OpenAI’s artwork showing ChatGPT’s Chat and Work switch, with Notion, Gmail and Google Drive connected. Image: OpenAI
ChatGPT Work is the agent side of ChatGPT: instead of answering in a chat, it takes a goal, works through the steps on its own and hands back finished work, such as a document, spreadsheet, presentation, report or website. OpenAI launched it on July 9, 2026, and ChatGPT now has a switch between Chat and Work.
Here is what Work actually does, how it differs from Chat and from Codex, what it costs, how its limits work and how it stacks up against Anthropic’s Claude Cowork.
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What is ChatGPT Work?
OpenAI’s help centre describes Work as “an agent designed for longer, multi-step work and finished deliverables”. You describe the outcome you want, and Work gathers what it needs from your files and connected apps, breaks the job into steps and produces the result.
The things OpenAI lists for it are:
- researching a topic and writing a report
- analysing information in files or spreadsheets
- creating documents, spreadsheets and presentations
- building a simple website with Sites
On the web and in the phone apps, Work runs in OpenAI’s cloud, so it keeps going if you close the tab. In the ChatGPT desktop app it can also use local files and desktop apps, with your permission. Work chats sit alongside your normal chats in Recents, and you can start one from inside a ChatGPT Project to give it the project’s context. With ChatGPT Voice you can also talk to Work and ask it to start a task.
ChatGPT Work vs Chat: what’s the difference?
OpenAI’s own one-line split: Chat is for “fast, conversational assistance and everyday questions”, while Work is for “longer, multi-step work and finished deliverables”.
In practice:
- Use Chat to ask a question, brainstorm, get a quick draft or talk something through. You get an answer in seconds.
- Use Work when the job has several steps and ends in a file: a market summary built from five sources, a cleaned-up spreadsheet with charts, a slide deck from your notes. It takes longer, and you can leave it running.
The models differ too. GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna are offered in Work and Codex, not in regular Chat, and a Default setting lets ChatGPT pick the model and how hard it thinks.
ChatGPT Work vs Codex
Codex is OpenAI’s agent for software development, and it now lives in the same desktop app as Chat and Work. OpenAI says Codex “remains dedicated to software development and technical work”: it works with local folders, code repositories, terminals and developer tools, and shows commands, file changes and diffs as it goes.
A simple rule: if the task ends in changed code or a pull request, use Codex. If it ends in a document, spreadsheet, presentation or site you would send to someone, use Work. In the desktop app Codex is a separate view with its own history, while Work sits inside ChatGPT next to Chat.
The two share an allowance. OpenAI says Work “follows the same usage structure as Codex”, so heavy use of one leaves less for the other.
Is ChatGPT Work free? Plans and cost
Work has no price of its own: it comes with your ChatGPT plan. Where you can use it depends on the plan.
| Plan | Price a month | ChatGPT Work |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Desktop app only (Mac and Windows) |
| Plus | $20 | Yes: web, phone and desktop, limited GPT-6 Astra |
| Pro | $100, $200 or $500 | Yes: larger allowance, full Astra use, Ultrafast on $500 |
| Business, Enterprise, Edu | Per seat | Yes, unless an admin turns it off |
From OpenAI’s launch announcement (July 9, 2026) and help centre. Prices are US list prices; ChatGPT shows local prices at checkout.
When Work launched, OpenAI said Chat, Work and Codex were available in the desktop app “on every plan, including Free”, globally, while on the web and phone apps Work rolled out to Pro, Enterprise and Edu first, then Plus and Business. Two current offers are worth knowing: US college students can get four months of Plus, including Work, free if they claim by October 31, and $200 Pro subscribers see their Work and Codex allowance cut from 20x to 10x Plus after October 29.
ChatGPT Work limits
OpenAI doesn’t publish a fixed number of Work tasks per plan, because each task uses a different amount depending on its size, the model and the effort setting. What it does say:
- Shared allowance. Work and Codex draw on the same included usage, explained on the Codex pricing page.
- Astra uses more. GPT-6 Astra “may use your allowance faster”. Plus includes limited Astra use in Work, with optional credits after that; Pro plans can spend their full allowance on it.
