ChatGPT

What Is It, In Plain Words?

ChatGPT is a website and phone app made by a company called OpenAI. You type a question or a request in everyday words, and it writes back in a few seconds, the way a well-read friend might. You can also talk to it out loud and hear the answer spoken back.

It doesn't look things up in a book the way you would. It learned by reading a huge amount of text, and it builds each answer from that. So it's very good at explaining and writing, and it can sometimes get facts wrong while sounding sure of itself.

What You Can Use It For

• Writing help. "Help me write a short thank-you note to my neighbour who fed the cat." It gives you a draft, and you can ask for it warmer, shorter or more formal.
• Explaining confusing things. Paste in a puzzling paragraph from a letter from your energy company and ask, "What does this mean in simple terms?"
• Planning. "Plan a gentle three-day trip to the Lake District for two people who don't like long walks." It gives you a day-by-day list you can change.

Getting Started Step By Step

On A Computer

1. Open your web browser and go to chatgpt.com. Check the address carefully. There are fake look-alike sites.
2. You can start typing straight away without an account. To save your chats, click Sign up and use your email address, or a Google, Microsoft or Apple account.
3. If you use an email address, OpenAI sends you a code or link to confirm it. Open your email, find it and follow it.
4. You'll see a mostly blank screen with a box near the middle or bottom that says something like "Ask anything". That box is where you type.
5. Click in the box, type your first question, and press Enter. The answer appears above.
6. To carry on, type a follow-up such as "make that shorter" or "explain that more simply". It remembers what you said earlier in the same chat.

On A Phone Or Tablet

1. Open the App Store (iPhone and iPad) or Google Play (Android).
2. Search for ChatGPT. Choose the one made by OpenAI. Copycat apps exist, and some charge money.
3. Tap Get or Install, then open it and sign in or sign up.
4. Type in the box at the bottom, or tap the voice button next to it to talk instead.

Things To Try Typing

Copy any of these, or change the details to suit you.

What It Costs

The free version is enough for most people. You can chat as much as you like, with daily limits on extras such as voice chats, pictures and uploading files.

• Go is a cheaper paid plan with more messages, uploads and voice chats. OpenAI says it may show adverts.
• Plus adds OpenAI's more advanced models and higher limits. It costs $20 a month in the USA, according to OpenAI's help centre (checked 19 October 2026).
• Pro is aimed at heavy professional users.

We couldn't confirm the prices for Go or Pro, or the UK price for Plus, on OpenAI's own pages, so we're not printing those figures. Please check the official site for the current price in your country. In the UK, prices may be shown before VAT, with VAT added at checkout.

The free version really is free. If a website, advert or caller asks you to pay to "unlock" ChatGPT, it's a scam.

Privacy And Safety

• What it keeps. ChatGPT saves your chats to your account so you can go back to them. On personal accounts, OpenAI may use your chats to improve its models unless you turn that off.
• How to turn that off. Click your name or picture, then Settings, then Data Controls, and switch off Improve the model for everyone.
• Temporary Chat. For anything private, start a Temporary Chat (look for it at the top of a new chat). These chats don't appear in your history and aren't used for training, though OpenAI may keep a copy for up to 30 days for safety checks.
• Never type passwords, PINs, bank or card numbers, your National Insurance number (UK) or Social Security number (USA).
• Check important answers. For health, money or legal questions, use ChatGPT to understand the basics, then check with your doctor, pharmacist, bank or a qualified adviser.

Good Points And Watch-Outs

Good Points

• Very patient. You can ask the same thing five ways and it never sighs.
• Voice mode lets you talk and listen instead of typing, which helps if typing is tiring or your eyesight isn't great.
• You can make the words bigger: on a computer, hold Ctrl (or Cmd on a Mac) and press +. On a phone, ChatGPT follows your phone's text size setting.
• Free to start, with no card needed.

Watch-Outs

• It can be wrong and still sound confident. Treat it like a clever friend, not an encyclopedia.
• Answers can be long. Add "keep it short" to your question.
• Watch out for fake ChatGPT apps and websites. Use chatgpt.com or the app made by OpenAI.
• The free plan has daily limits on voice, pictures and file uploads.

Similar Tools

• Claude: good at reading long documents and writing carefully.
• Gemini: Google's assistant, handy if you already use Gmail or an Android phone.
• Microsoft Copilot: built into Windows and the Edge browser.

Common Questions

Is ChatGPT free?

Yes. The free version lets you chat as much as you like, with daily limits on extras such as voice, pictures and file uploads. Paid plans are optional.

Do I need an account to use ChatGPT?

No, you can try it at chatgpt.com without one. A free account lets you save your chats and use it on your phone too.

Is ChatGPT safe to use?

It's safe for everyday questions if you never share passwords, bank details or ID numbers, and you check important answers with a real expert. You can stop it learning from your chats in Settings, Data Controls.

Can I talk to ChatGPT instead of typing?

Yes. Tap the voice button next to the typing box in the app or on the website, and it will listen and talk back.