |
| Hit limits every day | The power tier of the tool you already use | Pro, Max and Ultra start around $100; upgrade only after the standard plan blocks real work |
| Want privacy by default for a team | A business plan, not a consumer one | ChatGPT Business, Claude Team and Workspace don’t train on your content by default |
Paying for two? A common pairing is the tool that matches your office suite plus one specialist. Just check that you’d actually use both every week.
Availability in the US, UK and EU
- ChatGPT: available in OpenAI’s list of supported countries, which includes the US, UK and EU member states. Go is offered in every country where ChatGPT is available. OpenAI bills in local currency in a limited set of countries, including EUR and GBP.
- Claude: Anthropic’s supported-countries list includes the US, the UK and EU countries such as Germany, France and Ireland. Pro is available in supported locations.
- Gemini: Google says AI Plus is available in more than 160 countries and territories and AI Pro and Ultra in more than 150. Gemini in Gmail and Docs is available in select languages, and Google AI plans are for ages 18 and over. Some extras, such as YouTube Premium, depend on the country.
Privacy and GDPR
On personal plans the three handle training differently, so check the setting yourself:
- ChatGPT: turn off “Improve the model for everyone” in Data controls. For users in the EEA and Switzerland, OpenAI Ireland Limited is the data controller.
- Claude: Free, Pro and Max users choose whether their chats help train models. For the EEA, UK and Switzerland, Anthropic Ireland, Limited is the controller, and Anthropic says it answers GDPR requests within one calendar month.
- Gemini: Keep Activity controls whether your chats are used to improve Google’s services. Google’s Terms for Ireland name Google Ireland Limited as the provider.
Our step-by-step guide shows how to stop ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini from training on your chats, including what the toggle can’t do.
How to decide in a week
- Pick three real tasks you do every week: one writing task, one file or data task, and one research question.
- Run them on the free tier of each tool. Note where you hit a limit or where the answer needed heavy fixing.
- Pay for one month of the plan that failed least on your hardest task. Monthly first; annual only once you’re sure.
- Recheck after a month. If the paid plan didn’t remove a real bottleneck, cancel.
For deeper detail on each tool, read our Gemini review, our Claude review for writing and documents and our Claude Projects guide. For coding, our Cursor vs Claude Code comparison covers the developer side. If you also use agents that work in the background, see Grok Bot vs ChatGPT.
ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini FAQ
Which is better, ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini?
There's no single winner. Gemini fits people who work in Google's apps, Claude fits long writing, documents and coding with Claude Code, and ChatGPT is the broadest all-rounder. The best choice is the one that handles your own weekly tasks with the fewest fixes.
Is ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro or Google AI Pro cheaper?
They're nearly the same in the US: ChatGPT Plus and Claude Pro cost $20 a month and Google AI Pro costs $19.99. Claude Pro drops to $17 a month if you pay $200 for a year. In the UK, Google AI Pro is £18.99 and in Ireland and Germany it is €21.99; OpenAI and Anthropic don't publish UK or euro prices on pages we could read.
What is the cheapest paid AI plan among the three?
Google AI Plus at $4.99 a month in the US. ChatGPT Go is $8 a month in the US, with localized prices in some markets. Claude has no plan between Free and Pro.
Can I use all three for free?
Yes. All three have a free tier. ChatGPT Free has unlimited everyday text chats with limits on tools, Claude Free includes chat, web search and file creation, and Gemini's free tier includes Deep Research and image generation, with only the Flash-Lite model from October 9, 2026.
Which one is best for coding?
Claude Pro includes Claude Code, and ChatGPT includes Codex on every plan, even Free. Google AI Pro adds higher limits for the Jules coding agent and entry access to Google Antigravity. If you code inside an editor, also compare Cursor.
Do they train on my chats?
On consumer plans you have to check the setting. ChatGPT has Improve the model for everyone in Data controls, Claude asks Free, Pro and Max users to choose in Privacy settings, and Gemini uses Keep Activity. Business plans from all three don't train on your content by default.
Bottom line
Don’t pay for the “best” AI; pay for the one that fits where you already work. Google’s suite users get the most from Gemini AI Pro, writers and Claude Code users from Claude Pro, and generalists from ChatGPT Plus. Start on the free tiers, then pay monthly for the one that clears your hardest weekly task. Next step: read our Gemini review for the full breakdown of Google’s plans.
Sources
- OpenAI Help Center: “What is ChatGPT Plus?”, “ChatGPT Pro,” “What is ChatGPT Go?”, “ChatGPT Free Tier FAQ,” “Using Codex with your ChatGPT plan,” “Multi-currency billing,” “ChatGPT Supported Countries,” “Data controls in ChatGPT,” checked October 8, 2026
- OpenAI: “Introducing ChatGPT Go, now available worldwide” (US price), and Europe privacy policy, checked October 8, 2026
- Anthropic: claude.com/pricing (Free, Pro, Max, Team), checked October 8, 2026
- Claude Help Center: “What is the Max plan?”, “What is the Pro plan?”, checked October 8, 2026
- Anthropic: Supported countries and regions, Privacy Policy, and Privacy Center “Is my data used for model training?”, checked October 8, 2026
- Google: Gemini subscriptions pages for the US, UK, Ireland and Germany, checked October 8, 2026
- Gemini Apps Help: “Changes to Gemini model access and limits,” checked October 8, 2026
- Google: Terms of Service (Ireland country version), checked October 8, 2026
- OpenAI: “Enterprise privacy at OpenAI” and Google Workspace “Generative AI in Google Workspace Privacy Hub” (business-plan training defaults), checked October 6, 2026 for our training opt-out guide