- Credits. When your included usage runs out, you can keep going with credits, which are used only after your plan’s allowance.
ChatGPT Work vs Claude Cowork
Anthropic’s Claude Cowork is the closest rival. Anthropic’s pitch is the same idea: “hand off a task” and Claude “works across your files and tools” to “deliver work for review”.
| ChatGPT Work | Claude Cowork | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | OpenAI | Anthropic |
| Free plan | Desktop app only | No: Pro and above |
| Cheapest paid plan | Plus, $20 a month | Pro, $20 a month ($17 billed yearly) |
| Where it runs | Desktop, web and phone | Desktop; web rolling out; mobile in beta |
| Uses your own files | Yes, in the desktop app with permission | Yes, in folders and tools you choose |
| Scheduled tasks | Not listed by OpenAI for Work | Yes, “for any cadence” |
| Limits | Shared with Codex | “Consumes limits faster than Chat” |
From each company’s own pages, checked October 3, 2026.
Both are included in plans many people already pay for, so the deciding factor is usually which assistant you use day to day and which apps you need it to reach. If you pay for neither, Work is the only one you can try for free, through the ChatGPT desktop app.
ChatGPT Work not showing? What to check
- On the web or your phone, Work needs a paid plan. Free accounts get it only in the desktop app.
- In the desktop app, choose ChatGPT from the top-left menu, then pick Work from the switch at the top. If it’s missing, OpenAI says to update from Menu > Check for Updates, “even if you recently updated the app”.
- On a work or school account, your admin can turn Work off, and Enterprise and Edu workspaces need Enterprise Key Management enabled.
- Sites, the website builder, launched in beta for Plus and Pro, with the EU and UK listed as coming later.
The desktop app, which is where Free users get Work, was released globally for Mac and Windows at launch. OpenAI hasn’t named any countries where Work itself is blocked, beyond the usual list of places ChatGPT isn’t offered.
Last checked: October 3, 2026, against OpenAI’s and Anthropic’s own pages.
Frequently asked questions
What is ChatGPT Work?
ChatGPT Work is the agent mode inside ChatGPT. You give it a goal and it plans the steps, pulls in your files and connected apps, and hands back finished work such as a document, spreadsheet, presentation, report or website, rather than a chat reply.
What is the difference between ChatGPT Work and Chat?
Chat is for quick questions and conversation. Work is for longer, multi-step jobs that end in a deliverable. OpenAI’s help centre describes Chat as “fast, conversational assistance” and Work as an agent “designed for longer, multi-step work and finished deliverables”.
What is the difference between ChatGPT Work and Codex?
Codex is for software development: code, repositories, terminals, tests and pull requests. Work is for everything else that ends in a file you would send someone. The two share the same usage allowance.
Is ChatGPT Work free?
In the ChatGPT desktop app for Mac and Windows, OpenAI made Work available on every plan, including Free, when it launched on July 9, 2026. On the web and in the mobile apps, Work is for paid plans: Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu.
How much does ChatGPT Work cost?
There is no separate price. Work is included in your ChatGPT plan: Plus is $20 a month and Pro is $100, $200 or $500 a month, with higher usage on the bigger plans. Heavy users can buy credits once the included usage runs out.
Does ChatGPT Work have usage limits?
Yes. OpenAI says Work “follows the same usage structure as Codex”, so it draws on the same allowance, which differs by plan. Plus includes limited use of GPT-6 Astra in Work, while Pro plans can use their full allowance on it.
Why is ChatGPT Work not showing?
On the web and phone apps you need a paid plan. In the desktop app, OpenAI says to update to the latest version from Menu > Check for Updates. In company workspaces, an admin can turn Work off.
Is ChatGPT Work better than Claude Cowork?
They do the same kind of job: hand off a task and get finished files back. Work comes with ChatGPT plans, including Free in the desktop app; Claude Cowork comes with Claude’s paid plans from Pro upwards. Which is better depends on which assistant you already pay for and the files and apps you use.
Sources: OpenAI: ChatGPT is now a partner for your most ambitious work, ChatGPT Work and Codex, Codex pricing, OpenAI on X; Anthropic: Claude Cowork.
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