Verdict
ChatGPT is the default chatbot for good reason. It is easy to start, the free plan handles everyday writing, planning and questions, and it sits at #4 in the UK App Store free chart. Since June 2026 the free and £6.99 Go plans in the UK carry ads, and chats train OpenAI's models unless the setting is switched off.
Best for
Anyone trying one AI app for everyday writing, planning and questions
Skip if
Ads in answers or default model training are dealbreakers
Key facts
- Category
- Everyday AI assistants
- Made by
- OpenAI
- Based in
- US
- Launched
- 2022
- Works on
- iPhone, Android, Web, Windows, Mac
- In the UK
- Yes
- Price from
- £6.99 a month
- Free plan
- Free plan with limited access to the latest model, image generation and file uploads; shows ads in the UK since 6 June 2026 (an ad-free Free option has lower limits)
Pricing
| Plan | Price | Billed |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Go | £6.99 | month |
| ChatGPT Plus | £19.99 | month |
| ChatGPT Pro 100 | £88.9 | month |
| ChatGPT Pro 200 | £200.0 | month |
| ChatGPT Pro 500 | £444.99 | month |
What it does
- answers questions and helps with writing, planning and learning
- generates and edits images from a description
- holds real-time voice conversations
- reads uploaded photos, such as handwritten notes or landmarks
- syncs chat history across devices
Ratings
What people say
Paying users in user reviews mostly say Plus is still worth about £20, with grumbles about usage limits and image quality after the October 2026 model update. The arrival of ads on free plans in Europe drew a hostile reaction. Store stars (4.7-4.8 from millions of ratings) sit far above Trustpilot's 1.6 from 3,780 reviews, which skew to billing and support complaints.
“100% worth it. You get a reasonable Codex allowance and tons of chat allowance for less than a $1 a day.”
Individual user review, 6 October 2026 · source
“A ChatGPT automation just found ~$45K in erroneous invoices across 3 years of billing history that I've confirmed and already had resolved.”
Post on X, 14 July 2026 · source
“Imagine "hiring" an assistant who's paid by other companies to give you only their products. Zero trust.”
Individual user review, 15 August 2026 · source
“…chat hallucinate a lot and I haven't used it for months after Google AI search does great job. Image generation is great but only if you need it.”
Individual user review, 7 October 2026 · source
“Now all image generation is complete trash, images have bad lines and are overly saturated and bright. I unsubscribed today.”
Individual user review, 6 October 2026 · source
Press reviews
- TechRadar 2025-12-28
Best for most people: 'If you only try one chatbot, make it this. ChatGPT is the easiest on-ramp for beginners.'
- Tom's Guide 2025-09-30
The free plan readily helps with everyday tasks like itineraries and workout plans, though it has search limits, slower deep research and occasional hallucinations.
- Tom's Guide (Awards 2026) 2026-09-16
ChatGPT Images won Best AI image generator, called 'a step above its AI image-generating competitors'; the Best AI chatbot award went to Claude.
Privacy
- Trains on your data
- Yes by default on Free, Plus and Pro: the 'Improve the model for everyone' setting is on unless switched off (Malwarebytes, 15 Sep 2026). Business plans and Temporary Chats are excluded.
- Opt-out
- Settings > Data Controls > turn off 'Improve the model for everyone', or use Temporary Chat. Staff and contractors may still view chats for abuse, support or legal reasons.
- Retention
- Saved chats are kept until deleted; deleted chats are scheduled for deletion within 30 days and Temporary Chats are kept up to 30 days, with exceptions for security, abuse and legal holds (jlellis.net, updated 7 Sep 2026; OpenAI's own policy page returned HTTP 403). A US court order in the New York Times case made OpenAI keep deleted chats from 13 May to 26 Sep 2025; that data is still held.
