The Cheapest Way to Get ChatGPT Plus
Verified 2026-07-06 by Michael Okeje
Cheapest way in: Free tier, then paid plans if you outgrow it (Free). OpenAI added a Go tier at $8/month, sitting below Plus ($20). It's now the cheapest way to get paid ChatGPT features. The free tier still covers light use.
Ways to pay less, cheapest first
New Go plan: paid ChatGPT for $8/month
OpenAI added a Go tier at $8/month, sitting below Plus ($20). It's now the cheapest way to get paid ChatGPT features. The free tier still covers light use.
Free tier covers light use
The free tier includes access to current models with usage caps. If you hit limits fewer than a few times a week, you may not need a paid plan at all.
Students: $100 in free Codex credits
OpenAI gives verified university students $100 in Codex credits (shown as 2,500 credits) for its AI coding agent. You need to be enrolled at a degree-granting university in the US or Canada and living there when you claim, and you verify through SheerID with a university email. One per student, and the credits expire 12 months after they're granted. It works with a free ChatGPT account, so it does not require a paid plan.
ChatGPT Pro cut in half - now $100/month
OpenAI dropped ChatGPT Pro from $200 to $100/month. Pro is the heavy-usage tier; most people are well served by Plus at $20 or Go at $8.
ChatGPT Plus price ladder
| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per mo) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | - | Limited model access and usage caps |
| Go | $8 | - | Cheapest paid tier, below Plus |
| Plus | $20 | - | |
| Pro | $100 | - | Heavy-usage tier (cut from $200) |
| Business | $25 | - | Per seat, 2+ users; $20/seat billed annually (ex-Team) |
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Prices are checked against ChatGPT Plus's official pricing page on the date shown and can change at any time. Some outbound links are affiliate links; see the disclosure in the footer.