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## Quick answer
Choose **Claude** if you want a lower entry price for a paid plan, a massive context window, and deep integration with coding and scientific workflows. Choose **ChatGPT** if you want the broadest model selection at the free tier, a more established plugin ecosystem, and features like Dots (an always-on agent) at the top tier.
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## Side-by-side pricing table
| Plan | Claude | ChatGPT | Source |
|—|—|—|—|
| Free | $0/month | $0/month | [Claude](https://claude.com/pricing) / [ChatGPT](https://openai.com/chatgpt/pricing/) |
| Entry paid (monthly) | $20/month (Pro) | Not stated for Go/Plus monthly price | [Claude](https://claude.com/pricing) |
| Entry paid (annual) | $17/month (Pro, $200 billed up front) | Not stated | [Claude](https://claude.com/pricing) |
| Top individual tier | From $100/month (Max) | From an unstated monthly price (Pro) | [Claude](https://claude.com/pricing) / [ChatGPT](https://openai.com/chatgpt/pricing/) |
| Team standard seat | $20/seat/month billed annually, $25 billed monthly | Not stated | [Claude](https://claude.com/pricing) |
| Team premium seat | $100/seat/month billed annually, $125 billed monthly | Not stated | [Claude](https://claude.com/pricing) |
| Enterprise seat | US$20/seat/month, billed annually (plus usage at API rates) | Not stated | [Claude](https://claude.com/pricing) |
> Note: OpenAI’s pricing page lists plan tiers and features but does not publish specific dollar amounts for Go, Plus, or Pro plans in the source material reviewed. Claude’s pricing is fully published. This matters when you’re budgeting.
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## Free tier
Both free plans are genuinely useful, not just bait. Claude Free gives you web search, voice mode, memory across conversations, the ability to create and edit files with code execution, connectors, skills, and [up to 5 projects](https://claude.com/pricing). ChatGPT Free gives you unlimited text chats with GPT-6, limited image creation, limited voice chats, limited deep research, and a [27K GPT Instant total context window](https://openai.com/chatgpt/pricing/).
The key difference is in orientation. Claude Free includes Claude Design, Claude Slides, and Claude Docs out of the box, which makes it feel document-and-creation focused from the start. ChatGPT Free includes access to Health, Finances, and Skills (beta) features, skewing toward broad general access with tighter model restrictions.
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## Power user tiers
Claude’s Max plan lets you [choose 5x or 20x more usage than Pro](https://claude.com/pricing), with priority access at high traffic times and higher output limits. [Claude Max starts from $100 per month](https://claude.com/pricing). The context window goes [up to 1M varies by model](https://claude.com/pricing), which is a real advantage for anyone working with long documents or large codebases.
ChatGPT’s Pro plan includes Dots (your always-on agent), unlimited and faster image creation, maximum deep research, and a [400K Plan: Pro, Feature: GPT Reasoning total context window](https://openai.com/chatgpt/pricing/). Pro also unlocks GPT-6 Astra, GPT-6.1 Sol, and GPT-5.6 Sol Pro, none of which are available on lower tiers. ChatGPT Pro offers 3 usage tiers to choose from.
Claude wins on raw context window size. ChatGPT wins on model variety at the top tier. Neither win is trivial, and which one matters more depends entirely on your work.
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## Team and enterprise
Claude Team is built [for teams of 2 to 150](https://claude.com/pricing). Standard seats run [$20 per seat per month if billed annually, or $25 billed monthly](https://claude.com/pricing). Premium seats with 5x more usage cost [$100 per seat per month if billed annually, or $125 billed monthly](https://claude.com/pricing). The Team plan includes SSO, central billing, admin controls, enterprise search, Claude Code, Claude Science, and no model training on your content by default.
Claude Enterprise adds SCIM, audit logs, a Compliance API, custom data retention, role-based access, a HIPAA-ready offering, and network-level access control. The seat price starts at [US$20/seat/month, billed annually](https://claude.com/pricing), with usage costs scaling by model and task.
ChatGPT’s source material does not publish equivalent team or enterprise seat prices, so a direct dollar comparison is not possible here.
