ChatGPT Images review
OpenAI's image generator and editor inside ChatGPT, built on its GPT Image models, free with limits or included in ChatGPT plans from $8/month.
By Noahlast updated pricing verified
ChatGPT Images screenshots & video
ChatGPT Images in 20 seconds
Best for: creating and editing illustrations, marketing visuals and simple infographics conversationally in ChatGPT
Pricing: Free with limited image creation; Go $8/month, Plus $20/month, Pro from $100/month; in the API, GPT Image 2.5 output costs $30 per million image tokens ($15 via Batch).
- OpenAI released GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst and GPT Image 2.5 Flare on September 8, 2026 for the Image API and the Responses API.
- GPT Image 2.5 API pricing is $8 per million image input tokens, $30 per million image output tokens and $5 per million text input tokens, with Batch at half price.
- DALL-E 2 and DALL-E 3 were removed from the OpenAI API on May 12, 2026.
- ChatGPT image creation is limited on Free and included in Go ($8/month), Plus ($20/month) and Pro (from $100/month); Business costs $20 per user per month billed annually.
- GPT Image 2.5 accepts custom sizes up to 3840 pixels on the long edge, with resolutions above 2560x1440 labeled experimental.
Limitations: Free and Go image limits are unpublished and lower than on paid plans.; Unlimited image creation requires Pro from $100/month.; Frequent API model retirements force integrations to migrate (gpt-image-1 retired October 23, 2026).
Top alternatives: Midjourney, Google Gemini, Stable Diffusion, Microsoft Copilot, Meta AI — full list
What is ChatGPT Images?
ChatGPT Images is the image generator built into ChatGPT on the web, desktop and mobile apps: users describe a picture or attach reference photos, then refine the result over several turns, select an area to change, combine multiple references, or add short exact text such as a title or labels. It runs on OpenAI's GPT Image models, the successors to DALL-E. OpenAI launched gpt-image-1 in the API in April 2025, followed by GPT Image 1.5 in December 2025 (introduced to consumers as the new ChatGPT Images), GPT Image 2 in April 2026 and GPT Image 2.5 in September 2026. Developers use the Image API or the Responses API image tool, choosing GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst for precise edits or Flare for fast everyday generation, with quality settings from low to max and custom sizes up to 3840 pixels on the long edge. Older snapshots are being retired: gpt-image-1 shut down on October 23, 2026, and gpt-image-1.5, gpt-image-1-mini and chatgpt-image-latest go on December 1, 2026.
ChatGPT Images is OpenAI's image generation and editing feature in ChatGPT, built on the GPT Image model family that replaced DALL-E; developers reach the same family through the OpenAI API, where GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst and Flare arrived on September 8, 2026. In ChatGPT, Free accounts get limited image creation, Go ($8/month) gets more, Plus ($20/month) adds image generation with Thinking, and Pro (from $100/month, with $200 and $500 tiers) offers unlimited, faster image creation subject to abuse guardrails; Business costs $20 per user per month billed annually. API use is billed per token: $5 per million text input tokens, $8 per million image input tokens and $30 per million image output tokens, half that through the Batch API. DALL-E 2 and DALL-E 3 were removed from the API on May 12, 2026.
Standout feature: Images are made and edited conversationally: users refine a result over several turns, select a region to change, or combine several reference images, and the same GPT Image models are available through the OpenAI API.
Biggest weakness: Image limits on Free and Go are unpublished (OpenAI says only 'limited' and 'more'), image generation with Thinking needs Plus at $20/month and unlimited use needs Pro from $100/month; developers also face fast model churn, with DALL-E removed on May 12, 2026, gpt-image-1 retired on October 23, 2026 and three more GPT Image snapshots retiring on December 1, 2026.
ChatGPT Images: pros and cons
Pros
- Free ChatGPT accounts can create images, with higher limits on paid plans.
- Editing works in conversation: select an area, describe the change, and keep the rest of the image intact.
- Handles short, exact in-image text such as titles and labels, useful for posters and simple infographics.
- The same GPT Image models are available in the API, with Batch processing at half the standard token price.
Cons
- Free and Go image limits are not published; OpenAI lists them only as 'limited' and 'more'.
- Image generation with Thinking requires Plus ($20/month) or higher, and unlimited image creation requires Pro from $100/month.
- API models change quickly: DALL-E was removed on May 12, 2026 and gpt-image-1 on October 23, 2026, forcing integrations to migrate.
- OpenAI's own guidance says to review every word of dense or production-critical in-image text, which can still come out wrong.
ChatGPT Images pricing
Free tier · paid from $8/mo · verified from the vendor's pricing page
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Limited image creation in ChatGPT; no image generation with Thinking. |
| Go | $8/mo | More image creation than Free; no image generation with Thinking; the plan may include ads. |
| Plus | $20/mo | More complex and accurate image creation, including image generation with Thinking; usage limits apply. |
| Business | $20/mo | Per user, billed annually ($25/user/month billed monthly), 2-user minimum; shared workspace with SAML SSO, MFA and admin controls, no training on business data by default. |
| Pro | $100/mo | From $100/month, with $200 and $500 usage tiers; unlimited and faster image creation, subject to abuse guardrails. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom pricing through sales; adds SCIM, EKM, role-based access control, audit logs and data residency controls. |
| API (GPT Image 2.5) | Custom | Pay per token: $5 per 1M text input, $8 per 1M image input and $30 per 1M image output tokens; the Batch API halves these rates. |
What reviewers say
Scores belong to their platforms; we display them with attribution and never fold them into our own ratings.