ChatGPT vs Claude in 2026

Q: How much does Claude Max cost?

Claude Max starts from $100 per month . Max gives 5x or 20x more usage per five-hour session than Pro . The facts used for this page give only the starting price, so check the plan details before you choose.

ChatGPT vs Claude compared on what each is built for, plans, usage limits and refunds, with facts from their own pages and a note on Connections Boardroom.

By Uncommon Comforts · 2026-10-16

Uncommon Comforts is published by the team behind Connections, whose products are compared here alongside other tools.

ChatGPT's page describes it as intelligence for everyday tasks ^[1]. Claude's page says Claude Code is included in all paid plans ^[2]. Connections Boardroom is for paying members only ^[3].

Option	Free access	Paid price	Usage limits	Refunds
ChatGPT	Free version available to everyone ^[1]	Go, Plus, Business and Enterprise, priced per user per month; amounts not published ^[1]	Limited messages with uploads on Free ^[1]	Not published
Claude	Pro gives at least 5x more usage per five-hour session than Free ^[2]	Max starts from $100 per month ^[2]	Every plan resets on a rolling five-hour session window; paid plans add weekly limits ^[2]	Generally non-refundable, except where the Consumer Terms of Service or local law say otherwise ^[2]
Connections Boardroom	Paid members only; a free Connections member must upgrade ^[3]	Connections Pro, listed in the product file ^[3]	Meetings use the member's Connections AI usage ^[3]	Not published

The short answer

ChatGPT offers a free version that its page says is available to everyone ^[1], and it works on web, iOS and Android for listed plans ^[1]. The Claude sources also say paid plans include Claude Code ^[2] and that batch processing saves 50% ^[2]. Connections Boardroom is for paying members only ^[3].

What ChatGPT and Claude are built for

ChatGPT's page says its free version is available to everyone ^[1]. The free version includes everyday text chats ^[1], with limited image creation ^[1], limited file uploads ^[1] and limited deep research ^[1]. Its page also says all data is encrypted in transit using TLS 1.2 ^[1].

Max gives 5x or 20x more usage per five-hour session than Pro ^[2]. Claude Code is included in all paid plans ^[2]. Its page says it saves 50% with batch processing ^[2].

What Connections Boardroom is built for

Connections Boardroom is made by the team that publishes this site. You say one thing, then several advisers answer one after another, each from their own brief, and they can argue with each other ^[3]. Every workspace comes with five ready-made advisers and a starter boardroom scene ^[3]. You can create your own board members by giving each one a photo, a written description and a voice ^[3]. An adviser with nothing to add replies with a pass instead of padding out the meeting ^[3]. Any adviser can take any seat at the table, and swapping one mid-meeting is a click ^[3].

Closing a meeting writes the minutes and the plan from it ^[3], and any number in them that nobody stated in the meeting is marked so you can see it ^[3]. The advisers can ask numbered questions about your plan, each with a suggested answer, and any question you skip takes that suggestion ^[3]. You can drop a PDF, a Word document or a screenshot into a meeting, and the advisers read it ^[3]. You can dictate using your browser's speech recognition, and each reply is spoken aloud ^[3]. You can change the background, table and chairs of the room your board meets in ^[3]. Every meeting is saved as a transcript that you can leave and come back to later ^[3]. A member can hold a meeting on a model running on their own computer, such as Ollama or LM Studio ^[3]. Boardroom is a web app ^[3].

Pricing and fees

ChatGPT has individual and business or enterprise pricing plans ^[1]. Its paid plans, Go, Plus, Business and Enterprise, are priced per user per month ^[1]. Monthly plans are offered for Go, Plus and Business ^[1], and annual plans for Business and Enterprise ^[1].

Claude Max starts from $100 per month ^[2]. Enterprise seat price is charged in addition to usage at API rates ^[2]. Payments are generally non-refundable, except where the Consumer Terms of Service say otherwise or local law requires it ^[2]. Subscribers can cancel anytime, and the plan stays active until the end of the current billing period ^[2]. Customers in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom can request a refund directly in the app within their 14-day withdrawal period ^[2].

