ChatGPT

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a general-purpose AI assistant developed by OpenAI, capable of handling tasks such as answering questions, writing, translation, learning, programming, searching, data analysis, image generation, voice conversations, and multi-step operations. It can be used on web browsers, as well as on iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS.

Currently, ChatGPT uses the GPT-5.6 series as its main models, with distinctions made among fast response, reasoning, and Pro capabilities depending on the task at hand. The names of the models, their usage levels, and the range of tools available change dynamically; the actual settings are determined by the model selector and the quota indications provided.

Main functions of ChatGPT

• GPT-5.6 Luna is used for handling everyday questions and answers, while Sol is employed for advanced reasoning;
• Search the internet to find verifiable sources for references;
• Deep Research plans multiple rounds of searches to generate research reports;
• Upload PDFs, documents, images, and tables for analysis;
• Data Analysis runs code, cleans data, and creates charts;
• Images generates and edits pictures using natural language;
• Voice supports real-time voice conversations, and some solutions allow video as well;
• Projects provides centralized management of chats, files, instructions, and project memories;
• Tasks provide reminders based on a schedule as well as for recurring tasks;
• GPTs, Plugins, and Apps expand external tools and knowledge;
• ChatGPT Work and Codex handle documents, code, and workflows;
• Agents can use virtual machines to carry out multi-step network tasks.

GPT-5.6 model and inference

Free and Go primarily use GPT-5.6 Luna, and can handle more complex tasks via Think; users with Plus, Pro, or Workspace accounts who meet the requirements can use GPT-5.6 Sol.

Pro also offers the higher-intensity Sol Pro capability.

In automatic mode, reasoning is performed based on the request; the levels of reasoning available in the paid plans vary depending on the package and workspace settings. The quality of the responses does not guarantee accuracy, so important conclusions still need to be verified.

Search and Deep Research

Search is suitable for finding news, prices, and general information; it provides the answers along with the sources from the web pages. Deep Research, on the other hand, involves first establishing a plan, then searching public web pages, uploading files, specifying websites and authorized applications, and finally generating a structured report that includes citations.

Users can review and modify the research plan, define or prioritize websites, and add new directions during the execution process. The completed reports can be downloaded in Markdown, Word, or PDF format; the amount of storage available is calculated based on the package chosen and the account quota.

Document, visual, and data analysis

ChatGPT can read common documents, PDFs, images, presentations, and tables, and it can summarize, extract information, compare data, or perform calculations. Data Analysis runs code in an isolated environment, making it suitable for cleaning data, conducting statistical analyses, and generating downloadable files.

Scans, complex tables, formulas, as well as images and text may be misidentified. In cases involving financial, research, or business reports, it is necessary to verify the original cells, the calculation methods, and how missing values are handled.

Images and audio

Images allows for the creation of images from text, editing and uploading of images, adding text, and adjusting the composition of images. Different plans offer varying speeds of generation, different numbers of images that can be produced, and varying levels of advanced processing capabilities; meanwhile, copyright, trademarks, portraits, and sensitive content are still subject to relevant policies.

Voice enables natural voice conversations; some paid plans offer video and screen sharing capabilities. Text transcription, accent recognition, and real-time responses may be inaccurate, and therefore should not be relied on for making urgent or medical decisions.

Projects, Tasks, and Memory

Projects bring together related conversations, files, custom instructions, and project details in one place, which can be shared with collaborators. Tasks allow for reminders at specified times or recurring alerts, but the number of tasks that can be used and their functionality are limited by the package plan.

Memory is divided into information that the user explicitly saves and background data extracted from past conversations. The user can view, delete, or turn off these memories.

Deleting a chat does not necessarily mean deleting the saved memories as well.

GPTs, Plugins, and Apps

GPTs allow paid users to create customized assistants and share them, while free users can find and use public GPTs. Plugins and Apps can connect to external services, internal tools, and user interfaces; their availability depends on the plan, role, region, and administrator settings.

External applications have their own privacy policies and rules regarding permissions. Before connecting to email accounts, cloud storage services, CRM systems, or other enterprise systems, it is necessary to check the limits regarding reading, writing, storing data, and sharing it with third parties.

ChatGPT Work, Codex, and Agent

ChatGPT Work is designed for continuous work across documents, spreadsheets, slides, and code, offering different capabilities on desktops, web browsers, and mobile devices. Codex is an agent intended for software development; it can understand codebases, edit files, run tests, and handle parallel tasks.

ChatGPT Agent can use virtual computers to browse websites, analyze files, and carry out multi-step tasks, requesting confirmation before performing important actions. Before making payments, sending messages, deleting data, or publishing content, users must review the objectives and outcomes.

Comparison of ChatGPT individual plans

Price of ChatGPT

The following are the current reference prices for the US dollar on the official American website. Go is localized for certain markets, so the mobile app, taxes, and currency used may vary.

Free, Go, Plus, and Pro do not offer an annual payment option at the moment.

\"Infinity\" is subject to constraints such as fair use, prevention of abuse, system capacity, and individual quotas for each model. API calls are not included in the ChatGPT subscription; they must be enabled separately on the development platform and billed on a usage-based basis.

Prices for Business, Enterprise, and Edu plans

Business, Enterprise, and Edu can purchase workspace credits at flexible pricing; once the limits set for advanced features are exceeded, it is still possible to use Deep Research, reasoning, image processing, speech functionality, or Codex. The available quotas and prices can be found in the real-time Rate Card of the workspace.

