Claude vs ChatGPT: Which Is Better? (2026)
Compare Claude and ChatGPT on pricing, features, context window, safety, and real-world performance. Find out which AI assistant is right for you in 2026.
Claude
$20.00 /mo
- 200,000-token context window on Claude 3.5 and Claude 3 Opus (roughly 500 pages of text)
- Artifacts: interactive outputs including code, SVGs, and React components rendered in-browser
- Projects: persistent memory scoped to a workspace with uploaded files and custom instructions
ChatGPT
$20.00 /mo
- GPT-4o multimodal model with text, image, audio, and video input support
- DALL-E 3 image generation built directly into the chat interface
- Advanced Voice Mode: real-time, low-latency spoken conversation with emotional tone
| Feature | Best for Writing & Analysis | Best for Multimedia & Voice |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $20.00 | $20.00 |
| Rating | ★★★★½ | ★★★★½ |
| 200,000-token context window on Claude 3.5 and Claude 3 Opus (roughly 500 pages of text) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Artifacts: interactive outputs including code, SVGs, and React components rendered in-browser | ✓ | ✗ |
| Projects: persistent memory scoped to a workspace with uploaded files and custom instructions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Computer Use (beta): ability to operate a desktop UI autonomously via API | ✓ | ✗ |
| Advanced coding, math, and long-document analysis with low hallucination rates | ✓ | ✗ |
| Built-in Constitutional AI safety layer trained with RLHF and harmlessness feedback | ✓ | ✗ |
| Native PDF, image, and document understanding across all paid tiers | ✓ | ✗ |
| API access to Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Claude 3.5 Haiku, and Claude 3 Opus | ✓ | ✗ |
| Claude.ai Pro plan includes priority access during peak hours and 5x more usage than Free | ✓ | ✗ |
| Team and Enterprise plans with SSO, audit logs, and expanded context for organizations | ✓ | ✗ |
| GPT-4o multimodal model with text, image, audio, and video input support | ✗ | ✓ |
| DALL-E 3 image generation built directly into the chat interface | ✗ | ✓ |
| Advanced Voice Mode: real-time, low-latency spoken conversation with emotional tone | ✗ | ✓ |
| Memory: persistent facts and preferences stored across all conversations | ✗ | ✓ |
| GPT Store: thousands of community-built custom GPTs for specialized use cases | ✗ | ✓ |
| Code Interpreter (Data Analysis): executes Python in a sandbox for data visualization and file processing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Browsing with Bing: real-time web search integrated into chat responses | ✗ | ✓ |
| Canvas: collaborative document and code editing workspace similar to Claude Artifacts | ✗ | ✓ |
| ChatGPT Pro plan ($200/mo) with unlimited GPT-4o, o1 pro mode, and Sora video generation | ✗ | ✓ |
| Enterprise and Edu plans with SOC 2 compliance, SSO, and admin controls | ✗ | ✓ |
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| Get Started | View Deal → | View Deal → |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the price difference between Claude and ChatGPT?
Both Claude Pro and ChatGPT Plus cost $20 per month for individual users, making them identically priced at the standard tier. ChatGPT also offers a Pro plan at $200/month that unlocks unlimited GPT-4o, the o1 reasoning model with extended compute, and Sora video generation. Claude's Team plan runs $30/user/month and its Enterprise plan has custom pricing. There is no equivalent ultra-premium tier from Anthropic at the same $200 price point.
Which AI has a larger context window, Claude or ChatGPT?
Claude has a significantly larger context window. Claude 3.5 Sonnet and Claude 3 Opus support up to 200,000 tokens — roughly 500 pages of text — in a single conversation. ChatGPT's GPT-4o supports up to 128,000 tokens. For tasks like summarizing a full book, auditing a large codebase, or analyzing lengthy legal documents, Claude's larger context window is a meaningful practical advantage.
Can Claude generate images?
No. As of early 2026, Claude does not have a native image generation capability. It can analyze and describe images you upload, but it cannot create new images. ChatGPT, by contrast, has DALL-E 3 integrated directly into the chat interface and can generate high-quality images from text prompts. If image generation is important to your workflow, ChatGPT is the better choice.
Which AI assistant is better for coding?
Both are strong coding assistants, but independent benchmarks (HumanEval, SWE-bench) show Claude 3.5 Sonnet leading on complex, multi-step software engineering tasks with a lower rate of hallucinated APIs and incorrect logic. ChatGPT with its Code Interpreter (Python sandbox) is excellent for data analysis, scripting, and running code iteratively in-browser. For pure code generation and review, Claude has a slight edge; for interactive data science and exploratory coding, ChatGPT's execution environment is a unique advantage.
Does ChatGPT have memory and does Claude?
ChatGPT has a persistent Memory feature that automatically stores facts, preferences, and context across all your conversations. Claude does not have cross-conversation memory by default. However, Claude's Projects feature allows you to create a persistent workspace where you can upload files and set standing instructions that carry across every chat within that project. ChatGPT's memory is more automatic; Claude's Projects approach gives you more explicit control over what context is retained.
Which AI is safer and less likely to produce harmful content?
Anthropic built Claude from the ground up with safety as a core design principle, using Constitutional AI — a technique where the model is trained to critique and revise its own outputs against a set of ethical principles. This results in Claude being less likely to produce sycophantic, deceptive, or harmful responses. OpenAI also invests heavily in safety and moderation for ChatGPT. In practice, both products are safe for general use, but Claude is generally considered to be more conservative and less likely to be "jailbroken" into producing disallowed content.
Which is better for voice conversations, Claude or ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is clearly better for voice. Its Advanced Voice Mode offers real-time, low-latency spoken conversation with natural pacing, emotional tone, and the ability to interrupt mid-sentence — it feels genuinely conversational. Claude has a basic voice feature in its mobile app but it does not match the responsiveness or naturalness of ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode. If spoken interaction is a priority, ChatGPT is the stronger choice.
Is there a free version of Claude and ChatGPT?
Yes, both offer permanent free tiers. ChatGPT Free gives access to GPT-4o with daily message limits, basic image generation, and web browsing. Claude Free gives access to Claude 3.5 Sonnet with daily message caps and support for file uploads. Claude's free tier tends to hit usage limits more quickly during peak hours than ChatGPT's. For light daily use, both free tiers are capable; for heavy or professional use, the $20/month paid plans for either product are recommended.