aipricingguide

An independent AI pricing guide

What does AI actually cost? The straight answer.

Last verified: September 2026

Claude vs ChatGPT, per-seat team math, API tokens decoded into dollars, student discounts that are real, and the free tiers side by side. One question per page, answered straight — no vendor talking points.

The one thing to know first

The short answer: most individuals land on a $20/month tier and most teams pay $20–$30 per seat per month — and the annual-billing discount (usually 20%) is the easiest money in AI. Everything else — $100 tiers, API bills, second subscriptions — only makes sense for specific people doing specific work. The pages below help you figure out if you're one of them before you pay.

AI vendors rename plans, move prices, and launch "premium seats" several times a year. Every price on this site was verified against live sources in September 2026, but treat the numbers as a map, not a contract — confirm at checkout before you buy.

Start with your situation

Head-to-head

Teams & business

Money mechanics

How this site works

Every guide answers one real money question — the kind people actually type into a search box — in plain English, with the answer first and the depth after. Every price was checked against live sources in September 2026. No vendor talking points, no affiliate links, no "unlock your potential" fluff.

Written from the receipts, not the press kit These guides are written by someone who pays for these tools, has watched the prices move mid-year, and has done the per-seat math for real teams. When a vendor's pricing page needs a decoder ring, we build the decoder ring.
Informational only — prices and features change.

AI plans, prices, and features change frequently and may vary by region. Every price here was verified against live sources in September 2026, but always confirm current pricing on the vendor's site before purchasing. This site is not affiliated with Microsoft, Anthropic, OpenAI, or Google.