ChatGPT

Free Tier Ratings

Last Reviewed: 2026-07-14

Public content, low risk even with training enabled.

Image generation included. Generated images are yours to use.

No sensitive data involved in public research queries.

Safe for public-facing educational materials.

Safe if you disable training in Settings > Data Controls OR use Temporary Chat. Remove identifying details if training is enabled.

Safe if you disable training OR use Temporary Chat. Never input real donor names or giving amounts.

Safe if you disable training OR use Temporary Chat. Avoid strategic details if training is enabled.

Safe if source content contains no PII, or use Temporary Chat mode.

Yes, by default

Your conversations train OpenAI models unless you opt out in Data Controls. Free users see ads; as of a June 12, 2026 privacy policy update, OpenAI removed the specific account-level control Free users previously had to personalize/limit ad data, folding ad-related data use into the general policy purposes section.

Yes

Settings > Data Controls > 'Improve the model for everyone' toggle. Temporary Chat also prevents saving and training. Note: the dedicated ad-personalization control mechanism previously available in account settings was removed in the June 2026 policy update; general marketing/cross-context behavioral advertising opt-out is still available via account settings, the Manage Cookies link, or Global Privacy Control.

Possible

OpenAI authorized staff may review conversations for safety, abuse monitoring, and model annotation purposes. Flagged content may be reviewed by human reviewers. As of June 2026, the policy also states OpenAI monitors content submitted on its platforms to detect fraud and misuse.

30 days (safety)

Conversations retained for up to 30 days for safety and abuse monitoring, even if training is disabled or history is off. Temporary Chats are deleted within 30 days.

Basic encryption

Encryption in transit and at rest. SOC 2, ISO, and FedRAMP certifications apply only to Business, Enterprise, and Edu tiers — not consumer tiers.

Pro and Pro Lite tiers are NOT business tiers

Despite costing $100-200/month, ChatGPT Pro and the newer Pro Lite tier use consumer data policies. Your conversations can train models unless you opt out. For organizational use with sensitive data, Business tier is required.

No BAA on Business tier

OpenAI does not offer Business Associate Agreements for ChatGPT Business. Healthcare nonprofits handling PHI should use ChatGPT Enterprise (sales-managed) or ChatGPT for Healthcare, both of which support HIPAA BAAs.

30-day safety retention even when opted out

CRITICAL: Even when you opt out of training, OpenAI retains conversations for up to 30 days for safety monitoring on consumer tiers. This data may be subject to human review for flagged content.

Temporary Chat as privacy tool

On consumer tiers, Temporary Chat mode prevents conversations from being saved or used for training. Temporary chats are deleted within 30 days. Useful for occasional sensitive queries when you don't need history.

ChatGPT Go is a budget tier, not a privacy upgrade

Launched globally in January 2026 at $8/month, ChatGPT Go offers roughly 10x Free's usage limits but retains the same ads, training-by-default policy, and lack of business-grade data protections as the Free tier. It is not a substitute for Business tier when handling sensitive nonprofit data.

Ad-personalization controls narrowed in June 2026

A June 12, 2026 privacy policy update removed the specific account-level mechanism Free and Go users previously had to control personalized ad data, folding related disclosures into the general policy. The same update added explicit authorization for OpenAI to scan users' contacts to identify which contacts use its services, and to monitor submitted content for fraud and misuse detection.

2026-07-09

ChatGPT Work launched: a new agent for longer, multi-step tasks (research, cross-app work, document/spreadsheet/presentation creation) rolling out to paid plans except Free and Go. New ChatGPT desktop app combines Chat, Work, and Codex. Atlas browser is being retired (stops working August 9, 2026).

2026-07-08

GPT-Live-1 introduced as the new ChatGPT Voice model for paid users (GPT-Live-1 mini for Free users), enabling more natural real-time turn-taking; not yet available in Business, Enterprise, or Edu workspaces.

2026-07-08

GPT-5.6 rolling out; OpenAI ending government-requested usage limits on the model per July 2026 reporting.

