Beginner cost
Free tier, common paid plan about US$20/month, higher plans for heavy use.
Score working
Last updated: 3 June 2026
OpenAI
Strong all-round super app through ChatGPT: chat, coding, image, voice, video through Sora, file work and connectors.
Total65 / 100
Relevance
Why this matters for beginners.
USA - led by Sam Altman
Strong all-round super app through ChatGPT: chat, coding, image, voice, video through Sora, file work and connectors. The score below is the sum of ten visible categories. Each category is worth 10 points.
LLMImageVoiceVideoConnectors
No fudging
Ten category scores.
The total score is calculated by adding these ten rows. Change a total only by changing one or more category scores and writing down why.
| Category | Score | Why it sits here | What would change it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner usefulness | 9 / 10 | Strong everyday utility for non-technical users. | Move this if the product becomes easier or harder for a normal beginner to use. |
| Cost clarity | 7 / 10 | Costs can be understood, but plan limits need checking. | Move this when pricing, credit rules, refunds or cancellation paths change. |
| Data and privacy | 6 / 10 | Privacy terms exist, but sensitive use still needs reading. | Move this when privacy, retention, training or human-review terms change. |
| Terms and rights | 7 / 10 | Terms are usable but not simple enough to skim. | Move this when output rights, commercial use or upload licences change. |
| Transparency | 7 / 10 | Some documentation exists, but gaps remain. | Move this when official docs, model cards, incident notes or pricing pages improve or disappear. |
| Safety record | 7 / 10 | Safety posture is mixed and should be refreshed. | Move this when safety policies, misuse incidents, scams or consent controls materially change. |
| Leadership ethics | 5 / 10 | Leadership and incentive context is mixed. | Move this when leadership, governance, controversies or investment conflicts change. |
| Defence involvement | 2 / 10 | Direct U.S. defence exposure is now a strong negative signal for beginner trust: OpenAI has a CDAO/DoD pilot and describes custom national-security models for approved agencies. Its usage policy still places limits on weapons, surveillance and national-security use, so this is not a zero score, but the contract changes the category materially.Sources: CDAO frontier AI partnerships | OpenAI for Government | OpenAI usage policies | Move this only if contract scope, deployment limits, surveillance boundaries and autonomous-weapons safeguards become clearer in public evidence. |
| Country and stability | 7 / 10 | Country and data-jurisdiction context should be considered before sensitive use. | Move this when data jurisdiction, surveillance context, censorship or political stability changes. |
| Public benefit | 8 / 10 | There is visible public-benefit signal such as open releases, science, education or accessibility. | Move this when public-interest work, open releases, science or accessibility evidence changes. |
Plain signals
What was counted.
These are the visible card notes from the main comparison page, kept here so the quick card and the working page stay connected.
Trust watch
Direct DoD/CDAO pilot, custom national-security model offer, copyright disputes, safety debates and governance history.
Good signs
Useful product, safety documentation, data controls for many paid/work plans, nonprofit and education initiatives.
Research links
Sources to refresh first.
Start with official product, pricing, privacy and policy pages. Then check public reporting for major controversies, ownership, defence work and legal disputes.