Is ChatGPT Plus Worth It? An Honest Look at the $20/mo Upgrade

ChatGPT took the world by storm with its free version, but as with many great apps, a premium tier followed. ChatGPT Plus is OpenAI’s subscription plan, currently priced at $20 USD per month.

 Naturally, users wonder: what do you actually get for that money, and is it really worth it? We don’t want to keep you waiting. As a tool that has, over time, become a natural part of our workflow at Embarque, ChatGPT plus is definitely worth every penny for us. 

But we want to help you make the best decision. So, as someone who has used both the free and Plus versions, I’ll break down the differences and help you decide if ChatGPT Plus is a worthy investment for you.

What Does ChatGPT Plus Offer?

The key perks of ChatGPT Plus include:

Access to GPT-4

Perhaps the biggest draw. Free ChatGPT (as of now) primarily uses the GPT-3.5 model for responses. Plus users get the option to use the more advanced GPT-4 model. GPT-4 tends to produce more coherent, detailed, and accurate responses, especially for complex queries.

Faster Response Times

OpenAI gives priority computational resources to Plus subscribers. In practice, this means ChatGPT Plus often feels snappier. During peak usage times when free users might experience slow generation or even an “ChatGPT is at capacity” message, Plus users usually sail through with no wait.

Higher Usage Limits

The free version has certain caps (for instance, a limited number of messages you can send in a few hours, especially with GPT-4 which in the free trial context might be limited). Plus removes or raises these limits significantly. You can have longer conversations without hitting roadblocks.

Early Access to New Features

 OpenAI often rolls out experimental features to Plus users first. For example, features like the Browsing mode (that let ChatGPT search the web) or Plugins (connecting ChatGPT to third-party services) were initially Plus-only during their beta phases. As a Plus member, you’re first in line to try cutting-edge updates.

More Reliability

 This is an underrated aspect. If you rely on ChatGPT for work or study, the last thing you want is a downtime. Plus users get a much more reliable service. In the early days, free users frequently saw “ChatGPT is at capacity” and couldn’t use the service, whereas Plus users could still get in.

The Everyday Experience: Free vs Plus

Assume you’re using ChatGPT heavily throughout the day. Here’s how the experience might differ:

• With the free version, most of the time GPT-3.5 does an okay job on everyday questions and tasks. However, you might notice it sometimes gives superficial answers or misses nuance. There are times it might get stuck or yield an obvious error. During busy hours, it might slow down or even refuse new chats until load goes down.
• With ChatGPT Plus (GPT-4), you’ll likely see more in-depth and well-structured answers. For example, if you ask for a 600-word article outline on a complicated topic, GPT-4’s outline will typically be more logically organized and insightful than GPT-3.5’s. It also handles tricky questions with more care (less likely to give you confidently wrong info). And practically speaking, it’s always available – I haven’t seen the “capacity” error as a Plus user.

One tangible example: I asked both versions to summarize a dense research paper. GPT-3.5 (free) gave a summary that covered the main points but left out some details and occasionally phrased things awkwardly. GPT-4 (Plus) provided a summary that captured subtle points, used more precise language, and even offered a bit of critical analysis. It felt closer to what an expert might write as a summary.

Speed-wise, GPT-4 can be a tad slower per response (because it’s doing more heavy lifting), but since Plus gives it more resources, it’s still reasonably quick. GPT-3.5 is lightning fast but sometimes at the cost of depth.

Who Benefits Most from ChatGPT Plus?

Whether the subscription is “worth it” largely depends on how you use ChatGPT:

• Students and Researchers: If you’re using ChatGPT to help understand complex topics, explain difficult concepts, or brainstorm research directions, GPT-4’s enhanced reasoning is a huge plus. It’s more likely to catch nuance or connect dots. $20 is a lot for a student, but if you’re relying on it daily to assist with coursework or research reading, it could be worthwhile.
• Writers and Content Creators: Those drafting articles, blog posts, marketing copy, or even novels can benefit from better quality outputs. GPT-4’s writing is generally more fluid and context-aware. It also adheres to prompts better (e.g., “write in the style of a 19th-century author” comes out more convincingly with GPT-4). If you’re saving hours of writing or editing time using ChatGPT, Plus pays for itself quickly.
• Programmers and Techies: GPT-4 is significantly better at coding tasks, from debugging to writing functions. It has a larger “context window” too (meaning it can handle more code at once, depending on the version you have access to). If you’re frequently using ChatGPT to help with programming questions or to generate code snippets, the improved accuracy of GPT-4 can save frustration. (Pro tip: GPT-4 is less likely to produce syntactically wrong code and more likely to explain the code it provides).
• Business Users: For roles in marketing, customer support, strategy, etc., where you might use ChatGPT to draft emails, create strategy outlines, analyze customer feedback, etc., you probably want the best outputs possible. Plus might even be covered by your company if you make the case. The reliability during peak business hours alone can be worth it if you depend on it.
• Heavy Users in General: Maybe you just chat with AI a lot – personal curiosity, learning new languages, hobby projects. If you find yourself bumping into the free limits or you just derive a lot of value from these interactions, it might be worth supporting the service and getting more out of it.