2026-06-12

Privacy policy updated: removed the specific account-level ad-personalization control mechanism previously available to Free/Go users; added explicit authorization to scan users' contacts to identify which contacts use OpenAI's services, and to monitor submitted content for fraud/misuse detection. Added South Korea-specific privacy guidance.

2026-05-05

GPT-5.5 Instant became the default model for all ChatGPT users, replacing GPT-5.3 Instant. Self-serve ChatGPT Ads Manager launched, eliminating the prior ~$200,000-$250,000 minimum ad spend requirement.

2026-04-27

OpenAI achieved FedRAMP 20x Moderate authorization for ChatGPT Enterprise and API Platform, upgrading from the FedRAMP 20x Low authorization granted in January 2026. Enables federal agencies to access GPT-5.5 and Codex Cloud in the FedRAMP environment.

2026-04-23

GPT-5.5 and GPT-5.5 Pro released, rolling out to Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise users in ChatGPT and Codex.

2026-04-09

New ChatGPT Pro tier launched at $100/month (sometimes called 'Pro Lite'), positioned between Plus ($20) and the existing Pro ($200), offering roughly 5x more Codex/coding capacity than Plus.

2026-04-02

ChatGPT Business (formerly Team) annual per-seat pricing reported to have adjusted; various third-party sources describe $20-25/seat range for annual billing — confirmed baseline remains $20/user/month with nonprofit discount, $25-30/user/month standard depending on billing cycle.

2026-01-16

ChatGPT Go launched globally at $8/month (after an India-only debut in August 2025), becoming OpenAI's third consumer tier alongside Free and Plus. Same day, OpenAI announced it would begin testing ads for Free and Go users in the US.

2026-02-09

Ad testing began for logged-in adult US users on Free and Go tiers. Ads appear as clearly labeled sponsored content below responses; Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu remain ad-free. Users can opt out of ad personalization in exchange for lower daily free message limits.

2026-01-20

Age prediction system rolled out on consumer plans: uses behavioral signals to estimate if an account belongs to a user under 18, for additional safeguards.

2026-01-08

OpenAI for Healthcare launched: ChatGPT for Healthcare provides HIPAA-supporting workspace with BAA available (sales-managed), data not used for training, and clinical search capabilities.

2026-01

ChatGPT Enterprise and API Platform received initial FedRAMP 20x Low authorization (FR2533155773), later upgraded to Moderate in April 2026.

2025-08-25

ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certificate obtained (plus 27017, 27018, 27701), covering API, ChatGPT Enterprise, and ChatGPT Edu. ISO 42001 (AI Management) also obtained.

2025-08-07

GPT-5 released as the new default model for all ChatGPT users. Auto-switching system introduced combining previous models into one smart, fast model.

2025-07-08

Flexible credit-based pricing introduced for ChatGPT Business and Enterprise plans: credit pool for advanced models, unlimited core model access retained.

For organizations with 5+ staff

Apply for OpenAI for Nonprofits for 20% off Business tier ($20/user/month annual). This gets you no-training policies, admin controls, SOC 2 and ISO compliance, and now FedRAMP 20x Moderate-grade security posture at the Enterprise level. Compare to Claude's discount before deciding — OpenAI's ecosystem of connectors, Work agent, and GPT-5.5/5.6 capabilities may justify the cost for some organizations. Be cautious of third-party claims of much steeper nonprofit discounts (e.g., $8-10/seat) that could not be verified against OpenAI's official page as of July 2026 — confirm current pricing directly with OpenAI/Goodstack.

For organizations with fewer than 5 staff

Business tier minimum is only 2 users, so small teams can qualify. For solo use, Plus with training disabled and Temporary Chat for sensitive work remains the most reliable ad-free option at $20/month. ChatGPT Go ($8/month) is a cheaper alternative but keeps ads and the same consumer-tier data risks as Free — it is not a privacy upgrade, just a higher usage cap.

For health data or vulnerable populations

ChatGPT Business does NOT offer BAAs. Healthcare nonprofits handling PHI should use ChatGPT Enterprise or ChatGPT for Healthcare (both require sales engagement for BAA). Alternatively, Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service offers HIPAA coverage under Microsoft's enterprise BAA with a familiar procurement path.