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GPT / OpenAI· GPT-5.4·

What Is GPT-5 in ChatGPT? Free Tier, Pricing, and Choosing a Model

Source: OpenAI Official News
ChatGPTOpenAIGPT-5

What You Can Do with ChatGPT's GPT-5 Models

ChatGPT is the conversational AI service from OpenAI. As of June 2026, its core language model has moved to the GPT-5 family. Compared with the previous GPT-4 generation, GPT-5 is reported to have improved in reasoning, multilingual support, and multimodal processing.

Multimodal means the ability to handle not only text but also images and audio. You can ask questions in writing, have an image read and described, or talk by voice, all within a single service.

GPT-5 is not a single model. Several decimal versions that indicate recency and performance tier coexist. As of June 2026, GPT-5.2, GPT-5.3, and GPT-5.4 are available, with higher numbers being newer models.

ChatGPT Is Built in Three Layers

The big picture of ChatGPT is easier to grasp in three layers. When you are unsure which model to pick, recalling this structure helps you see what you actually need.

ModelsThe GPT-5 family, plus models that generate images and video.
FeaturesMemory that remembers past exchanges, Operator for autonomous actions, the Canvas editing view, web search, connectors that link external services, and agent features.
PlansFrom the free Free plan up through Plus, Pro, Team, and Enterprise, separated by usage scale.

The Difference Between GPT-5.3 Instant and GPT-5.4 Thinking

ChatGPT's models broadly split into "models that answer fast" and "models that think carefully." Understanding this distinction lets you choose the right fit for the task.

GPT-5.3 Instant is a fast-response model for everyday conversations. It is reported to be available to all users including those on the Free plan, with fewer unnecessary refusals and improved web search results. It suits short questions and light queries where you want to keep wait times down.

GPT-5.4 Thinking, by contrast, is a reasoning-focused model provided to Plus, Team, and Pro users on March 5, 2026. It replaced the earlier GPT-5.2 Thinking, which is reported to have fully retired on June 5, 2026. It suits working through complex problems and organizing multi-step tasks.

Switching Between Speed and Depth

In practice, a manageable approach is to try a fast model casually first, then switch to a reasoning model once the topic gets involved. Rather than sticking to one model, choosing based on the weight of the question is the key to using ChatGPT comfortably.

ChatGPT Pricing and What You Get for Free

You can start using ChatGPT on the Free plan. Because GPT-5.3 Instant for everyday conversation is available for free, you can confirm how it feels without any cost.

Paid plans mainly differ in raising usage limits and unlocking reasoning-focused Thinking models. Plus and Pro suit individual use, while Team and Enterprise are designed for teams and business use. With weekly users reported to have passed 800 million, the user base is expanding worldwide.

Pricing and the contents of the free tier can be revised. Before subscribing, always confirm the latest plans and prices in official information such as the OpenAI release notes.

Where ChatGPT Fits in Business

ChatGPT is well suited to helping with the everyday work of office professionals as-is. Even without specialist knowledge, it can cut down on drafting and organizing in situations like these.

  • Draft emails and notices, and adjust the tone of the wording
  • Read through long minutes and materials and summarize just the key points
  • Produce a first draft of a plan or idea to build on
  • Translate English emails and check whether the phrasing sounds natural
  • Ask about spreadsheet formulas and steps for organizing data

Rather than expecting a perfect answer from the start, having it produce a draft that you then refine is an approach that works well in practice.

Tips for Using ChatGPT with Long Documents

Feeding long materials into ChatGPT for summaries or research is becoming common in business too. In that case, preparing the material in Markdown format beforehand preserves heading hierarchy and table structure, making it easier for the AI to read accurately.

Pasting web page content as-is can mix in unnecessary styling and layout information, which can reduce accuracy. Converting the source to Markdown before handing it over helps avoid these losses.

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Text and files you enter are processed within your own environment and are not sent to sakutto's servers. You can format confidential materials with peace of mind.

How to Get Started with ChatGPT and the Basics of Using It

You can start ChatGPT for free with an email address or a Google account. The steps are simple, and even first-timers can begin within a few minutes.

  1. Visit the official site or app and create an account
  2. Log in and type a question or instruction into the input box at the bottom
  3. Add follow-up requests to the reply you get (make it shorter, put it in a table, and so on) to refine it

The trick is not to aim for perfection in one shot but to get closer to the answer you want through back-and-forth. Adding conditions like "for whom," "in what format," and "about how many words" tends to return text closer to your intent. Vague instructions, by contrast, tend to produce vague answers. Start with short instructions and add requests where it falls short to get a feel for how to use it.

Cautions When Using ChatGPT

Convenient as it is, AI can answer with content that sounds plausible but differs from the facts. For information that needs accuracy, such as figures, proper nouns, and dates, do not take the answer at face value and always verify against primary sources. Especially for external documents, do not skip this check.

Also, when entering confidential or personal information directly, we recommend checking your workplace's rules. For important decisions, it is a safer approach to treat the AI's answer as a draft and have a person make the final call.

Official Sources on ChatGPT and GPT-5

This article is based on the following primary source (official news). Model specifications and pricing can change, so always check the official source for the latest, accurate information.

Official sourceOpenAI Official NewsView official source →

FAQ

Q. Is ChatGPT free to use?
Yes, you can use the Free plan. GPT-5.3 Instant, a fast model for everyday conversations, is reported to be available to all users including those on the Free plan. More advanced reasoning models and higher usage limits are mainly part of the paid plans. Check the official information for the latest availability.
Q. How do GPT-5.3 Instant and GPT-5.4 Thinking differ?
GPT-5.3 Instant is a fast-response model for everyday use with short wait times. GPT-5.4 Thinking is a reasoning-focused model that takes more time to think, which suits complex problems and multi-step tasks. The basic approach is to switch between them depending on the task.
Q. What changed from GPT-4 to GPT-5?
Reasoning, multilingual support, and multimodal processing (handling text, images, and voice together) are reported to have improved. The decimal version numbers indicate recency and performance tier, with higher numbers being newer models.
Q. Which plan should I choose?
A common path is to try the Free plan first, then move to Plus or Pro once you need higher usage limits or more capable models. Team and Enterprise plans are available for organizations. Pricing can change, so check the latest official information.

Related Tools

Free Tool

URL to Markdown Converter

Convert any public web page URL to Markdown. Preserves headings, tables, lists, and links — perfect for LLM and RAG preprocessing, research notes, and archiving web articles.

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