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## Who should choose Claude
– Writers, researchers, and developers who need a large context window (up to [1M tokens](https://claude.com/pricing)) for long documents or codebases
– Teams of [2 to 150](https://claude.com/pricing) that want transparent, published per-seat pricing before talking to sales
– Anyone who wants Claude Code and Claude Science bundled into a plan at [$17 per month with annual subscription ($200 billed up front), or $20 billed monthly](https://claude.com/pricing)
– Organizations that need HIPAA-ready infrastructure and audit logs at the enterprise tier
– Users who want to opt out of model training on their content, available on all paid plans
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## Who should choose ChatGPT
– Users who want the widest variety of frontier models (GPT-6 Astra, GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-5.6 Sol Pro) at a single subscription
– Anyone who wants Dots, an always-on agent, at the top individual tier
– People who rely on the ChatGPT plugin ecosystem, available across all plans
– Users who want voice with video, available on Go, Plus, and Pro plans
– Teams already embedded in OpenAI’s business ecosystem via Codex or ChatGPT Work
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## Who this is not for
Neither tool is right for you if:
– You need guaranteed uptime SLAs with published response-time commitments. Neither product’s consumer pricing pages state specific SLA terms.
– You’re a large enterprise that needs invoicing and net payment terms on a self-serve basis. Claude’s self-serve Enterprise plan does not include invoicing; only the sales-assisted Enterprise tier does. ChatGPT’s enterprise terms are not published in the reviewed source material.
– You need ACH payment on an individual or team plan. Claude’s Team plan does not support ACH; only Enterprise (self-serve and sales-assisted) does.
– You want project sharing and collaboration on Claude’s individual plans. That feature is only available on Team and Enterprise tiers.
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## Final verdict
Claude is the clearer choice for anyone who wants transparent pricing, a large context window, and a well-integrated suite of tools (Code, Science, Design, Docs, Slides) bundled into a single subscription at [$17 per month with annual subscription ($200 billed up front), or $20 billed monthly](https://claude.com/pricing). The Max plan’s option to [choose 5x or 20x more usage than Pro](https://claude.com/pricing) gives power users real flexibility without forcing them to call a sales team.
ChatGPT’s strength is model breadth and the depth of its top-tier features like Dots and maximum deep research. Its [400K Plan: Pro, Feature: GPT Reasoning total context window](https://openai.com/chatgpt/pricing/) is solid, though it falls short of Claude’s ceiling of [up to 1M varies by model](https://claude.com/pricing).
For most individual users and small teams, Claude’s published pricing and feature transparency give it a practical edge. For teams already invested in OpenAI’s ecosystem or who need the specific GPT-6 model lineup, ChatGPT Pro remains a serious contender.
**Start with Claude Pro** at [claude.com/pricing](https://claude.com/pricing) or **explore ChatGPT’s plans** at [openai.com/chatgpt/pricing](https://openai.com/chatgpt/pricing/).
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## FAQ
### Q: How much does Claude Pro cost per month in 2027?
A: Claude Pro costs [$17 per month with an annual subscription ($200 billed up front)](https://claude.com/pricing), or [$20 per month](https://claude.com/pricing) if you pay month to month. Both options include Claude Code, Claude Science, Research, Projects, and more Claude models on top of the Free plan.
### Q: What does the ChatGPT free plan include in 2027?
A: ChatGPT Free includes unlimited text chats with GPT-6, limited image creation, limited voice chats, limited deep research, and a [27K GPT Instant total context window](https://openai.com/chatgpt/pricing/). It also includes web search, plugins, projects, shared projects, and Skills (beta) at no cost.
### Q: What is Claude Max and how much does it cost?
A: Claude Max [starts from $100 per month](https://claude.com/pricing) and lets you [choose 5x or 20x more usage than Pro](https://claude.com/pricing). It also includes higher output limits for all tasks, early access to advanced Claude features, and priority access at high traffic times.
### Q: How much does Claude Team cost per seat?
A: Claude Team standard seats cost [$20 per seat per month billed annually, or $25 billed monthly](https://claude.com/pricing). Premium seats with 5x more usage cost [$100 per seat per month billed annually, or $125 billed monthly](https://claude.com/pricing). The Team plan is designed [for teams of 2 to 150](https://claude.com/pricing).
### Q: What context window does ChatGPT Pro offer compared to Claude?
A: ChatGPT Pro offers a [400K Plan: Pro, Feature: GPT Reasoning total context window](https://openai.com/chatgpt/pricing/) and supports [~680 pages of text as the GPT Reasoning input maximum](https://openai.com/chatgpt/pricing/). Claude’s plans offer a context window of [up to 1M tokens, varying by model](https://claude.com/pricing), which is larger in absolute terms.
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## Our testing methodology
We compared published pricing, feature documentation, and independent audit reports as of October 9, 2026. No hands-on model testing was conducted; all feature and pricing claims are drawn directly from official vendor pages at claude.com and openai.com.
