6 reasons to continue using ChatGPT Plus even though GPT-4 is now free for everyone

You may wonder why you continue to pay $20 monthly when you can use an alternative tool for free. Here are some reasons why you might want to keep ChatGPT Plus.

1. Add access to GPT-4o

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GPT-4o is OpenAI's latest flagship GPT model, claimed to be twice as fast as GPT-4 Turbo and 50% cheaper (when using the API). However, free users are not given unlimited access to GPT-4o. OpenAI offers free users "limited access to GPT-4o".

GPT-4o is currently ChatGPT's default model, but free users will be reverted to GPT-3.5 when it is unavailable. As a free user, access to GPT-4o is not guaranteed and is subject to availability. The term "restricted access" implies limited use or reduced availability during peak periods.

However, one thing is certain: ChatGPT Plus users will receive up to 5 times more messages than GPT-4o. Furthermore, Plus users can send up to 80 messages every 3 hours. From this, it can be deduced that free users will receive about 16 messages per hour. Not bad but quite low if you are a heavy user.

As ChatGPT becomes the go-to for more businesses and individuals, usage and availability will likely decrease (temporarily) in the near future. So, a Plus subscription will ensure usability in crowded situations.

2. Keep access to GPT-4 Turbo

Benchmarks and testing show that the GPT-4o may be fast, but the GPT-4 Turbo seems more accurate in some categories. It's difficult to confirm the criteria and execution of some of these tests, but some users have reported better results from GPT-4 - especially in math and programming problems. Even OpenAI admits this and according to the text evaluation results, GPT-4T performs better in DROP (​​Discrete Reasoning Over Paragraphs) tests.

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If some arbitrary testing doesn't convince you, consider the number of additional prompts GPT-4 will receive. OpenAI allows 40 messages every 3 hours on GPT-4T and 80 messages every 3 hours on GPT-4o, giving a total of 120 messages that can be sent to GPT-4 in 3 hours.

3. Create your own custom GPT

OpenAI will allow free users to access the GPT store and use custom GPT as part of the free plan. However, creating custom GPTs is not included.

A Plus subscription is required to create custom GPTs. Payment will enable custom GPTs to be built with private data and documents, which can then be shared with friends and colleagues or published for free on the marketplace.

4. Create images with DALL-E

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When OpenAI announced the slew of features coming to ChatGPT's free tier, the company didn't mention direct access to its image-generating AI, DALL-E. With DALL-E, you can enter any prompt and the AI ​​will try to create an image from the text. It's quite useful and is one of the reasons why it's a good idea to stay subscribed to Plus. Even with access to GPT-4o, Free users cannot create images from text - all DALL-E capabilities require payment.

5. Get early access to ChatGPT Voice Mode and the ChatGPT desktop app

OpenAI's GPT-4o demo is already making waves on the Internet thanks to its realistic Voice Mode. Because GPT-4o can understand words and context very quickly, there is no typical lag while the AI ​​is "thinking", creating a fluent conversation - just like a human. On top of that, you can essentially video call the AI ​​while in Voice Mode and it will understand visual cues and objects it sees.

This new Voice Mode is not widely available yet, but Plus users will get it as an early access feature. If you want to use this technology before the rest of the world, you'll need to maintain your ChatGPT subscription.

Note : While OpenAI's recent demo suggests that the feature will come with a Mac app, Voice Mode is currently only available through the ChatGPT smartphone app. Features like these are why many people consider the ChatGPT iOS app better than the website.

OpenAI also introduced the ChatGPT desktop application in a demo. It's definitely one of the early access features that paid users will love, and it's coming to macOS users for the first time. There are probably more interesting features that offer very good value propositions, and paying for Plus is the only way to be among the people to use them.

6. Full access to advanced data analysis, file upload and web browsing

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Advanced data analysis, file uploading and web browsing were features reserved for OpenAI's paying customers. That has now changed and all of these are available to free users but are more limited, including fewer prompts, fewer file uploads and lower priority access to This service is available during peak hours.

For some, this discourages signing up for Plus. However, registration is necessary if you are a heavy user of ChatGPT and rely on it to read and analyze documents and images. These are features that many people don't use often, but if you're in the minority, you might want to keep your Plus subscription.

Additionally, having full access to a web browser is extremely useful. ChatGPT has limited knowledge, and the web browser helps bridge that knowledge gap by allowing web searches to update current information. If you use ChatGPT for tasks that require information currently, you may be disappointed with the free plan.

Honestly, all the reasons to sign up for ChatGPT Plus come down to how much AI is being used. If you use it a lot, you'll often find yourself reaching your limit. A ChatGPT Plus subscription can be well worth the money if you can afford it and don't mind testing new OpenAI features.

David Pac

Update 23 May 2024