The short answer
ChatGPT is OpenAI's general-purpose AI assistant for writing, file and spreadsheet analysis, web research, images and multi-step tasks in ChatGPT Work. Since 7 October 2026, Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise users get GPT-6 Sol in the Chat tab, while Free and Go users get the smaller GPT-6 Luna. The newer GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-6.1 Terra run in ChatGPT Work and Codex on paid plans. On personal Free, Go, Plus and Pro accounts, chats can train OpenAI's models unless you switch that off in Data controls.
| Made by | OpenAI, United States |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes: GPT-6 Luna, unlimited text chats within guardrails, limited uploads, images and deep research |
| Models | GPT-6 Luna (Free, Go), GPT-6 Sol (paid chat), GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-6.1 Terra (Work and Codex), GPT-6 Astra (Pro reasoning, dots) |
| Best at | Everyday drafting, file and spreadsheet analysis, quick research, multi-step tasks in ChatGPT Work |
| Shows sources | Yes, when it searches the web or runs deep research |
| Team plans | Business (2 to 200 people, Standard and Premium seats) and Enterprise |
| Your data | Free, Go, Plus and Pro: used for training unless you turn off Improve the model for everyone. Business, Enterprise and Edu: not used by default. |
What ChatGPT is in November 2026
ChatGPT is OpenAI's AI assistant, and it is no longer one chat window with one model. It is a set of tools that share your account: the Chat tab for questions and drafts, ChatGPT Work for longer jobs that produce documents, slides and spreadsheets, Codex for coding, plugins that connect it to other apps, and, on the top plans, always-on agents that OpenAI calls dots. Knowing which part to use matters more than any prompt trick.
The model family changed this autumn. OpenAI's models now come in four classes, from smallest to most capable: Luna, Terra, Sol and Astra. On 7 October 2026 GPT-6 arrived in the Chat tab. Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise users get GPT-6 Sol, and Free and Go users get GPT-6 Luna, starting the following day. Two newer models, GPT-6.1 Sol (29 September) and GPT-6.1 Terra (26 October), went into ChatGPT Work and Codex first, for Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu. The Pro plan's reasoning option and dots run on GPT-6 Astra.
That split explains most "ChatGPT got worse" complaints. Two people can type the same prompt and be answered by different models, with different amounts of memory. OpenAI's pricing page lists a context window of 27K tokens for quick answers on Free, which is roughly 12 pages of input, against about 40 pages on Go and Plus and about 250 pages on Pro. For reasoning answers, Plus gets 256K tokens and Pro gets 400K.
Intelligent UI: answers that are not just text
Since the October update, ChatGPT can answer with charts, side by side comparisons, diagrams, buttons, forms and small tools that work inside the conversation, such as a calculator or a bill splitter. It picks the format itself and still gives plain text when that works best. GPT-6 can also start answering while it is still thinking and add findings as it goes, so you can read the first part before the whole answer is done. If you want a table you can paste into a report, say so, or you may get an interactive widget instead.
What ChatGPT is best at, with real examples
Turning messy material into a clean first draft
Paste a call transcript, a page of notes or a long email thread and ask for one specific output: a one-page brief, a follow-up email, five LinkedIn posts. This is where most people save the most time, because the slow part of writing is the first structure, and ChatGPT produces it in seconds. Paid plans can also take audio files directly since 6 October, so a recorded meeting can become notes and a follow-up draft without a separate transcription tool.
Reading files and spreadsheets
Upload a PDF, a slide deck or a spreadsheet and ask questions about it. With spreadsheets, ChatGPT runs code behind the scenes to calculate, compare months and draw charts. Data analysis is limited on Free and included on paid plans. Always ask it to show the numbers it used, because that makes errors quick to spot.
Bigger jobs in ChatGPT Work
ChatGPT Work is the place for tasks with several steps: research a topic, pull from your connected apps, then hand back a document, a presentation or a spreadsheet. It can also work in a browser. Free and Go get limited Work access in the desktop app only, while Plus and Pro get it on desktop, web and mobile. Pro, Business and Enterprise users with Space access can also build and co-edit decks with ChatGPT Slides, which exports to PowerPoint, PDF and Google Slides.
