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Short answer

Both are excellent, and both have a free plan. Pick Claude for careful writing and real work on your documents. Pick ChatGPT for an all-in-one app with pictures, voice and the roomiest free chat.

Pick Claude if

  • You write a lot and want it to sound natural, in your own tone.
  • You want real Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, not just text in a chat.
  • You want it to work inside your own folders and run tasks on a schedule (paid plans).
  • You like patient explanations and honest pushback when your idea has a hole.
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Pick ChatGPT if

  • You want to make pictures in the same chat.
  • You chat a lot for free: ordinary text chat on the free plan has no fixed daily cap.
  • You like talking out loud with it on your phone or computer.
  • You want the tool most of your friends already know.
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Side by side

ClaudeChatGPT
Made byAnthropicOpenAI
Free planYes: chat, files, web search and making documents, with a limit that refills every few hoursYes: text chat with no fixed cap; pictures, uploads and research are limited
AdsNoOn the Free and Go plans, under some answers
Paid plansPro, Max, Ultra, Team, EnterpriseGo, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise
PicturesDesigns, slides and one-pagers (Claude Design)Yes: describe a picture in the chat, then fix it in words
Talk out loudYes, mainly in the phone appYes, on phone and computer
Works insideChrome, Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Slack (paid plans)A Chrome add-on (depends on plan and country) and its desktop app
Best forWriting, documents, files and thinking things throughQuick help, pictures, voice and everyday questions

Plans, prices and features change often. Check the official pricing page before you pay.

Our take

Many people use both: ChatGPT on the phone for quick questions and pictures, Claude at the desk for writing and documents. Start with both on the free plan, and pay only for the one whose limit you keep hitting.

Read next

What is Claude?
Claude · Chapter 0.1 · 3 min readClaudeWhat is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT · Chapter 1.1 · 3 min readChatGPTPlans: free and paid, in plain words
Claude · Chapter 0.3 · 3 min readClaudePlans: free and paid, in plain words
ChatGPT · Chapter 1.3 · 3 min readChatGPT

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