What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is OpenAI's AI assistant. OpenAI's overview describes it as one place to chat, work and code: ask everyday questions, explain concepts, draft and edit writing, search the web, generate images and talk by voice. For work, it can create and edit documents, slide decks, spreadsheets, charts and PDFs, and connect to apps such as Gmail and Slack. For technical work, OpenAI's Codex coding agent sits alongside ChatGPT to help understand, write, test and review code. ChatGPT runs on the web, desktop and mobile. Features and limits depend on plan and region, and its answers still need fact-checking.
Best for: Individuals and teams who want one broad assistant for writing, research, images, voice and everyday work tasks.
Useful for
Everyday questions
Get explanations of unfamiliar topics, compare options and think through decisions.
Work deliverables
Turn notes into drafts, slides, spreadsheets or charts you then review and edit.
Images and voice
Generate images from a prompt, or talk through ideas by voice when typing is awkward.
Key capabilities
- Chat assistant for questions, writing and explanations.
- Web search for current information.
- Image generation from prompts.
- Real-time voice conversations.
- Creates and edits documents, slides, spreadsheets, charts and PDFs.
- Codex coding agent for writing, testing and reviewing code.
Limitations and considerations
- Some features are limited to particular plans, platforms or regions.
- Answers can contain mistakes; check important facts against primary sources.
- Connecting work apps and financial accounts involves sharing data — review privacy controls first.
Pricing model
Free with paid options
Free tier available, with paid Go, Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise plans.
Current prices on the official siteCommon questions
- Is ChatGPT free?
- There is a free tier and several paid plans for personal, business and enterprise use. See OpenAI's pricing page for what each includes.
- Can ChatGPT search the web?
- Yes, OpenAI lists web search among ChatGPT's everyday capabilities.
- How is ChatGPT related to Codex?
- OpenAI presents Codex, its coding agent, alongside ChatGPT for coding and technical work.
Sources
Curated from official product and pricing pages. Not hands-on tested by Pithmark.
