Free
$0
Comparison · prices checked every day
ChatGPT vs Gemini: which is worth paying for?
The current plans and our verdict on each tool, side by side. Prices come from each vendor's own pricing page and are checked every day.
The short answer
Choose ChatGPT if…
- you want advanced reasoning models with GPT-6
- you need more messages with tools and uploads
- you prefer a polished harness with faster models
Choose Gemini if…
Our pick for most people
- you want 400 GB of cloud storage for $4.99/month
- you need 5 TB of storage for $19.99/month
- you want access to video generation and Daily Brief
Bottom line: Gemini Plus is the best value for most users with its massive storage jump.
Key differences
- ChatGPT Plus costs $20/month and gives access to advanced reasoning models with GPT-6. plan list checked by handSource · owner-checked plan listPlan list checked by hand (chatgpt.com), checked Sep 28, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- Gemini Google AI Plus costs $4.99/month and provides 400 GB of cloud storage. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (gemini.google), checked Sep 30, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- ChatGPT Free includes unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna. plan list checked by handSource · owner-checked plan listPlan list checked by hand (chatgpt.com), checked Sep 28, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- Gemini Free includes 15 GB of cloud storage across Gmail, Drive, and Photos. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (gemini.google), checked Sep 30, 2026.Go to sources ↓
- ChatGPT Free scored 9.9/10 on polite email declines 9.9Our test · free tierChatGPT · Decline a meeting politely: 9.9/10, 4 of 4 checks passed.Read the answer ↓.
- Gemini Free scored 9.8/10 on polite email declines 9.8Our test · free tierGemini · Decline a meeting politely: 9.8/10, 4 of 4 checks passed.Read the answer ↓.
Plans and limits side by side
| Plans | ChatGPT | Gemini |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free $0Model Unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna, Uploads Limited messages with uploads | Free $0Storage 15 GB |
| Paid plans | Go $8/moUsage More messages with tools, more uploadsPlus $20/moModels Advanced reasoning models with GPT-6Pro $100/moPrice From $100/month, Usage 5x more usage than Plus | Google AI Plus $4.99/moStorage 400 GBGoogle AI Pro $19.99/moStorage 5 TBGoogle AI Ultra $99.99/moStorage 20 TB |
| Business plans | — | Gemini Enterprise Business $21/user/moSeats 300, Storage 25 GiB per seatGemini Enterprise Standard / Plus $30/user/moSeats Unlimited, Storage 75 GiB per seat |
From each vendor's own pricing page · ChatGPT checked Sep 28, 2026 · Gemini checked Oct 1, 2026.
Our tests
Scores out of 10 on the same tasks of our public test suite ("Chat assistants", version 2), run hands-on in each app, scored by the same blind judges.
| Task | ChatGPT · free tier | Gemini · free tier |
|---|---|---|
| Decline a meeting politely | 9.9/10 | 9.8/10 |
| Summarize a text in 3 bullets | 9.9/10 | 9.7/10 |
| Work out an arrival time | 9.9/10 | 9.8/10 |
| Solve a small logic puzzle | 10.0/10 | 8.6/10 |
| Extract data as JSON | 10.0/10 | 9.5/10 |
| Write a small Python function | 10.0/10 | 10.0/10 |
| Explain a concept to a 12-year-old | 9.8/10 | 9.7/10 |
| Rewrite a blunt message | 9.3/10 | 8.2/10 |
| Translate into Spanish | 9.1/10 | 9.7/10 |
| Make a 5-day beginner plan | 9.6/10 | 9.5/10 |
| Write a 3-sentence product text | 9.4/10 | 9.8/10 |
| Admit what it cannot know | 9.4/10 | 9.4/10 |
| Average | 9.7/10 | 9.5/10 |
ChatGPT Free scored 9.9/10 on polite email declines 9.9Our test · free tierChatGPT · Decline a meeting politely: 9.9/10, 4 of 4 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Gemini Free scored 9.8/10 on polite email declines 9.8Our test · free tierGemini · Decline a meeting politely: 9.8/10, 4 of 4 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. ChatGPT Free scored 9.9/10 on summarizing text in three bullets 9.9Our test · free tierChatGPT · Summarize a text in 3 bullets: 9.9/10, 2 of 2 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Gemini Free scored 9.7/10 on summarizing text in three bullets 9.7Our test · free tierGemini · Summarize a text in 3 bullets: 9.7/10, 2 of 2 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. ChatGPT Free scored 10.0/10 on extracting data as JSON 10.0Our test · free tierChatGPT · Extract data as JSON: 10.0/10, 3 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓. Gemini Free scored 9.5/10 on extracting data as JSON 9.5Our test · free tierGemini · Extract data as JSON: 9.5/10, 3 of 3 checks passed.Read the answer ↓.
