What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is the AI assistant built by OpenAI, powered by its GPT models, and the most widely used chatbot in the world. You use it at chatgpt.com, in desktop and mobile apps, or via the OpenAI API.
Its defining trait is breadth. Beyond text chat, ChatGPT generates images, talks and listens through Advanced Voice, browses the web, runs code and analyzes files (Advanced Data Analysis), remembers facts about you across chats, and lets you build and share Custom GPTs: task-specific versions with their own instructions and knowledge.
If you want one tool that does a bit of everything and the largest ecosystem of plugins, GPTs, and integrations around it, ChatGPT is the default starting point.
What it's best for
- General-purpose everyday tasks: drafting, brainstorming, summarizing, explaining, and quick research.
- Multimodal work in one place: generate images, use voice conversations, and analyze uploaded files or data.
- Data analysis: upload a spreadsheet or CSV and have it write and run Python to chart and summarize it.
- Building lightweight custom assistants (Custom GPTs) without code, and sharing them with a team.
- The widest integration ecosystem and the most third-party tutorials, templates, and community support.
- Voice-first use: hands-free, conversational interaction on mobile.
Where it falls short
- Teams that need open-weight, self-hosted models. GPT is closed and API-only.
- The lowest API cost at scale. Cheaper open-weight options exist if you can host them.
- Situations where you want a model to consistently push back and flag uncertainty. It can lean toward confident, agreeable answers.
Getting started
Go to chatgpt.com and sign up; the free tier works right away with usage limits on the most capable model. Install the desktop and mobile apps to keep the same history and Memory across devices.
Type a question, or use the buttons in the composer to attach files, generate an image, or start a voice conversation.
The toolbox: images, voice, browsing, analysis
Ask for an image and ChatGPT generates one inline; describe edits to refine it. Tap the voice icon for a spoken back-and-forth, including on mobile while your screen is off.
It can browse the web for current information when needed, and Advanced Data Analysis lets you upload a dataset and get charts, cleaning, and summaries by having it write and execute Python behind the scenes.
Memory and Custom GPTs
Memory lets ChatGPT carry useful facts about you between conversations (your preferences, projects, and writing style), which you can view and edit. Turn it off for one-off or sensitive chats.
Custom GPTs are no-code assistants you configure with instructions and reference files for a repeated task (a brand-voice writer, a support triager). Paid users can build them and share within a team or the public store.
Getting better answers
Be specific about the format and audience, give an example of a good answer, and tell it what to leave out. For research, ask it to browse and cite sources rather than answer from memory.
For multi-step or numerical work, ask it to use data analysis / code rather than estimating, as it's far more reliable when it actually computes.
Privacy and data controls
Turn Memory off, or use a temporary chat, for anything sensitive or one-off. On personal plans you can opt out of having your conversations used to improve the models in settings; Team and Enterprise workspaces exclude business data from training by default.
For confidential work, prefer a Team/Enterprise workspace or the API over a personal free account, and keep credentials and regulated data out of prompts.
What ChatGPT costs
Approximate, in USD, as of January 2026. Prices change often. Confirm on the official site before you rely on them.
Free
$0
Access to a capable model with limits; image generation and voice are limited.
Plus
~$20 / month
Higher limits, latest models, more image generation, voice, and data analysis.
Pro
~$200 / month
Near-unlimited use of the most capable models and the heaviest reasoning modes.
Team / Enterprise
~$25 to 30 / user / month +
Shared workspace, admin controls, and data-excluded-from-training guarantees.
API
Usage-based
Per-token pricing across the GPT model range, billed separately from ChatGPT.
Example prompts
Copy these into ChatGPT as starting points, then adapt them to your task.
Analyze a spreadsheet
Here's a CSV of monthly sales. Use data analysis to clean it, chart the trend by month, call out the top 3 anomalies, and summarize what changed. Show the charts.
Generate and refine an image
Create a clean, minimal hero illustration of a secure cloud platform, flat style, lots of negative space, no text. Then make a version with a darker background.
Research with sources
Browse the web and give me a current, sourced summary of the topic below. Cite each claim with a link, and note where sources disagree.
Design a Custom GPT
Help me design a Custom GPT that drafts replies in our support voice. Propose the system instructions, the reference files it should have, and three test prompts to check it.
ChatGPT
common questions.
Direct answers to the questions we get asked the most. If yours isn't covered, write to the team.