Start free. Upgrade when a limit gets in the way.

Plans, rate limits, and what you are actually paying for.

Start free. Upgrade when a real limit gets in the way — not when a landing page is exciting.

Free tiers exist to teach you the interface. They throttle advanced models, tools, and volume. Paid steps (often around twenty to thirty dollars a month for a personal plan) buy headroom, better models, and sometimes connectors or higher file limits. Team and enterprise plans add admin, SSO, and data-use commitments. Prices move. Always open the vendor’s current page before you pay.

Lab

How often will you use it?

Use the free tier. One week of real tasks will teach you more than a feature list.

Product	Free tier	Typical paid step	Upgrade when
ChatGPT Check current plan	Yes — everyday chat with limits on advanced tools.	Plus, typically about $20/month	You regularly hit limits or need more research, files, images, or model access.
Claude Check current plan	Yes — enough to learn the interface and do occasional document work.	Pro, typically about $20/month in the US	Longer sessions or heavier document and coding use stop at the free limit.
Gemini Check current plan	Yes — a practical start if you already use Google products.	Google AI Pro — check the current regional price	You need higher limits, more capable modes, or the paid Google AI bundle.
Grok Check current plan	Yes — chat, search, voice, connectors, within free limits.	SuperGrok, typically about $30/month	You want more quota, better models, or heavier use of connectors and building tools.
Perplexity Check current plan	Yes — strong for sourced answers with a cap.	Pro — check current pricing	You live in research mode and keep hitting the free cap.
Copilot Check current plan	Some consumer features. Workplace access follows your Microsoft plan.	Microsoft 365 Copilot — workplace pricing	The work already lives in Word, Excel, Outlook, or Teams.

Prices and names move. This table is a teaching sketch, not an offer.

Check

You hit a free-tier cap twice this week on real work. What is a reasonable next step?

Choose an answer to see why.

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