Connecting your inbox and calendar
Plugins let ChatGPT work with other apps. Since 27 October 2026, iCloud Mail and iCloud Calendar plugins are available on every plan, on the web, the desktop app and iOS, so you can ask it to find an email, catch you up on your inbox or move an event. Business workspaces can connect Google Workspace, Slack, GitHub and Microsoft 365. Connect only the accounts you are comfortable sharing, and start with one.
Work that keeps going without you
Dots are always-on agents with their own cloud computer. You give one a goal, connect the apps it needs and set what it may do alone. They are rolling out to eligible Pro and Business Premium users aged 18 and over, and Pro access excluded the European Economic Area, Switzerland and the UK at launch. Since 28 October, US Pro users can text their dot over iMessage or RCS in a beta. For most people this is still a preview of where things are heading, not a reason to upgrade.
Where ChatGPT falls short
- It still sounds sure when it is wrong. OpenAI reports fewer factual errors with GPT-6.1 Sol than GPT-6 Sol, but these are OpenAI's own numbers. Treat names, figures, dates and quotes as claims to check, especially when it has not searched the web.
- The free plan is a different product. Free uses GPT-6 Luna with a small context window and limited uploads, deep research and image creation. If a long document gets a shallow summary on Free, the model and the window are part of the reason.
- The newest models are not in plain chat yet. GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-6.1 Terra started in ChatGPT Work and Codex. If you only ever use the Chat tab, you are not using them.
- It is crowded. Chat, Work, Codex, plugins, skills, projects, Space, Sites and dots all overlap. Name the tool you want, for example "search the web" or "analyse this file with code", rather than hoping it picks one.
- Very long, careful reading. For contracts or reports where every clause matters, many professionals still prefer a second opinion from Claude. Our ChatGPT vs Claude comparison covers when each one wins.
How to get better answers from ChatGPT
Most disappointing answers come from vague requests, because ChatGPT fills every gap with the most average guess. These steps fix most of that:
- Pick the right place first. Quick question or rewrite: Chat. A finished file from several steps: ChatGPT Work. Code: Codex. Ongoing monitoring: a dot, if you have one.
- Give it a role and a reader. "You are a B2B marketer writing for HR leads" produces a very different draft from "write a post".
- Paste one example you like. Matching an example is far easier for the model than guessing your taste.
- Set the shape. Say the length, format and tone, such as "under 120 words, three bullet points, friendly but direct", and say "plain text table" if you need something to paste.
- Ask for its working. For numbers, ask it to show the figures used. For research, ask for a link next to every claim and a note on anything it could not confirm.
- Improve instead of restarting. Reply with what to change: "shorter, less formal, lead with the number". The second and third versions are usually the good ones.
- Save what works as a skill. If you paste the same instructions every week, turn them into a skill or project so you stop repeating yourself.
Our free ChatGPT lessons turn each of these into a five to ten minute exercise, and the guide to writing a good prompt goes further.
Custom GPTs retire on 11 December 2026
If your team relies on a custom GPT, put the date in your calendar. OpenAI retires custom GPTs on 11 December 2026 on every plan. FedRAMP workspaces and Enterprise workspaces with an approved deferral get until 11 February 2027. The replacement is a plugin: when migration reaches your account, open My GPTs and choose Migrate to plugin. The GPT's instructions become a skill, its knowledge files become reference files and its connected apps come across as apps. Three things catch people out. Migration uses the latest published version, so drafts and unpublished edits do not transfer. The selected model does not carry over. Custom actions do not transfer at all and may need a custom MCP server. Your old conversations stay available after the retirement date. If you only use someone else's GPT, check its notice for a replacement.
ChatGPT privacy settings and where to find them
On personal Free, Go, Plus and Pro accounts, the setting called Improve the model for everyone is on by default, which means your chats can help train OpenAI's models. To switch it off on the web, open your account menu, choose Settings, then Data controls, turn off Improve the model for everyone and select Done. On iOS and Android, open the sidebar, tap your profile icon, then Settings and Data controls. Your chat history stays as it is. Two details are easy to miss: voice mode has its own training control, and if you rate an answer with a thumbs up or down, that whole conversation may still be used for training.