The Boardroom is for paying members only ^[3]. A strategy document, not the product code, describes a 7-day Pro trial that requires a card ^[3]. Meetings use up the member's Connections AI usage ^[3], and creating a board member costs one credit ^[3]. No card fee for the Boardroom is stated in the product claims used here.

Getting started

ChatGPT's page says its free version is available to everyone ^[1]. Its page describes ChatGPT as intelligence for everyday tasks ^[1]. Access works on web, iOS and Android for listed plans ^[1]. The facts used for this page do not describe the sign-up steps, so check the sign-up page before you start.

Claude Code is included in all paid plans ^[2]. Subscribers can cancel anytime, and the plan stays active until the end of the current billing period ^[2].

You pick a scene, seat a few advisers, and say the first thing on your mind ^[3]. The Boardroom is for paying members only ^[3]. A member who has not paid sees a paywall that says 'The Boardroom is part of Pass.' ^[3]

Things to check before you choose

ChatGPT's page says all data is encrypted in transit using TLS 1.2 ^[1]. Does that level of encryption meet the rules you follow for sensitive files?

Which plan do you need, and does the plan list show the amount you expect to pay? Do the usage limits on each plan fit the number of conversations you have in a day? Will you need to upload files, and how many uploads does the plan you choose allow?

What refund terms apply to the plan you choose, and what happens to a plan when you cancel partway through a billing period? Will you need to use the tool on a phone, and which plans include that?

For the Boardroom, does your membership cover the meeting features you plan to use, and do the numbers in your plan need to come from the meeting itself?

How to choose

ChatGPT's page says its free version is available to everyone ^[1]. If you want Claude Code as part of a paid plan, Claude's sources say it is included in all paid plans ^[2]. If you want a meeting where several advisers answer one after another and can argue, Connections Boardroom has advisers who answer in turn, each from their own brief, and can argue with each other ^[3]. If you want a saved record of each meeting to return to, the Boardroom saves transcripts ^[3]. If you want to hold a meeting on a model running on your own computer, such as Ollama or LM Studio, the Boardroom supports that ^[3].

Frequently asked questions

Does ChatGPT have a free version?

ChatGPT's page says the free version is available to everyone ^[1]. That version includes everyday text chats ^[1], with limited image creation ^[1], limited file uploads ^[1] and limited deep research ^[1]. Its paid plans are priced per user per month ^[1].

How much does Claude Max cost?

Claude Max starts from $100 per month ^[2]. Max gives 5x or 20x more usage per five-hour session than Pro ^[2]. The facts used for this page give only the starting price, so check the plan details before you choose.

Are Claude payments refundable?

Payments are generally non-refundable, except where the Consumer Terms of Service say otherwise or local law requires it ^[2]. Subscribers can cancel anytime, and the plan stays active until the end of the current billing period ^[2]. Customers in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom can request a refund directly in the app within their 14-day withdrawal period ^[2].

Does ChatGPT work on phones?

ChatGPT's page says access works on web, iOS and Android for listed plans ^[1]. The facts used for this page do not say which plans are listed, so check the plan list on ChatGPT's pricing page. The facts used here do not describe phone access for Claude, so check Claude's own pages before you sign up. Connections Boardroom is a standalone web app ^[3].

What does Connections Boardroom do?

You say one thing, then several advisers answer one after another, each from their own brief, and they can argue with each other ^[3]. Every workspace comes with five ready-made advisers and a starter boardroom scene ^[3]. Every meeting is saved as a transcript that you can leave and come back to later ^[3]. Connections Boardroom is for paying members only ^[3].

A plan in the product file is named Connections Pro. ^[3] Creating a board member costs one credit. ^[3]

Try Connections Boardroom