- Incidents
- Italy's Garante fined OpenAI €15M in Dec 2024 over training on personal data and weak age checks; a Rome court overturned the fine on 19 Mar 2026. Wrongful-death lawsuit by the family of 16-year-old Adam Raine filed Aug 2025 (allegations, unresolved in searches). Ads reached UK Free and Go users on 6 Jun 2026.
- Age limit
- 13+ ('meant for users who are 13 or older'); parental controls since 29 Sep 2025; no ads shown to accounts identified as under 18 via age prediction. App Store rating 12+.
In court
Lawsuits and regulator actions involving OpenAI. Claims are the claimant's allegations unless a court or regulator has ruled. The privacy score above was reviewed against this record. Who runs OpenAI: Sam Altman.
The Times alleges OpenAI used its journalism without permission to train and operate generative-AI products.
S.D.N.Y. (now coordinated in In re OpenAI, Inc. Copyright Infringement Litigation) · 1:23-cv-11195-SHS-OTW (MDL 1:25-md-03143) · 4 Sep 2026: the parties filed summary-judgment motions in the MDL.
The authors allege OpenAI copied books for training and that ChatGPT outputs can infringe protected expression.
S.D.N.Y. (MDL 1:25-md-03143) · 1:23-cv-08292-SHS-OTW · 6 Oct 2026: MDL court granted an unopposed motion to strike expert material.
Musk and xAI allege OpenAI abandoned its nonprofit mission in pursuit of profit; OpenAI entities deny liability.
N.D. Cal. · 4:24-cv-04722-YGR · 29 Sep 2026: docket showed counterclaim proceedings; no final judgment recorded.
- Raine v. OpenAIPending
The parents allege ChatGPT's design and responses contributed to their son's death; OpenAI generally denies the allegations.
Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco · CGC-25-628528 · 26 Nov 2025: OpenAI filed an answer generally denying the allegations.
The Garante said OpenAI lacked an adequate basis and transparency for personal-data processing; OpenAI challenged the decision.
Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante); Tribunal of Rome · Decision No. 755/2024; Rome judgment No. 4153/2026 · 18 Mar 2026: Rome court annulled the €15m fine.
The ICO says it scrutinised foundation-model developers, including OpenAI, and made enquiries about agentic-AI testing and deployment.
UK Information Commissioner's Office · Foundation-model supervision report (8 October 2026) · 8 Oct 2026: ICO reported supervision and further enquiries; no fine announced.
Official videos
FAQ
Is ChatGPT free?
Yes. The free plan covers everyday chat, image generation and file uploads with usage limits. In the UK it shows ads, and paid plans start at £6.99 a month for Go and £19.99 for Plus.
Does ChatGPT have ads in the UK?
Yes, since 6 June 2026 on the Free and Go plans, according to ppc.land. Plus, Pro and business plans are ad-free, and accounts identified as under 18 see no ads.
Does ChatGPT use my conversations for training?
By default, yes, on Free, Plus and Pro. Turning off 'Improve the model for everyone' in Settings > Data Controls stops future chats being used, and Temporary Chat is excluded too.
Is ChatGPT safe for children?
OpenAI says it is meant for users aged 13 or older. Parental controls launched in September 2025 let parents set quiet hours and turn off voice and image generation, but parents cannot read their teen's chats.
ChatGPT or Gemini?
TechRadar calls ChatGPT the easiest place to start, while Tom's Guide argued in February 2026 that Gemini's free tier is the best free alternative to ChatGPT Plus, especially for people who live in Gmail and Google Docs.
Scores are based on published evidence, not lab tests. How we score.
Similar tools
Google Gemini
Google's chatbot, built into Android, Gmail and Docs, with a generous free plan.
Claude
Anthropic's chatbot, strong on writing and on pointing out holes in an argument, with a tight free allowance.
DeepSeek
A free Chinese chatbot with no message cap that stores every conversation on servers in China.
Meta AI
Meta's free assistant, built into WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook and also sold as a standalone app that runs Ray-Ban Meta glasses.