Choosing an AI chatbot: free, subscription or ads compared

Free, ad-supported or paid: what are the options?

The well-known chatbots usually offer a free tier plus several paid plans. OpenAI sells ChatGPT as Free, Go, Plus and Pro. Google's tiers for Gemini are no subscription, Google AI Plus, Google AI Pro and Google AI Ultra.

Free does not mean unlimited. OpenAI says everyday text chats on ChatGPT Free are unlimited, subject to abuse-prevention safeguards, but file uploads, image creation, voice and data analysis have their own limits. Google describes "standard limits" for Gemini without a subscription: Google AI Plus doubles them and Google AI Pro quadruples them. According to Google, the limit refreshes every five hours until you reach a weekly cap.

Advertising is the newer third model. OpenAI began testing ads in ChatGPT in the US on 9 February 2026. Its ads help page says ads may appear for Free and Go users, while Plus and Pro stay ad-free. Where ads are being tested, Free users can choose an ad-free option, but with lower message limits and fewer tools. Google states in its Gemini privacy hub that your conversations with Gemini Apps are not used to show you ads.

An everyday example

Fictional example: Eoin in Galway uses a chatbot to plan cycling trips, tidy up emails to his landlord and practise Spanish before a holiday. After a message saying he had reached a limit, he is tempted to subscribe. Instead, he keeps a short log for two weeks: what he used the chatbot for, and when something did not work.

The result is clear. Text chats were never a problem. He hit a limit twice, both times when uploading long PDF timetables. Eoin stays on the free tier. For the month before his trip he takes out a monthly plan and cancels it the same day. According to his provider's help pages, he can still use the paid features until the end of the billing period.

ChatGPT and Gemini: how do the tiers differ?

The table summarises what OpenAI and Google say on their help pages (as of 18 October 2026). It is not a test and not a ranking. Both providers note that models and limits can change; Google says limits may be adjusted without notice.

Context is the amount of text the chatbot can take into account in one conversation. Google gives 32,000 tokens without a subscription, 128,000 with Google AI Plus and 1 million with Google AI Pro. This matters mainly when you upload long documents.

Is a subscription worth it? Five questions before you pay

1. Do you hit limits regularly? Once a month is no reason to subscribe. Several times a week, on tasks that matter to you, is a different story.
2. Do you need a specific feature? Some tools are only available with a plan, such as video generation in Gemini. Ask yourself whether you will use it more than once.
3. How much do ads bother you? With ChatGPT this affects the choice of plan: OpenAI describes Go as a low-cost plan, but its ads page says ads may appear there; Plus is ad-free.
4. Are you already paying for something similar? A quick look at your current subscriptions stops you paying twice for the same job.
5. What does it cost over a year? Multiply the monthly price by twelve: OpenAI lists Plus at USD 20 a month, which makes USD 240 a year. On the web, OpenAI bills in euros in the EEA, in pounds in the UK and in Swiss francs in Switzerland, so work with the amount in your own currency.

Tip: For the trial, keep a note with three columns: date, task, problem. After two weeks you will see whether the problems come from limits or from vague requests; for the latter, better prompts help more than a plan.

Paying does not make answers error-free. You still need to check figures, deadlines and facts yourself, as described in checking an AI answer.

What happens to your data and to the ads?

With both services, settings rather than the tier decide whether your chats are used for training. In ChatGPT you switch training on your conversations on or off in the settings, on the web and in the app. OpenAI does not use temporary chats for training but may keep them for up to 30 days for safety reasons. By default, OpenAI does not train on content from Business, Enterprise and Edu workspaces.

In Gemini, the key setting is Keep Activity, managed under Gemini Apps Activity. When it is on, Google's privacy hub says activity is also used to train generative AI models. Some chats are reviewed by specialist teams, including external service providers. Reviewed chats are kept for up to three years, even if you delete your activity. With the setting off, chats stay in your account for 72 hours. Saved activity is deleted after 18 months by default; you can choose 3 or 36 months instead.

On ads in ChatGPT, OpenAI says it does not share your conversations with advertisers and never sells your data to them. Ads are clearly labelled and shown separately from the answer. Accounts identified as belonging to under-18s are not shown ads. Where personalised ads are offered, you can switch personalisation off in the ad controls; ads based on your current chat can still appear.

For step-by-step help with history, memory and ad settings, see chatbot privacy settings.

Which rules apply across Europe?

In the EU, the Artificial Intelligence Act, Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, applies. Its transparency rules under Article 50 have largely applied since 2 August 2026. Providers must design chatbots so that you are told, at the latest at your first interaction, that you are dealing with an AI system, unless that is obvious. Austria's AI service desk at the regulator RTR points out that a notice buried in the terms and conditions is not enough. The GDPR also applies to your data.

Switzerland is not covered by the EU AI Act. The Swiss FDPIC states that the Data Protection Act, in force since 1 September 2023, is technology-neutral and therefore applies directly to AI. Users have the right to know whether and to what extent they are communicating with a machine, and whether their input is used to improve the programs or for other purposes.

Subscribing and cancelling: how to stay in control

Subscribe through the channel you want to manage the plan in. If you pay for ChatGPT via Apple's App Store, you cancel with Apple and ask Apple for any refund. OpenAI notes that deleting your ChatGPT account does not cancel an App Store subscription. For cancelling via Apple and Google Play in general, see cancelling a subscription online.

OpenAI says paid features remain available until the end of the current billing period. To avoid the next charge, cancel at least 24 hours before your next billing date. Cancelling does not automatically refund earlier payments.