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It's a split decision.
Choose Anthropic if Claude’s model lineup and stated safety work matter more than the lowest paid entry price: Pro is $17/month with annual billing, or $20 monthly. Choose OpenAI if you want ChatGPT and its API platform, or a lower-priced paid plan: Go is $8/month. Both offer free plans. Team Standard pricing is matched at $20 annually billed or $25 monthly per seat, while usage caps and API costs are worth checking before switching.
01Side by side
| Anthropic | OpenAI | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Pro: $17/month annual, or $20 monthly | Go: $8/month |
| Free plan | Free plan with limited usage | Free plan with limited daily quotas |
| Best for | Claude models, safety research, and usage tiers | ChatGPT, API access, and lower-cost entry |
| Core strength | Claude lineup and stated AI safety work | ChatGPT, API Platform, and AI research |
| Learning curve | Not published in provided sources | Not published in provided sources |
| Integrations/data | API token rates published; integrations not specified | API Platform listed; API rates not published |
| Team/seat costs | Standard: $20 annual or $25 monthly per seat | Standard: $20 annual or $25 monthly per seat |
| Support | Not published in provided sources | Not published in provided sources |
Anthropic Choose Anthropic if
- Choose Anthropic if Claude’s model lineup is your priority.
- Choose Anthropic if its stated safety work fits your needs.
- Choose Anthropic if you want published API token rates.
OpenAI Choose OpenAI if
- Choose OpenAI if you want ChatGPT and its API Platform.
- Choose OpenAI if an $8 monthly paid plan matters.
- Choose OpenAI if you need listed Business plan tiers.
02Pricing compared
Both offer free plans, but OpenAI has the lower paid entry point: ChatGPT Go is $8 per month, compared with Claude Pro at $20 monthly or $17 per month with annual billing ($200 upfront). Claude Free lists limited usage every five hours and weekly, plus up to five Projects. OpenAI Free lists limited daily quotas across uploads, images, voice, browsing, Codex and deep research.
For teams, standard seats cost the same: $25 per user monthly or $20 per user per month with annual billing. Anthropic’s Team plans cover 2–150 users; OpenAI Business covers 2–200. Higher-use seats are $125 monthly or $100 annually billed at either company. Anthropic Enterprise lists $20 per user per month with annual billing and usage charged at API rates; OpenAI Enterprise is custom-priced with an annual commitment. Anthropic publishes API rates in the published pricing data; OpenAI’s API rates are not published there.
03Features and depth
Anthropic’s lineup centers on Claude: Haiku for high-volume tasks such as summarization and browser use, Sonnet for general work, and Opus for agentic coding and knowledge work. Its homepage says Sonnet 5.5 is 30%+ faster and costs up to 30% less than Sonnet 5 for most work, and describes Opus 5.5 as a leader in those areas. Anthropic also publishes safety research, a Claude Constitution describing its intended values and behavior, and a voluntary framework for managing catastrophic risks.
OpenAI’s offering spans ChatGPT, ChatGPT Business, an API Platform and research. Its homepage announces GPT-6.1 Terra and Images 2.6, but the published material gives limited detail on their capabilities. ChatGPT plan features include advanced reasoning, deep research and custom GPTs on Plus; Codex and ChatGPT Work access appear on Pro plans. So the choice is clearer if you need Claude’s named model lineup and documented safety work, or ChatGPT’s consumer and business plans. Compare API rates separately: only Anthropic’s rates are included in the published pricing data.
04Ease of use and learning curve
For an individual trying a product, both have free plans, so there is no paid-plan commitment to start. Anthropic lists Claude access on web, desktop and mobile, with web search, file creation and code execution on Free. OpenAI Free lists ChatGPT access with limited daily quotas for several tools, including uploads, browsing and deep research.
The catch is learning what each plan actually allows. Claude plans describe five-hour and weekly usage limits; ChatGPT lists daily limits on Free and periodic five-hour rolling caps on Plus. Higher tiers raise or change those allowances, but the published pricing data does not provide exact message quotas for either service. For teams, both standard plans start at two seats, so seat count alone may not settle a switch.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, Anthropic or OpenAI?
OpenAI has the cheaper paid entry plan in the published pricing: ChatGPT Go is $8 per month. Claude Pro is $20 monthly or $17 per month with annual billing. Both have free plans. Standard team seats cost the same: $25 monthly or $20 per user per month with annual billing.
Do Anthropic and OpenAI both have free plans?
Yes. Claude Free includes limited usage every five hours and weekly, up to five Projects, and web, desktop and mobile access. ChatGPT Free lists limited daily quotas for uploads, images, voice, browsing, Codex and deep research. The free-plan limits work differently, so compare the tools you expect to use.
How do Anthropic and OpenAI team prices compare?
Their standard team seats match at $25 per user monthly or $20 per user per month with annual billing. Anthropic Team supports 2–150 users; OpenAI Business supports 2–200. Higher-use seats are listed at $125 monthly or $100 annually billed at both companies.
Are API costs included in the plan price?
Not necessarily. Anthropic says Enterprise usage is charged at API rates and lists separate token rates and fees for some services. OpenAI’s published pricing lists flexible workspace credits for Business and monthly API credits for Pro plans, but not per-unit API rates. Check current rates and expected usage before switching.