ChatGPT is OpenAI's conversational AI platform, available at chatgpt.com and via mobile apps, offering a tiered set of plans from Free to Enterprise that unlock progressively more powerful models, tools, and context. For everyday users, mastering its layered feature set — memory, projects, voice, file uploads, agents, and prompt patterns — turns it from a simple Q&A tool into a persistent, customizable productivity assistant. The single most important mental model: the model does not know your context unless you give it, so investing in custom instructions, project workspaces, and saved memories pays back every session.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers
This topic spans 20 focused tables and 138 indexed concepts. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.
Table 1: Plans and Account Tiers
The ChatGPT lineup spans six tiers with meaningfully different model access, usage limits, and privacy controls. Knowing which plan unlocks which capability matters more than the price: it prevents the common trap of expecting a power feature (custom GPT creation, Pulse, SCIM) on a tier that does not include it.
| Plan | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
$0/mo; chat with the latest model (limited messages, then auto-fallback to a mini model), web search, image generation, ~3 file uploads/day, browse-and-use GPTs from the GPT Store | • Entry tier • covers basic chat, limited web search, limited image generation, and using (not creating) GPTs from the GPT Store • ads are being tested on this tier in the U.S. | |
$8/mo; more messages and uploads, expanded memory, image creation, voice | • Low-cost paid tier between Free and Plus • adds more messaging, image creation, file uploads, and longer memory over Free • ads are being tested on this tier in the U.S. (Plus and above stay ad-free) | |
$20/mo; higher limits, Thinking model access, Tasks, custom GPT creation, Advanced Data Analysis, Canvas, projects with more files | • Most popular individual paid tier • unlocks Tasks, Advanced Data Analysis, Canvas, creating custom GPTs, and projects with more uploaded files than Free |