ChatGPT Usage Guide

Complete a reliable online research study

1. Clarify the issue, date range, region, and output format;
2. For simple tasks, use Search first; for complex problems, opt for Deep Research.
3. Specify preferred or restricted authoritative websites;
4. Review the research plan and add any missing comparative dimensions;
5. Wait for the report to be completed and open the key references;
6. Cross-check prices, dates, numbers, and direct quotes;
7. Export the report as needed and record the verification date.

Analyze PDFs and tables

1. Create a new project and specify the objectives and criteria for the tasks.
2. Upload the original files that have the necessary permissions to be processed;
3. It is required to first list the fields, number of pages, missing values, and anomalies;
4. Provide clear calculation formulas and filtering rules;
5. Use Data Analysis to generate tables or charts;
6. Randomly check key rows, totals, and formula results;
7. After exporting, review the format and values in the original software.

Safe use of Agents and Apps

1. Connect only to the accounts and data sources required to complete the task;
2. Read the instructions regarding permissions, privacy, and data retention for the reading app;
3. Break the task down into verifiable intermediate steps;
4. Confirmation is required when it comes to writing, making payments, deleting, or sending something.
5. Check the recipient, amount, documents, and scope of visibility.
6. After completion, revoke the temporary authorization and shared link;
7. Retain manual approval and audit records for important operations.

Who is ChatGPT suitable for?

• Regular users: Q&A, translation, planning, and everyday creation;
• Students and teachers: tutoring, practice, research, and course preparation;
• Content and marketers: research, writing, images, and content in various formats;
• Data and knowledge workers: document analysis, spreadsheets, research reports, and automation;
• Developers: programming, code review, Codex, and app development;
• Teams and enterprises: Company Knowledge, internal tools, and governance;
• Colleges and educational institutions: Deploy AI assistants at the campus level for security purposes.

The advantages of ChatGPT

• Covers text, voice, images, files, data, and code;
• Search and Deep Research offer both fast retrieval and in-depth reports;
• Projects, Memory, and Tasks support continuous operation over extended periods of time;
• GPTs, Plugins, Apps, and MCPs expand external capabilities;
• ChatGPT Work, Agent, and Codex can carry out multi-step tasks;
• Personal, team, corporate, and educational programs offer broad coverage;
• Enterprise solutions provide control over identities, permissions, logs, and data residency.

Usage restrictions and precautions

• Models may fabricate facts, citations, code, and calculation results;
• Models and quotas are updated frequently, so older tutorials may become invalid quite quickly.
• Free and Go do not include the advanced reasoning capabilities of GPT-5.6 Sol.
• The so-called infinity is still subject to rules regarding fair use and prevention of abuse.
• Online sources may be outdated, subject to paywalls, or misinterpreted;
• Human verification is still required before the agent carries out the actual operation;
• The ChatGPT subscription does not include API usage.
• Medical, legal, financial, and human resources decisions cannot rely solely on AI.

Privacy, security, and data control

The Free, Go, Plus, and Pro versions of the service allow for the use of personal data to improve the models, but users can disable this feature in Data Controls. Temporary chats are not included in the history record, no memories are created from them, and they are not used for training either; the system may retain copies of such chats for up to 30 days for security reasons.

Business, Enterprise, Edu, and API data are not used for training by default. The Enterprise version also offers encryption, identity management, role-based permissions, data retention, compliance logging, and options for data localization in certain regions; however, the specific features available depend on the contract.

• Do not enter passwords, payment details, or unnecessary personal information;
• For sensitive tasks, it is preferable to use managed workspaces or Temporary Chat;
• In Settings, check the training, memory, history, and sharing settings;
• Perform minimum privilege and vendor review before connecting apps;
• Remove internal files and keys before making GPT or Project public.
• Regularly export and delete data, as well as terminate invalid connections.

API, GitHub, and open-source information

The OpenAI API and ChatGPT are separate products; the API is charged based on the amount of input data, output data, and tools used. Developers can also create applications for ChatGPT that include tools and user interfaces, using the Apps SDK and MCP.

The ChatGPT web product and the GPT-5.6 model are not open-source projects. While OpenAI makes Codex, examples of Apps SDK, UI components, and some tool code available on GitHub, this does not mean that the complete model weights of ChatGPT or its services can be deployed in a private environment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ChatGPT free?

The free version allows unlimited daily text-based conversations, but it is subject to anti-abuse rules; there are limited quotas for uploading files, images, audio content, as well as for using features such as Research, Codex, and Work.

How much is ChatGPT Plus?

Plus costs $20 per month; there is no annual subscription option at the moment. It offers advanced GPT-5.6 reasoning capabilities, more access to various tools, features such as Projects and Tasks, the ability to create custom GPT models, Codex, as well as early access to new features.

ChatGPT Pro comes in several tiers.

Currently, there are two options: 100 and 200 dollars per month. The core Pro features remain the same; the main difference is that the data usage is approximately 5 times and 20 times that of the Plus version.

Does the ChatGPT subscription include an API?

It is not included. ChatGPT and OpenAI APIs are charged separately; the balance available in Plus, Pro, or Business plans cannot be used to cover API calls.

Is ChatGPT open source?

The ChatGPT and GPT-5.6 models are not open source. Some official SDKs, Codex examples, and app examples are available under an open source license, but they do not allow for the creation of a complete hosted product.