You can use ChatGPT for free, but there is also a paid Plus model. MeinMMO presents the advantages of a subscription and explains what you can gain from it.
What kind of subscription is this? With ChatGPT Plus, OpenAI has introduced a subscription model for its AI. It includes additional features and comfort features designed to make your everyday experience with ChatGPT easier.
However, it is important to note: You can continue to use ChatGPT for free without a subscription. There is no obligation to subscribe.
What does ChatGPT Plus cost? Currently, you pay $23.80 per month for ChatGPT. This is roughly around 22 euros. The only payment method accepted by ChatGPT is a credit card. You currently have no other options (as of: March 2024).
ChatGPT Plus: All advantages at a glance:
- Extensive GPT-4o access
- High stability
- Faster responses
- Internet access
- Better responses in German
- Installation of plugins
- Ability to switch GPT versions
- Is ChatGPT Plus worth it for me?
Last updates: 01/21/25, 04/06/24, 05/31/23
1. Extensive GPT-4o access
The perhaps greatest advantage of ChatGPT Plus is access to GPT-4o. Free users can also access GPT-4, but the usage is highly restricted: Once your time runs out, you will be downgraded to GPT-3.5.
What advantages does GPT-4o have over 3.5?
- Multimodal reasoning and generation: GPT-4o integrates text, speech, and images into a single model, allowing it to process and respond to a combination of data types. The model can understand audio, images, and text at the same speed. It can also generate responses via audio, images, and text.
- Language and audio processing: GPT-4o has advanced capabilities for processing over 50 different languages.
- Sentiment analysis: The model understands the sentiment of users through different modalities of text, audio, and video.
- Language nuance: GPT-4o can generate language with emotional nuances. This makes it an effective tool for applications that require sensitive and nuanced communication.
Image understanding: The model can analyze images and videos, allowing users to upload visual content that GPT-4o can understand, explain, and analyze. - Data analysis. With its image processing and reasoning abilities, users can analyze data contained in data tables. GPT-4o can also create data charts based on an analysis or a prompt.
- File uploads: GPT-4o supports file uploads, allowing users to analyze specific data for analysis.
- Memory and contextual knowledge: GPT-4o can remember previous interactions and maintain context over longer conversations.
Particularly the significantly broader approach to language and audio processing or even memory are important developments if you want to use AI regularly and actively. This makes the AI’s responses feel much more natural and less artificial than with GPT-3.5.
2. High stability
Free users know the problem: As soon as many people want to use ChatGPT, the service collapses. Then the servers are unreachable, or the AI’s responses feel like they come hours later.
Plus subscribers have the advantage that they can use ChatGPT almost continuously. The service is set up to prioritize Plus subscribers. Therefore, you can ask the AI your questions even during peak times and receive your answers quickly.
3. Faster responses
The Plus version of GPT-4o is not only faster but also offers better performance. A problem with the free version is that it often becomes unresponsive, and you need to wait for a new response. Or the chatbot struggles with connection problems when there’s a lot going on. With ChatGPT Plus, such outages and pauses are significantly shorter.
If you rely on ChatGPT for work, you can save a lot of time.
4. Internet access
The free version of ChatGPT is trained with data so it can respond to your questions. The latest datasets are from September 2021: newer information is therefore not available to the AI. A well-known tech YouTuber discovered this when he, together with the AI, built a gaming PC for 1,500 euros.
The Plus version has the advantage that you can use the所谓的 browsing mode with the GPT-4 model. This way, you can also access the internet with the AI and use more current data, providing the AI with links or digital content to process.
5. Better responses in German
GPT-3.5 was mainly trained with English datasets, but can easily respond to German inquiries as well. The subsequent model, GPT-4, has the advantage of being able to respond even more accurately to non-English inputs, including German.
The new model GPT-4o has undergone significant improvements in this regard. Because GPT-4o has advanced capabilities for processing more than 50 different languages. Furthermore, it also includes real-time translation functionality.
If you are chatting with the AI in German, the GPT-4 model is even better at recognizing linguistic nuances or cultural aspects.
How to set ChatGPT to German or what to consider can be found in the following article:
6. Installation of plugins
With the subscription model, you have the ability to integrate what are called plugins into ChatGPT. Plugins are small third-party extensions that you can incorporate into the AI. This way, you can access additional functionalities.
In the plugin store, you can currently choose from around 100 extensions and install them. These show you some additional prompts, commands that you can give the AI. However, you can also use the AI completely without plugins.
| ChatGPT | ChatGPT Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Language model | GPT-4o and GPT-3.5 | GPT-4, GPT-4o and GPT-4o mini |
| Access and speed | Slow and many pauses with many accesses | Prioritized and few pauses with responses |
| Basic functions | Limited access to data analysis, image processing, and online search | Full access to data analysis, image processing, and online search |
| Internet access | No | Yes, GPT-4 model with browsing mode and internet access |
| Languages | English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Arabic, and Chinese | English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Arabic, and Chinese |
| Addons | No | Yes, via the GPT store |
| Architecture and datasets | 12-layer model with 117 million parameters | 24-layer model with 1.5 billion parameters |
| Price | Free | $23.80 per month (approx. 22 euros) |
7. Ability to switch between different models
In the free version of Chat-GPT, you can use GPT-4o and GPT-4o mini. However, the GPT-4o model can only be used to a limited extent and is not available to you in full. If you run out of free queries, you will automatically be downgraded to GPT-GPT-3.5.
In the paid version, you can switch between GPT-4, GPT-4o, and GPT-4o mini. If you have simple, less complex questions, you can save your question quota available with GPT-4o by switching to GPT-4 or GPT-4o mini.
Is ChatGPT Plus worth it for me?
Reasons for ChatGPT Plus:
- Additional processing capabilities: GPT-4 is better and more comprehensive than GPT-3.5. Moreover, GPT-4 can also analyze images and files.
- Current information: The free version of ChatGPT cannot access the internet, while users with ChatGPT Plus can.
- Use of custom bots and addons: Access to the GPT store and ChatGPT plugins is limited to Plus subscribers. In the store, you’ll also find specialized bots that you can use.
- More accurate and precise answers: GPT-4 is significantly more modern than the old model 3.5. With Plus, you get more accurate and concrete answers. Additionally, you gain full access to all features of GPT-4o.
- Dependence on ChatGPT for work: You need ChatGPT for your job or depend on quick answers and reactions.
Reasons against ChatGPT Plus:
- Basic functions are sufficient: You find the normal functions sufficient and do not need addons or the complete capabilities of GPT-4o.
- Simple inquiries: If you only want to ask simple questions, access to GPT-4o mini is usually sufficient.
- Costs: You want to use ChatGPT for free and avoid the costs of around 20 euros or simply don’t have a credit card at hand.
- Pure curiosity: You just want to try ChatGPT and are fine with outdated datasets.
Not interested in ChatGPT? Besides ChatGPT, there are already a number of AI alternatives if you would prefer to try other projects. MeinMMO introduces you to the most interesting, free alternatives in detail with pros and cons: ChatGPT: 6 free alternatives to the successful chatbot from OpenAI
