With most AI chatbots and AI text generators, the best models sit behind a paywall.
The good news: ChatGPT has long been free to use, and since July 9, 2026 the free plan even comes with free access to GPT-5.6 Terra inside Codex. On top of that, there are strong free alternatives, some with internet access included.
In this article, I'll show you three ways to get access without paying a cent.
- ChatGPT Free runs on GPT-5.5 Instant in regular chat (with a message limit) and now also offers free access to GPT-5.6 Terra inside Codex. Free users get web search, image generation with GPT Image 2, and the GPT Store
- Microsoft Copilot now offers GPT-5.6 models for free with internet access and no registration required
- Perplexity AI offers free AI-powered research with integrated source citations
Why Did the Best ChatGPT Models Used to Cost Money?
Powerful AI models like GPT-4 or GPT-5 require a lot of computing power and are significantly more expensive to operate than older models like GPT-3.5.
However, a lot has changed since 2024: Prices have dropped massively and OpenAI now gives free users access to GPT-5.6 Terra for free inside Codex.
Here's a quick overview of API costs for a 10,000-word blog article:
- GPT-5 nano: approx. $0.01
- GPT-5: approx. $0.10
- GPT-4.1: approx. $0.20
With millions or billions of generated words per month, this can quickly become expensive for tool and app providers.
Before we dive in, here are the three options side by side.
| Feature | ChatGPT | Microsoft Copilot | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free modelChatGPT: GPT-5.5 Instant in chat, GPT-5.6 Terra free in Codex | GPT-5.5 Instant (Terra in Codex) | GPT-4-class models | GPT-4 + own models |
| Internet access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Source citationsChatGPT: Browsing Mode only | Partial | Yes | Yes |
| Limits for free users | limited daily message quota | up to 300 responses/day with account | Pro Search multiple times daily with account |
1. ChatGPT
GPT-4 was always paid in ChatGPT since its introduction in March 2023. Only with ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) or higher plans could you access it.
However, this has fundamentally changed since then:
In regular ChatGPT chat, GPT-5.5 Instant remains the default model for Free users (since May 5, 2026). Since July 9, 2026, though, free users get a genuine bonus: free access to GPT-5.6 Terra inside Codex, which is included in the Free plan. The current flagship GPT-5.6 Sol is reserved for paid plans starting at Plus. The GPT-5.6 family (Sol, Terra, Luna) has been generally available since July 9, 2026 (GA rollout the day after the Trump administration lifted restrictions on July 8, 2026) and covers ChatGPT (Plus/Pro/Business/Enterprise), ChatGPT Work, Codex, and the API.
However:
Usage is limited, though. Free users have a limited message quota per day. When exceeded, ChatGPT automatically switches to a smaller model.
This means:
ChatGPT does offer GPT-5.5 Instant for free in chat and GPT-5.6 Terra for free in Codex, but with message limits.
| Plan | Price | Features | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| FreeGPT-5.5 Instant in chat, with a daily message quota. | $0/month | GPT-5.5 Instant as the default chat model GPT-5.6 Terra included for free in Codex Web search, image generation with GPT Image 2, and the GPT Store Limited daily quota, then falls back to a smaller model GPT-5.6 Sol (current flagship) | For occasional use |
| GoMore messages at a lower price, with ads. | $8/month | Significantly more messages than Free GPT-5.2 Instant unlimited GPT-5 Thinking and Deep Research | Budget option for regular users |
| PlusFull access to the current ChatGPT feature set. | $20/month | GPT-5.6 Sol (current flagship) 25 Deep Research queries per month Audio/video mode, custom GPTs, ChatGPT Agent | For intensive and professional use |
2. Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft Copilot (formerly "Bing Chat") is currently one of the best ChatGPT alternatives. And for good reason:
Copilot now uses GPT-5.6 models from OpenAI as well, free to use in Copilot chat. You also get internet access and image generation.
It also offers access to image generation and various plugins.
The best part:
It's completely free and usable without registration. Not only through the browser, but now also as an app for Android or iOS.
It also offers generous usage limits. Microsoft no longer publishes a fixed daily cap for text chats; Copilot is already usable without a Microsoft account, and signing in adds chat history, image generation, and longer conversations.
3. Perplexity.ai
Perplexity is an AI search engine that represents a great and free alternative to ChatGPT or Bing Chat.
It's particularly well suited for conducting intensive internet research on a topic.
Similar to Bing Chat or ChatGPT in Browsing Mode, the sources of generated responses are cited as footnote numbers:
Below the response, similar questions or topics are displayed, and you have the option to ask follow-up questions. By clicking on the underlined links in the response, you can also explore topics further.
I also find the new "Copilot" feature brilliant. Similar to AutoGPT or BabyAGI, it doesn't just give AI-generated responses but executes more complex workflows to answer a question or perform an action for you:
If you're planning a trip, for example, it asks you intermediate questions to find the best possible travel route for you:
Perplexity uses its own Sonar model (built on Llama 3.3 70B) by default for response generation, tuned for fast web research with source citations. If you create an account with Perplexity, you can use Pro Search multiple times daily for free.
Usage: How Popular Are These Tools Really?
For context: according to Similarweb data (May 2026), ChatGPT accounted for 52.7% of global AI chatbot web traffic. Microsoft Copilot came in at 2.0%, Perplexity at 1.3%.