When Can You Stick to the Free Version?

On the other hand, not everyone needs to shell out $20:

• Casual / Infrequent Users: If you pop into ChatGPT occasionally to ask a simple question, get a recipe idea, or have some fun, the free version will suffice. You likely aren’t pushing against its limits, and GPT-3.5 handles everyday questions pretty well. Think of it like this: if your use is akin to doing a few Google searches or asking a smart assistant something basic, free ChatGPT is probably fine.
• Budget-Conscious Users: $20 a month isn’t nothing. Over a year that’s $240, which might be hard to justify if ChatGPT isn’t serving a critical need for you. There are alternatives (like the new Bing Chat which offers GPT-4 level answers for free, albeit with some limitations, or Google’s Bard which is free). Now, these alternatives have their pros and cons, but if the budget is zero, you do have options to get some GPT-4-like experience without paying.
• Users Just Testing the Waters: Maybe you’re new to AI and just experimenting. It might be wise to stick with the free version until you really see a need for more. You can always upgrade later once you have a clearer picture of how ChatGPT fits into your life or work.

The Value Proposition: Price vs Benefit

Let’s put the cost in perspective. $20 a month might be worth it if:

• It saves you at least a couple of hours of work or research each month (what’s your hourly time worth? Likely more than $10/hour).
• It helps you produce output that could directly or indirectly earn money (for instance, better content that drives traffic, code that speeds up a project delivery, etc.).
• It significantly improves a learning journey (if you’re self-studying a subject, GPT-4 can act like a knowledgeable tutor; what price would you put on better understanding something that could advance your career or education?).

Conversely, if none of the above resonate – e.g., you’re mostly using it for amusement or trivial info – then it might be a stretch to justify the cost.

One thing to note: ChatGPT Plus is a monthly subscription, so you can always try it for a month and cancel if you don’t feel the benefit. There’s no long-term commitment. Some people even subscribe during heavy workload periods and pause during lighter months.

Are There Alternatives to Paying?

If you’re intrigued by GPT-4 but not keen on the $20, here are a couple of pointers:

• Bing Chat: Microsoft’s Bing search integrates a chatbot that runs on OpenAI’s GPT-4 model (with some Microsoft tuning). It’s free to use. The interface is a bit different and it’s tied to search results, but you can ask it many of the same things. It has some limits (like conversation length caps and sometimes it refuses off-beat requests more readily), but it’s a strong alternative for occasional GPT-4 level answers.
• OpenAI API or Other Models: If you’re a bit tech-savvy, OpenAI offers a pay-as-you-go API where GPT-4 usage could cost less if you use it sparingly (the API pricing is per 1000 tokens). However, using the API isn’t as user-friendly as the ChatGPT interface unless you integrate it into a tool or use a third-party app.
• Other AI chatbots: There are competitors like Claude (by Anthropic) or Bard (by Google). Claude has a free tier via some platforms (though its latest version is not always openly free), and Bard is fully free from Google. They have their own strengths (Claude, for instance, handles larger context in its latest version, Bard has real-time info access). They’re not GPT-4, but they can be decent for many tasks.

However, many, including myself, find themselves coming back to ChatGPT with GPT-4 because it’s currently one of the most consistently high-quality AI experiences.

So, Is It Worth It?

For many professionals, students, and enthusiasts, the answer leans yes – ChatGPT Plus is worth it due to the superior capabilities of GPT-4 and the reliability and features that come with the subscription. If you’re using ChatGPT in any serious capacity, the $20 can quickly pay off in time saved and improved outcomes.

For casual use, the free version remains extremely powerful and might be all you need. You’re not missing out on “basic” ChatGPT functionality; you’re mostly missing out on the advanced prowess of GPT-4 and some convenience features.

My personal take: after upgrading to Plus, I found I rarely want to go back. The quality of responses with GPT-4 and not having to worry about downtime has made the experience smoother and more valuable. It turned ChatGPT from a neat novelty into a dependable daily tool for me. That said, everyone’s “worth it” calculus will differ slightly.

If you’re on the fence, maybe give Plus a try for one month and make a point to really utilize it in that time. See if you find yourself achieving more or feeling happier with the outputs. That trial run will likely make the decision clear one way or the other.

Happy chatting – and whether you’re on free or Plus, here’s to making the most of AI assistance!all