What users say
ChatGPT
One Reddit user says ChatGPT generates a family for us with an emotional response RedditUser report · positive · Redditr/ChatGPT, posted Jan 10, 2026See the report ↓. Several users canceled their subscriptions due to billing or political reasons, with one noting they canceled their ChatGPT Pro subscription because it was getting unbearable RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/ChatGPT, posted Feb 28, 2026See the report ↓. Another user mentions that the amount of budget you get with GPT as a user is much better, and the models are faster HNUser report · positive · Hacker NewsPosted Aug 18, 2026See the report ↓.
Reports cited (3)
Asking ChatGPT to generate a family for us 🥹
… chatgpt wasn't even worth looking at early this year. Anthropic has the smarter models for sure, and seems to be default in corporate. However, the amount of budget you get with GPT as a user is much better, the harness feels more polished, and the models are faster. …
I just canceled my $200 ChatGPT Pro subscription It’s getting unbearable…
Gemini
One Reddit user claims the new Gemini logo has been released and that Gemini 3.5 Pro will destroy everyone RedditUser report · positive · Redditr/GeminiAI, posted Jun 28, 2026See the report ↓. Another user notes that after three years with ChatGPT, they tried Gemini and found GPT feels generic RedditUser report · negative · Redditr/ChatGPT, posted Feb 13, 2026See the report ↓. Some users report reliability issues, with one noting that 14 tok/s is pretty slow HNUser report · negative · Hacker NewsPosted Aug 28, 2026See the report ↓.
Reports cited (3)
The new gemini logo has been released 3.5 pro will destroy everyone
After 3 years with ChatGPT, I tried Claude and Gemini - and now GPT feels... generic? I've been a loyal ChatGPT user since early 2022. Paid subscriber, used it daily for work, considered myself pretty advanced with prompt engineering. …
I get 80 tok/s on the same model, and it's pretty usable. I'm not chatting with it; it's either given a bag of tokens to generate an answer or it's doing some agentic coding. is it worthless because its 65 tps? re: gemini worthless as well? That being said, 14 tok/s is pretty slow.
Questions people ask
Which plan is better for storage?
Gemini Google AI Plus offers 400 GB of storage for $4.99/month, while ChatGPT does not list storage limits in its plans.
What is the price difference between the paid plans?
ChatGPT Plus is $20/month, while Gemini Google AI Plus is $4.99/month.
Do both tools have free plans?
Yes, both ChatGPT and Gemini offer free plans.
Sources
Drafted with AI from these pages, our tests and the linked user reports, and checked automatically against them before publishing: every price, score and report above is tied to the tool it is about.
ChatGPT
- Pricing pagechatgpt.com/pricing
- Limits pagehelp.openai.com/en/articles/6950777-what-is-chatgpt-plus
- Plan list checked by hand on Sep 28, 2026chatgpt.com/pricing ↩ text
Gemini
- Pricing page · checked Sep 30, 2026gemini.google/us/subscriptions ↩ text
Each tool's verdict and plans
ChatGPT
DEPENDS DEPENDS — worth it for some people
Free is strong for basics; pay for speed, tools, or GPT-6 reasoning.
Tested by us on Sep 28, 2026 · with user reports
- Cheapest paid
- $8/mo
- What's free
- $0
- Our test score
- 9.7/10
Our test (hands-on): free tier 9.7/10, as of Sep 28, 2026
Go
$8/mo
Plus
$20/mo
Pro
$100/mo
Gemini
YES YES — worth paying for
Storage jumps from 15 GB to 400 GB for $4.99, making Plus the best value for most users.
Tested by us on Sep 30, 2026 · with user reports
- Cheapest paid
- $4.99/mo
- What's free
- $0
- Our test score
- 9.2/10
Our test (API): free tier 9.2/10, as of Sep 30, 2026
Free
$0
Google AI Plus
$4.99/mo
Google AI Pro
$19.99/mo
Google AI Ultra
$99.99/mo
Gemini Enterprise Business
$21/user/mo
Gemini Enterprise Standard / Plus
$30/user/mo
How we make money
The "Visit" buttons go through shouldipay.ai/go/ and may be affiliate links, but commissions never decide a verdict or a comparison: the evidence does. Affiliate disclosure