ChatGPT
ChatGPT is the default general assistant and the one everyone else is measured against, but the tier you need is rarely the one you first buy. Free is now ad-supported, and the jump to genuinely unlimited reasoning is steep.
Pros
- Broadest tool surface of any consumer assistant: browsing, code, images, voice, connectors
- The $8 Go tier closed the gap between free and a $20 commitment
- Apps on every desktop and mobile platform, not just a web wrapper
- Model quality is consistently at or near the front of the field
Cons
- Advertising now appears on the free and Go tiers
- Message and reasoning limits are opaque and change without notice
- Tier structure has churned repeatedly, so any price you quote ages fast
- The API is a separate purchase, which surprises buyers who assume Plus includes it