For one-off sensitive questions, use a temporary chat. It is not saved to your history, does not update memory and is not used for training, although OpenAI may keep it for up to 30 days for safety. Since 20 October you can also lock individual chats behind a four-digit PIN on Free, Go, Plus and Pro, which hides them from your sidebar and search but does not change training settings.
Business, Enterprise and Edu workspaces are not used for training by default, and admins control retention and connected apps. If you handle customer data, contracts or anything confidential, use a work plan or remove identifying details first.
Which ChatGPT plan suits whom
| Plan | Pick it if | What you mainly get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | You are learning or use it a few times a week | GPT-6 Luna, unlimited text chats within guardrails, limited uploads, images and deep research |
| Go | You want more room on a budget | More messages, uploads, images and memory, still on GPT-6 Luna, and it may show ads |
| Plus | You use it daily for real work | GPT-6 Sol in chat, GPT-6.1 models in Work and Codex, projects, scheduled tasks, Sites, larger context |
| Pro | You run long agentic or coding jobs every day | Three usage tiers, Pro reasoning on GPT-6 Astra, dots, maximum deep research, API credits |
| Business | A team of 2 to 200 shares company data | Standard and Premium seats, SSO, admin controls, no training on business data by default |
| Enterprise | Larger organisations with compliance needs | Annual contracts, organisation-level retention and access settings |
Our honest view: Plus is the right upgrade for most professionals, because the jump from GPT-6 Luna to GPT-6 Sol and the larger context window matter more than any single feature. Pro is not for most people. Teams should start on Business rather than expensing personal plans, because of the training default and admin controls, and should note that from December Business usage will share one limit across ChatGPT and Codex. Prices change often, so check OpenAI's pricing page. If you are weighing other tools, see ChatGPT alternatives, ChatGPT vs Gemini or build a set of tools on Yuzoki stacks.
8 ChatGPT prompts to copy
Each prompt below has [placeholders] to replace. Most work on any plan, though the file and research prompts go further on paid plans, and the meeting recording prompt needs a paid plan because audio uploads are not on the free plan.
Prompts to copy
Turn a transcript into posts
Here is a webinar transcript. Write five LinkedIn posts for [audience], each with a different angle. Keep each under 150 words, open with a specific fact from the transcript and end with a question. [paste transcript]
You get: Five distinct drafts grounded in what was actually said
Read a spreadsheet in plain English
I have uploaded our [monthly sales] sheet. Tell me the three biggest changes since last month, what might explain each one, and show the exact numbers and formulas you used. Give the result as a plain text table I can paste.
You get: Three changes with the working shown, ready for a report
Plan your week
Here is everything on my plate this week: [paste list]. Sort it into must do, should do and can wait. Build a Monday to Friday plan with my three most important tasks each morning, and name two things I should drop or hand off, with a one-line reason each.
You get: A realistic plan and two things you can stop doing
Rehearse a hard conversation
Act as my manager in a salary review. I want a [10%] raise, and here is why: [your wins]. Push back the way a real manager would. After five rounds, stop and tell me what I said well and what weakened my case.
You get: Practice plus honest feedback before the real meeting
Reply that says yes and no
Summarise this email thread in three lines and tell me exactly what is being asked of me. Then draft a reply that agrees to [the meeting] but declines [the deadline], politely and in under 100 words. [paste thread]
You get: The ask in plain words and a reply ready to send
Research with sources
Search the web and give me [competitor]'s current pricing, positioning and three most recent launches. Put a source link next to every point, give the date of each source, and say clearly if you could not confirm something.
You get: A sourced overview you can check in minutes
Turn a meeting recording into actions
I have uploaded the recording of our [project] meeting. Give me a five-line summary, a table of decisions, and a list of action items with owner and due date. Flag anything that was discussed but not decided. Then draft a short follow-up email to the attendees.
You get: Notes, owners and a follow-up email from one upload
Move a custom GPT before 11 December
Here are the instructions from my custom GPT: [paste instructions]. Rewrite them as a skill: a one-sentence description of when to use it, numbered steps, the output format, and three test prompts I can use to check the new version behaves like the old one.
You get: Clean skill instructions and a test set for the migration