ChatGPT is free to use and can generate answers to unlimited queries from solving math problems to summarizing your text. So, why pay $20 for a ChatGPT Plus subscription? Who is this subscription for and why may you need it more than you know? We have been using the ChatGPT Plus for a few months now and have all the answers you need.
Table of Contents
1. Access to New and Better Models
With the ChatGPT Plus subscription, you gain immediate access to the latest and most advanced models when they are made available. These models are faster, more accurate, and better at understanding and remembering context compared to the old models often used in the free account. While writing this article, ChatGPT Plus subscribers have access to both GPT-4, ChatGPT 4o Mini, and GPT-4o models but the free users only get ChatGPT 4 and ChatGPT Mini.
So what is ChatGPT 4o Mini?
OpenAI explains that ChatGPT 4o Mini is better suited for everyday tasks rather than heavy handling. Mini is a cost-efficient AI model that was designed for small tasks that users may have to perform regularly. Think about creating article summaries, proofreading, rewriting, asking questions about certain topics, etc. You get limited access to GPT-4o Mini model with the free account only to give you a taste of what ChatGPT 4o can do.
The number of messages is limited in ChatGPT 4o Mini. Once that limit is exhausted, you will revert to ChatGPT 4o instead. For example, Plus version gives you five times the message limit you get with free account, however, OpenAI no longer mentions the exact number.
Both GPT-4 and GPT-4o models offer enhanced context understanding and improved capabilities in solving mathematical and coding problems compared to the GPT-4o mini in the free plan. For example, I asked the same math question to both the free and paid ChatGPT versions. Here’s the result from the free version, which was inaccurate and lacked any explanation.
And here’s the result from the paid version, which was accurate and detailed.
This does not imply that ChatGPT free is always incorrect; rather, it has a higher likelihood of generating incorrect results compared to ChatGPT Plus powered by GPT-4o.
Did You Know: You can play board games and math games with ChatGPT including the free version and it’s lit.
2. Browse the Web
ChatGPT free account responds based on the datasets stored in the cloud but lacks access to information updated after April 2023. That was the last time OpenAI updated it. While OpenAI may update this dataset in the future, it will still lack the capability to provide up-to-date information scrapped from the internet in real-time on current events.
In contrast, ChatGPT Plus lets you search the internet to access the most current information on any given topic. There is a drawback though. These AI models can hallucinate sometimes leading ChatGPT to confidently provide incorrect information without fact-checking, especially in the free version.
For example, here’s an example where ChatGPT free version hallucinates and comes back with incorrect information on a current topic because it can’t search for the right answer from the internet.
ChatGPT Plus, on the other hand, uses the internet to fetch the correct answer. You can verify that it referenced three sites to gather this information. Citations are important for fact-checking and further reading.
3. Upload Images, PDFs and Other Files
Both ChatGPT and ChatGPT Plus allow you to upload images, PDFs, and other files directly into the chat. This feature is incredibly useful for analyzing documents, extracting information from images, or quickly summarizing lengthy PDFs. On the other hand, the free version is limited to uploading two files per day. Go get ChatGPT Plus if your work involves dealing extensively with documents and files. ChatGPT Plus also has better capability to understand and analyze files.
Note: ChatGPT has a hard limit of 512MB for uploading file size. Anything more than that will fail to upload.
4. Generate Images Using Dall-E
With a ChatGPT Plus subscription, you can generate images using DALL-E (the latest model is Dall-E 3 right now). However, DALL-E 3 isn’t the best image-generating tool out there and the competition has since then caught up. One example can be Google Gemini’s Imagen 3. It cannot produce highly realistic images, especially of humans. However, if you need a quick graphic or some inspiration, ChatGPT can now create one for you but only in the Plus version.
5. Create Custom GPTs
GPTs are customized versions of ChatGPT tuned for specific purposes. For example, ChatGPT has a GPT Store where you will find different GPTs designed for different purposes like writing resumes, planning travel, or even coming up with pickup lines to impress a date.
Each GPT comes with specific instructions and knowledge on the respective topic, which extends beyond what ChatGPT already offers. Additionally, ChatGPT allows Plus users to create their own GPTs. If you want to create a Custom GPT tailored to your workflow, you must subscribe to the ChatGPT Plus plan.
6. Voice Call Mode
Finally, ChatGPT also offers a voice call mode to Plus users, which is available on Android, iOS, and Mac apps as of now. With this mode, you can interact with ChatGPT as if you are on a phone call with AI. It features a human-like voice and tone and can understand various accents.
Is ChatGPT Plus Worth it?
If you are an avid user of ChatGPT, the ability to use better models and provide accurate information by searching the internet are compelling reasons to opt for the Plus version. Additionally, you can generate images, upload more files, benefit from enhanced analytical capabilities, and solve advanced math and coding problems more effectively. Finally, there is the voice call mode for brainstorming sessions.
However, for light users, the free plan with limited access to language models and features should suffice. In the end, if you find yourself frequently exceeding the limits, it’s a clear indication that you might need to pay for the subscription.
