Understanding ChatGPT Plus: The Enhanced Version of Microsoft's AI Assistant

Understanding ChatGPT Plus: The Enhanced Version of Microsoft’s AI Assistant

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Key Takeaways

ChatGPT Plus, a subscription service by OpenAI, offers significant enhancements over the free version, providing consistent access, priority to new features, and real time information using Microsoft’s Bing for web browsing. It costs $20/month, and it’s worth it if you want these features.

By now, over 100 million people have tried ChatGPT , but there’s an even more advanced version of this disruptive AI service known as ChatGPT Plus. The Plus version can do some pretty wild things , but is it worth it for you?

What Is ChatGPT Plus?

The ChatGPT Plus subscription service is an optional paid tier that provides consistent access to ChatGPT, even during peak demand times. A ChatGPT Plus subscription also gives users priority access to new features and enhancements before they are released to the general public.

ChatGPT Plus represents the latest step forward in AI chatbot technology from OpenAI. It’s a chatbot trained on a diverse range of internet text, and it can draft emails, write Python code, create written content, answer trivia, and even do a little bit of tutoring in various subjects.

But the new “Plus” signifies something more - a subscription service that provides several additional features and benefits compared to the free version of ChatGPT .

One of the most significant enhancements to ChatGPT Plus is the integration of Microsoft’s Bing search engine , which allows the AI to provide real-time information to users. This is a significant shift from its previous capabilities, which were limited to retrieving data from before September 2021

ChatGPT Plus Price

The ChatGPT Plus subscription costs $20 per month. While initially only available to customers in the U.S., OpenAI has begun expanding availability to other regions. Unfortunately, if your region is not yet supported, you can’t simply bypass this with a VPN. You’ll need to provide a phone number for verification.

If Open AI is not making ChatGPT available in your region, you may still have access through a third-party app or service that has an agreement with the company.

ChatGPT Plus Features

ChatGPT Plus grants users access to GPT-4 , a more advanced language model from OpenAI. GPT-3.5 is also much faster using GPT Plus, making it immensely more useful for doing things like editing or transforming existing text.

However, the biggest feature update is the aforementioned integration with Bing, allowing the chatbot to provide more up-to-date information.

The Bing integration is one example of a ChatGPT “plugin,” but Plus subscribers get access to another beta feature in the form of the Plugin Store . Here third-party providers give ChatGPT access to special abilities (such as math) or data (such as scientific research) so you can do more specialized things with it.

The ChatGPT Plus Waitlist

As the demand for ChatGPT Plus grows, prospective customers may find themselves on a waitlist before they can subscribe. This is due to the increased computational power required for the premium features offered in the Plus version.

However, we didn’t encounter any waitlist on the two different accounts we performed the upgrade process on: One to completion and one up to the point of payment. It’s entirely possible that a waitlist will be employed again based on demand, but as of May 2023, the only limitation seems to be a 25-message per three-hour limit on GPT-4 features, which may also be subject to change.

How to Get ChatGPT Plus

Getting ChatGPT Plus involves upgrading from the free version of ChatGPT, which can be done from within the ChatGPT web interface.

After logging in to your account (you must create one), click the “Upgrade to Plus” button above your name at the bottom left corner of the page.

Now click on “Upgrade Plan.”

From here, complete the payment information and other bits of info needed for registration. You’re ready to go once that’s done, and your payment is processed!

Is ChatGPT Plus Worth It?

ChatGPT Plus’s value depends mainly on your chatbot usage. If you rely on ChatGPT for tasks like writing code or brainstorming ideas, you may benefit from the consistent uptime and priority access offered by the Plus subscription.

In other words, if you’re using ChatGPT to help with your paying work or it’s creating more value for you than $20, it’s definitely worth it. GPT-4, with its various plugins, is certainly light years ahead of GPT 3.5 (which free users get), in my experience.

On the other hand, ChatGPT Plus’s cutting-edge features are even more “beta” than ChatGPT’s vanilla free version. It’s still not entirely reliable , so some people may want to wait for a future, more stable form of the service before spending any money.

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