# OpenAI (ChatGPT/DALL-E) review

OpenAI's ChatGPT assistant, spanning a free tier through $200/month Pro plans, with image generation now handled by GPT Image rather than the retired DALL-E.

By Noah — last updated & pricing verified September 15, 2026.

> **ChatGPT** is OpenAI's conversational AI assistant: it answers questions, writes and edits text and code, analyzes uploaded files and images, browses the web, and generates images, all from a single chat interface. It is the primary consumer product built on OpenAI's GPT model family.

**DALL-E**, OpenAI's earlier standalone text-to-image model, is discontinued: OpenAI announced its deprecation in November 2025 and shut down the DALL-E API on May 12, 2026. Image generation inside ChatGPT now runs on the GPT Image model family (branded to consumers as ChatGPT Images 2.0), which produces higher-resolution output and more reliable in-image text than DALL-E did. Anyone building on the old DALL-E API must migrate to gpt-image-1, gpt-image-1-mini, or gpt-image-2.

## Facts

- Website: https://openai.com
- Pricing: Free tier · paid from $8/mo
- License: Freemium
- Platforms: web, windows, macos, ios, android
- Best for: individuals and teams who want a general-purpose AI assistant for writing, coding, research, and image generation, from casual free use up to seat-based enterprise deployment
- Standout feature: A single assistant covering conversation, coding, file/image analysis, web browsing, and image generation, now on the GPT Image models that replaced DALL-E with higher resolution and more reliable in-image text.
- Biggest weakness: DALL-E, the product this listing was originally built around, is fully retired — the API shut down May 12, 2026 — so any integration or workflow still calling the DALL-E API breaks and must be migrated to GPT Image; free and Go-tier ChatGPT users also face materially lower usage limits than Plus or Pro.
- Third-party ratings: Capterra 4.4/5 (389 reviews) · Product Hunt 4.8/5 (704 reviews)
- Categories: [AI chat assistants](https://findalternative.to/categories/ai-assistants), [AI image generation](https://findalternative.to/categories/ai-image-generation)

## Pricing snapshot

| Plan | Price | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free | $0/mo | Access to ChatGPT with standard model and usage limits. |
| Go | $8/mo | Entry-level paid tier with expanded usage limits over Free. |
| Plus | $20/mo | Higher usage limits, access to advanced models, and image/voice features. |
| Pro | $200/mo | Highest individual usage limits and access to the most capable available models. |
| Business | $20/mo | Per seat, billed annually ($25/month billed monthly); 2-seat minimum. Adds shared workspaces, SAML SSO, admin controls, SOC 2 Type 2 compliance, and the Codex agent. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom negotiated pricing, reportedly starting around $60/user/month with a roughly 150-seat minimum and mandatory annual commitment. |

## Pros and cons

- Pro: Free tier requires no payment to start using ChatGPT for chat, file analysis, and limited image generation.
- Pro: Native desktop and mobile apps exist for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android in addition to the web.
- Pro: Business and Enterprise tiers add SSO, admin controls, and compliance certifications (SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001) for organizational deployment.
- Pro: GPT Image generation (replacing DALL-E) produces higher resolution output with more reliable text rendering.
- Con: DALL-E is fully discontinued — the API shut down May 12, 2026 — breaking any workflow still built on it.
- Con: Enterprise pricing is not published; it requires a sales conversation and a roughly 150-seat minimum with annual commitment.
- Con: Free and Go-tier usage limits are materially lower than Plus or Pro, pushing regular users toward the $20/month plan.
- Con: Pro tier at $200/month is a steep jump for individual users who only occasionally need its highest-tier model access.

## AI summary

- ChatGPT is free with usage limits, or $8/month (Go), $20/month (Plus), or $200/month (Pro) for individuals.
- ChatGPT Business costs $20/seat/month billed annually ($25/month billed monthly), 2-seat minimum; Enterprise is custom-priced, reportedly from around $60/user/month.
- DALL-E, OpenAI's original image generator, had its API shut down on May 12, 2026, replaced by GPT Image models inside ChatGPT.
- ChatGPT has native apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android in addition to the web.
- ChatGPT holds a 4.4/5 rating from 389 reviews on Capterra and a 4.8/5 rating from 704 reviews on Product Hunt.
- Best for: individuals and teams wanting one AI assistant for writing, coding, research, and image generation
- Pricing: Free with limits; $8/month Go, $20/month Plus, $200/month Pro; Business from $20/seat/month; Enterprise custom-priced.
- Top alternatives: Google Gemini, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, Meta AI, Midjourney
- Limitation: DALL-E is fully retired; the API shut down May 12, 2026, breaking any workflow still built on it.
- Limitation: Enterprise pricing requires a sales conversation and a roughly 150-seat minimum.
- Limitation: Free and Go-tier usage limits are materially lower than Plus or Pro.

## Alternatives

6 vetted alternatives to OpenAI (ChatGPT/DALL-E): https://findalternative.to/openai-chatgpt-dall-e — top picks: Google Gemini, Claude, Microsoft Copilot

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