AI subscriptions: plans and prices compared 2026
AI assistants in the US come with a free tier and one or more paid plans. ChatGPT, Claude and Google AI are general assistants, Perplexity is built around research and answers with sources, and Midjourney generates images and video. The price list rarely tells you the most important thing — how much you can actually use.
We compare terms from the providers’ US pricing pages. Prices are in the price block on each product’s page; some providers list them without tax.
Quick picks
If you only need it now and then
Start with a free tier — ChatGPT, Claude and Google all have one; paid plans mainly raise limits.
If you want the cheapest paid step
ChatGPT Go and Google AI Plus are the entry plans; ChatGPT says Go may include ads.
If you also need cloud storage
Google AI plans include cloud storage — 5 TB on Pro, from 20 TB on Ultra — shared with up to five others.
If you code
Claude Pro and Max include Claude Code; Google AI Pro raises limits in AI Studio, Antigravity and Jules; ChatGPT Plus expands Codex.
If you make images or video
Midjourney is built for it; unlimited Relax Mode images start on Standard, video on Pro.
If ads would bother you
ChatGPT Plus or Pro – OpenAI says those plans never show ads.
If you want answers with sources
Perplexity – citations on every answer and source labels for trusted sites.
$4.99/mo
Google AI Plus (400 GB)
What should you choose?
The service is picked by our score, the plan is the cheapest one that fits the situation. Prices are checked.
For research · For building apps · For big projects · For images · For video
Google AI · Google AI Pro
$19.99/moPlus sales tax where applicable
- Deep research and web search
- Writes and runs code
- Context window of up to 1 million tokens
- Creates images
- Creates video
Services in this category
from $4.99/moPlus sales tax where applicable
Price checked
from $20.00/moPlus sales tax where applicable
Price checked
from $8.00/moPlus sales tax where applicableThere’s also a free plan
Price checked
from $20.00/moPlus sales tax where applicableThere’s also a free plan
Price checked
from $10.00/moPlus sales tax where applicable
Price checked
Related comparisons
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How to choose
- 1
Find out how the limit is measured
None of the providers lists a fixed message count. Claude uses rolling five-hour windows plus weekly limits on paid plans; ChatGPT’s “unlimited” chats have guardrails; Google compares access to non-AI subscribers.
- 2
Check whether tax is included
Claude says its prices don’t include applicable tax; budget for sales tax on top.
- 3
Look at what else is bundled
Google AI includes storage and YouTube Premium Lite (Pro) or YouTube Premium (Ultra); Claude Pro includes Claude Code.
- 4
Decide monthly or yearly
Claude Pro and Midjourney offer an annual discount paid up front; Perplexity lists its plans per month billed annually.
- 5
Check commercial use
Midjourney requires Pro or Mega for companies with more than $1M in yearly gross revenue; Perplexity says its plans are for personal use.
- 6
Set your data controls on day one
Turn off model training in ChatGPT, Keep Activity in Gemini or AI Data Usage in Perplexity if you don’t want your chats used.
Types of AI subscriptions
Four kinds of products are sold as “AI subscriptions”.
General assistants
ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini — writing, analysis, files, code and voice.
Research tools
Perplexity — answers with sources, deep research and a choice of models.
Image and video generators
Midjourney — paid in GPU time, with Fast and Relax modes.
Bundles with other services
Google AI plans with storage, YouTube and Google Home Premium; Claude Max with API credits.
Ad-supported tiers
ChatGPT Free and Go may show ads in the US; paid tiers above them don’t.
What to check before you subscribe
Questions the monthly price doesn’t answer.
| Question | What to look at |
|---|---|
| Is there a free plan? | What to look atChatGPT Free, Claude Free and free Gemini — yes. Midjourney plans are all paid subscriptions. |
| How is the limit measured? | What to look atClaude — rolling five-hour windows, with weekly limits on paid plans. ChatGPT — “unlimited” chats subject to abuse guardrails, other features limited. Google — 2x, 4x or up to 20x access compared with non-AI subscribers. |
| Does the cheapest paid plan have ads? | What to look atChatGPT says Go may include ads. |
| Is tax included? | What to look atClaude says prices don’t include applicable tax. Expect sales tax depending on your state. |
| Can you pay yearly? | What to look atClaude Pro — annual discount, billed up front. Midjourney — 20% off annual plans, paid up front. Perplexity — prices listed per month billed annually. |
| Is there a higher-usage tier? | What to look atChatGPT Pro (3 usage tiers), Claude Max (5x or 20x Pro), Google AI Ultra (up to 20x), Perplexity Max, Midjourney Pro and Mega. |
| Is storage included? | What to look atGoogle AI Plus 400 GB or 2 TB (two plans with the same name), AI Pro 5 TB, AI Ultra from 20 TB — across Gmail, Drive and Photos. |
| Can you share with family? | What to look atGoogle AI plans — family sharing with up to five others. The others are individual plans. |
| Is coding included? | What to look atClaude Code on Claude Pro and Max; expanded Codex on ChatGPT Plus; expanded limits in AI Studio, Antigravity and Jules on Google AI Pro. |
| Are your images private? | What to look atMidjourney Stealth Mode is only on Pro and Mega. |
| Is there a student offer? | What to look atGoogle says students get Google AI Pro free for one year. |
| Are chats used for training? | What to look atBy default in ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity – each lets you turn it off. |
| How long are temporary chats kept? | What to look atChatGPT up to 30 days; Gemini 72 hours; Perplexity incognito 24 hours. |
When it pays off and when it doesn’t
Pays off
- If you hit the free limits regularly and the work is worth it.
- If the bundle replaces something you pay for anyway — storage or YouTube with Google AI.
- If you need a specific tool only a paid plan has — Claude Code, deep research, private images.
Doesn’t pay off
- Paying for two general assistants that do the same job.
- Prepaying a year before you know how fast you hit the limits.
- A top tier “just in case” — start one step lower and upgrade if limits get in the way.
- Pasting confidential information into a chat that can be reviewed by people.
FAQ
In short
Choosing an AI subscription in the US comes down to how the limit works, whether tax is on top, what’s bundled, and whether you’ll use it often enough to beat the free tier. This page collects those terms from the providers’ own pages.
Alt-subs is independent of the services on this page. Trademarks belong to their owners and are used only to identify the service. Prices come from the providers’ own websites and are shown with dates.
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