Paid version of ChatGPT is no longer worth the money, users find it difficult to 'open their wallets'

The big tech story of the week was probably OpenAI’s latest model, GPT-4o. It’s worth noting that GPT-4o isn’t just a simple ChatGPT upgrade—its standout feature is a new, upgraded version of Voice Mode, which essentially turns ChatGPT into a super-smart virtual assistant. But most importantly, it’s completely free for users.

This is a completely new move by OpenAI. Previously, the paid version ChatGPT Plus provided many advanced features, such as the ability to read and reply to long, complex texts, perform internet queries, process large files, create images or customize plugins...

Now, OpenAI seems to be leveling the playing field for everyone, offering many of Plus’s previously exclusive features to free users. With ChatGPT 4, there may be less reason for the average user to shell out $20/month for the premium version.

Regular users will increasingly benefit from using ChatGPT for free.

Free users now have access to the same GPT-4o model that paid users do. OpenAI says it’s better than previous models at understanding the images you upload, which will lead to better feedback and information.

Additionally, while GPT-4o's performance on English text is comparable to previous models, OpenAI says it's much better on non-English text. Additionally, the free plan now includes access to GPT and the GPT Store.

GPT is a custom-built version of ChatGPT that specializes in a specific skill or service. This feature was previously exclusive to Plus, but now free users can browse the GPT store to find bots that specialize in everything from translation to providing recipes.

What is the reason to pay for ChatGPT?

If users really need to do a lot of work with GPT-4o, the answer is simple: message limits. OpenAI says that paid users will have a message limit for GPT-4o that is five times that of free users, but it doesn't specify what the actual message limit is for either plan.

Free users can still use GPT-4o features, but will be limited in the number of messages.

According to some Reddit users, free accounts can only get 10 to 16 messages every 3 hours using GPT-4o. That’s not much, especially if you’re using this AI a lot. Once you hit that limit, you’ll need to go back to the GPT-3.5 model, which isn’t too bad but is certainly much more limited.

The free version is still very good for the average user.

If you only use ChatGPT a few times a day, “testing” the more advanced features is perfectly adequate. You can ask a question, request a query, ask ChatGPT for a photo, even analyze data, and then close the app without paying a dime. But if you need to do this constantly to hit that message limit, you’ll definitely have to dig into your wallet.

Some people think that for normal tasks, users can still use ChatGPT-3.5 and only occasionally use the advanced features of GPT-4o. Whether to pay or not ultimately depends on each individual's needs.

Quartz

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