How much does ChatGPT cost in 2026?

Go: $8 per seat a month on annual billing; Plus: $20 per seat a month on annual billing; Business (2+ seats): $20 per seat a month on annual billing ($25 billed monthly); Pro (entry tier): $100 per seat a month on annual billing. Limited daily messages, file uploads and image creation. Checked October 26, 2026.

What is a cheaper alternative to ChatGPT?

Gemini in Google Workspace (Included in Google Workspace (plans from $7/user/mo)), Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat (Included with Microsoft 365 business plans (from $7/user/mo)), LibreChat (Free to self-host (MIT license); you pay model API fees). One chat app for OpenAI, Anthropic and Google models on your own API keys, but someone has to run the server.

AI chat assistant for the whole team

Should you build your own ChatGPT?

Q: Should you build your own ChatGPT?

Buy it. ChatGPT Business costs $20 per seat a month on annual billing, so five people pay $3,600 over 3 years. A chat app of your own on the OpenAI API would cost about $5,200 over the same time, counting 30 hours to build, 2 hours a month to maintain and about $60 a month in hosting and API fees. It would also lack voice, deep research and connectors to your work apps. Light users can drop to the Free plan or Go at $8 a month.

Buy it. At $20 a seat, ChatGPT Business costs less than running your own chat app on the API.

BUY

Short answer

ChatGPT Business costs $20 per seat a month on annual billing, so five people pay $3,600 over 3 years. A chat app of your own on the OpenAI API would cost about $5,200 over the same time, counting 30 hours to build, 2 hours a month to maintain and about $60 a month in hosting and API fees. It would also lack voice, deep research and connectors to your work apps. Light users can drop to the Free plan or Go at $8 a month.

Buy for 3 years: $3,600
Build and run for 3 years: $5,245
Verdict: BUY

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Cheaper options

Already includedGemini in Google WorkspaceIncluded in Google Workspace (plans from $7/user/mo)Costs nothing extra if you already pay for Workspace and mostly draft and summarize, but you give up custom GPTs and Codex.Already includedMicrosoft 365 Copilot ChatIncluded with Microsoft 365 business plans (from $7/user/mo)Good if your team lives in Microsoft 365, since chat is included with business plans, though the full Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on costs $30 per user a month.Open sourceLibreChatFree to self-host (MIT license); you pay model API feesOne chat app for OpenAI, Anthropic and Google models on your own API keys, but someone has to run the server.

ChatGPT pricing in 2026

Plan	Billed yearly	Billed monthly
Go	$8/seat/mo	–
Plus	$20/seat/mo	–
Business (2+ seats) Typical	$20/seat/mo	$25/seat/mo
Pro (entry tier)	$100/seat/mo	–

Free plan: Limited daily messages, file uploads and image creation

Paying too much? Give light users the Free plan or Go at $8 a month, and keep paid Business seats for the few people who use ChatGPT every day.

Per seat. Business is $20 per user on annual billing (2 users minimum) and $25 when billed monthly. Go, Plus and Pro are listed per month, and Pro runs $100, $200 or $500 (we show the entry tier). Read on OpenAI’s own pricing page at learn.chatgpt.com, because chatgpt.com blocked our checker. Checked October 26, 2026.

Run your own numbers

Defaults are a typical small team at $30/hour. Change anything.

If you buy ChatGPT

Plan

Seats

If you build it

Your time, $ per hour

Hours to build

Upkeep, hours per month

Hosting and services, $ per month

Buy

$3,600

Build

$5,245

Buying is about $1,645 cheaper over 3 years.

3-year totals. Building includes your time, upkeep, running costs and one month of an AI app builder ($25). Change any number to match your situation.

What you’d build

Team sign-in and a chat screen with saved history
A model picker over OpenAI, Anthropic and Google API keys
File upload and chat with your documents
Per-person spend limits and a monthly usage report

Our estimate: about $10 a month for hosting plus roughly $10 per active user in OpenAI API fees.

What you’d give up

Flagship models with voice, agent mode and deep research
Connectors to Google Drive, Slack and other work apps
Codex and custom GPTs
A vendor that handles admin controls and data protection

Risks the price doesn’t show

SecurityHigh

A homemade chat app stores your team’s prompts, files and API keys.

Model upkeepMedium

New models, prices and API rules arrive every few months, and someone has to keep up.

Feature gapMedium

Voice, agents and deep research are each a project of their own.

When the verdict flips

Move to a SWITCH if your team already pays for Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 and mostly drafts and summarizes: Gemini and Copilot Chat come included, so test them for a month before you renew.

Sources

ChatGPT pricing (OpenAI) · ChatGPT plans

Build hours are our estimates for one person using an AI app builder. How we score. Spotted a wrong price? Tell us on X @BuildictHQ.

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Switch to GitHub Copilot Business. At $19 a seat it costs 37% less than Cursor Teams at $30.

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