Are premium AI chatbots worth paying for? Only if you do these things

The future is coming, and that means making sure you’re well-versed in AI usage for when it matters. And while there are all kinds of AI tools now, the most prominent one remains AI chatbots like ChatGPT.

When I take a step back and look at my own AI chatbot use, that’s what I’m predominantly doing with it: educating myself. Sure, I’m learning new skills and finding answers to questions when my kids stump me, but ultimately what I’m doing when I play around with the likes of ChatGPT Plus and Copilot Pro is learning how to use AI, period.

And now that these AI chatbots have come out with premium subscription plans with even more advanced features, I wouldn’t blame you if you’re confused about why they have paid plans, what the benefits are, and whether they’re worth paying for.

Like it or not, AI is the future

The latest AI chatbots are impressive feats of engineering and software development that build on decades of work in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and neural networks. But it’s still a bit of frontier. Many are still figuring out what they can do and how best to use them, and many others still dismiss AI as a passing fad to ignore.

While I don’t think we’ve yet reached the point where everyone needs to know how to use AI for day-to-day stuff, it feels like that time is fast approaching. Being able to work with AI is going to be a necessary skill, akin to general computer use and not being an ass to your colleagues.

But can you get by on the free versions of ChatGPT, Copilot, and the rest? Or should you pony up for a premium plan? Well, that depends!

Free AI chatbots are good enough for most

If you haven’t found yourself dabbling with AI yet, whether at work or at home, and you don’t feel much pressure from colleagues or friends or family to do so, then you’re probably fine just using the free versions if and when you get around to it.

ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, Apple Intelligence — they all offer free access with adequate capabilities, able to do all the basics you’d need to get your feet wet with generative AI chatbots. They can answer questions, generate draft text, create images from scratch, and ultimately help you familiarize yourself with using them.

And over time, it’s possible — even expected — that advanced features that are currently premium-only will eventually be made free. Things like custom GPTs and Advanced Voice will become commonplace while other, newer features are introduced to paid subscribers.

One major component of these AI chatbots is that you can communicate with them using natural language, so once you get the hang of how to give them the information they need to give you the response you want, it doesn’t matter whether you’re typing it or saying it. You don’t really need Advanced Voice — it just feels cooler and more futuristic.

Of course, not all premium AI chatbot features are merely for aesthetics, convenience, or early access. There are some real reasons to pay up. Keep reading for aspects you might think are worth paying for.

Related: Practical use cases for ChatGPT

When are premium AI chatbots worth it?

One interesting thing about AI chatbots like ChatGPT is that they can support different GPT models and even run custom GPT models. In essence, you can switch out the “brain” for another one, changing how it interprets your input to give you different output.

Consistent access to the latest and greatest GPT models is worth paying for if you end up using AI chatbots a lot. The free versions are great for getting your feet wet, but they tend to run on older GPT models; as a premium subscriber, you can basically pay for better results — and in this case, better means more accurate, more reliable, and more useful due to improvements made to the underlying language model.

For example, the latest GPT model offers much better coding capabilities compared to earlier ones, so it’s going to be more helpful if you’re trying to learn how to code with the aid of an AI chatbot. Similarly, an older GPT model might have outdated information or lack access to the latest developments, which could lead to wrong or misleading answers. If accuracy and guidance are important to you, then you might seriously want to consider paying for the latest GPT models.

Moreover, some AI chatbots even let you create custom GPT models that are specifically tailored towards certain needs and tasks. For example, one custom GPT might be designed to teach the rules to board games, whereas another custom GPT might be configured to talk and behave like a condescending pirate. (You know, for funsies.) Access to custom GPTs is usually limited to paid subscribers, though.

Jon Martindale / IDG

Personally, I’m more of a stan for ChatGPT Plus, but there’s no denying that it isn’t as good as Copilot Pro when it comes to app integration, particularly with Microsoft 365 apps. If you’re a big Word, Excel, or Outlook user, you should really look into Copilot Pro’s capabilities and weigh whether you’d benefit from from it.

Related: ChatGPT Plus vs. Copilot Pro, compared

AI integration within specific apps won’t always be the way it is right now, but there’s no doubt in my mind that it’ll continue to improve, expand, and take over. You’ll be able to benefit from this shift sooner and over the long run if you take steps now to learn AI and become well-versed so you can more easily adopt newer advancements in the future.

Another thing is that whether you’re using ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, Gemini, or any other AI chatbot, premium plans typically remove (or at least increase) limits and grant priority access during peak usage times. That means you have assurance that you can use the tools of your choice whenever you want and that it’ll be consistent every time.

On the other hand, if you stick with the free versions of these AI chatbots, you could get bumped for a premium user when the service is congested, or you might only be able to request a handful of prompts per day that aren’t enough to finish the task(s) you’re working on.

Premium AI chatbots can be worth paying for, but only for some

I don’t want to be “that guy” who says things like: “It’s only $20! You spend more on that on X, Y, Z…” Because I know that $20 is a lot, and who wants to shell out so much cash every month?

Spending that much on an AI chatbot might be unjustifiable for you, especially if all you’re doing is having a bit of fun and familiarizing yourself with it. On the other hand, if you have money to burn, you could think about these novel premium features as “entertainment” and justify it as the cost of having fun with cutting-edge tech.

But if there’s one group for whom premium AI chatbots are seriously worth it, it’s people who can make money with it.

If you’re a creative, ChatGPT can help you brainstorm, write, edit, and think outside the box. If you’re an office worker, Copilot can drastically boost your productivity so you get more done in less time. If you’re a tech influencer, first-hand experience with AI is how you get the knowledge and expertise to do what you do. If you’re a job seeker, these AI chatbots can help you perfect your résumés and land better roles that pay more.

In all of these cases, you’re likely going to cross whatever limits exist in their respective free plans, and you’re likely going to benefit from their advanced features that let you do more. For me, premium AI chatbot access pays for itself and then some, so it’s a no-brainer; if you can pay $20 per month and earn more out the other side, then that’s a sound investment. Plus, you can cancel as soon as you don’t need it.

For now, premium AI chatbots don’t offer enough revolutionary features to be worthwhile for everyone. That’s on the developers, who still need to figure out what sorts of transformative features are needed to reach broader mainstream appeal. Until then, the free tier will likely remain more than good enough for most.

Related: The truth of how people actually use AI chatbots