AI Subscription Price History Tracker
Track every AI subscription price change since launch. Full timeline of pricing moves from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and more.
Every AI subscription pricing change, tracked since launch. Use this timeline to understand how providers have adjusted pricing, when new tiers appeared, and what patterns suggest about future changes.
Why Price History Matters
AI subscription pricing has moved fast since ChatGPT Plus launched in February 2023. New tiers, annual billing options, and budget plans have reshaped the market. Understanding the history helps you make better decisions about when to subscribe, whether to lock in annual billing, and which providers have stable pricing.
Complete Price Change Timeline
The following timeline covers every significant consumer pricing event across all 9 tracked providers, ordered chronologically.
2023
| Date | Provider | Event | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2023 | ChatGPT | Plus plan launched | $20/mo |
| Mar 2023 | Copilot | Pro plan launched (as Bing Chat Enterprise precursor) | $20/mo |
| Jun 2023 | Claude | Pro plan launched | $20/mo |
| Dec 2023 | Perplexity | Pro plan launched | $20/mo |
| Dec 2023 | Gemini | Advanced plan launched (as Bard Advanced/Ultra) | $19.99/mo |
2024
| Date | Provider | Event | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2024 | Gemini | Rebranded from Bard; Advanced plan confirmed at launch | $19.99/mo |
| Mar 2024 | Copilot | Pro plan officially launched under Copilot branding | $20/mo |
| May 2024 | Mistral | Le Chat Pro launched | $15/mo |
| Sep 2024 | ChatGPT | Pro plan announced at DevDay | $200/mo |
| Nov 2024 | Grok | Premium+ plan launched with xAI | $22/mo |
| Dec 2024 | ChatGPT | Pro plan officially available | $200/mo |
2025
| Date | Provider | Event | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | DeepSeek | Remained free (no paid consumer tier) | $0 |
| Feb 2025 | Claude | Annual billing introduced | $17/mo (billed annually) |
| Mar 2025 | Gemini | AI Ultra tier launched | $249.99/mo |
| Apr 2025 | ChatGPT | Go plan launched (budget tier) | $5/mo |
| Jun 2025 | Perplexity | Annual billing discount introduced | $17/mo (billed annually) |
| Aug 2025 | Gemini | Rebranded tiers: AI Pro ($19.99/mo), AI Ultra ($249.99/mo) | — |
| Oct 2025 | Meta AI | Confirmed ongoing free access, no paid tier | $0 |
2026
| Date | Provider | Event | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2026 | Copilot | Annual billing option added | $18/mo (billed annually) |
| Mar 2026 | Grok | Annual billing option added | $19/mo (billed annually) |
Provider-by-Provider Pricing History
ChatGPT (OpenAI)
ChatGPT established the $20/month price point that most competitors matched. The Plus plan has held steady at $20/month since February 2023. OpenAI expanded the range in both directions: the $200/month Pro plan targets power users who need maximum model access, while the $5/month Go plan introduced a budget option with access to GPT-4o at reduced limits.
Current plans: Free ($0), Go ($5/mo), Plus ($20/mo), Pro ($200/mo)
Claude (Anthropic)
Claude Pro launched at $20/month and has not changed. The significant pricing event was the introduction of annual billing in early 2025, which brought the effective monthly price down to $17/month for subscribers who commit to a year. This made Claude one of the better values at the standard tier.
Current plans: Free ($0), Pro ($20/mo or $17/mo annual)
Gemini (Google)
Gemini has gone through the most rebranding of any provider. Originally launched as Bard, it became Gemini in February 2024. The Advanced plan held at $19.99/month throughout. Google introduced the Ultra tier at $249.99/month in 2025, offering expanded model access and higher limits. The slight $0.01 undercut versus ChatGPT Plus at the standard tier has been consistent since launch.
Current plans: Free ($0), AI Pro ($19.99/mo), AI Ultra ($249.99/mo)
Perplexity
Perplexity Pro launched at $20/month and added annual billing in mid-2025, bringing the effective cost to roughly $17/month. Perplexity differentiates on search-focused AI rather than general-purpose chat, which makes its pricing competitive for research-heavy users.
Current plans: Free ($0), Pro ($20/mo or ~$17/mo annual)
Grok (xAI)
Grok entered the market at $22/month with Premium+, slightly above the $20 standard. Annual billing arrived in early 2026, bringing the effective rate to $19/month. Grok’s pricing reflects its positioning as a premium option tied to the X (formerly Twitter) ecosystem.
Current plans: Premium+ ($22/mo or $19/mo annual)
Copilot (Microsoft)
Microsoft Copilot Pro launched at $20/month, matching the market standard. Annual billing was added in early 2026 at $18/month effective. Copilot’s value proposition is tightly coupled with Microsoft 365 integration rather than standalone chat capabilities.
Current plans: Free ($0), Pro ($20/mo or $18/mo annual)
DeepSeek
DeepSeek has maintained free access to its consumer models throughout its history. There is no paid consumer subscription tier. Revenue comes from API access, which is priced separately and not covered in this tracker.
Current plans: Free ($0)
Mistral
Mistral’s Le Chat Pro launched at $15/month, making it the most affordable paid subscription among providers with premium models. The price has remained stable since launch. No annual billing option exists yet.
Current plans: Free ($0), Le Chat Pro ($15/mo)
Meta AI
Meta AI has been free since launch with no paid consumer tier. Meta’s strategy focuses on model distribution (Llama) and platform integration rather than subscription revenue.
Current plans: Free ($0)
Pricing Patterns and Trends
Several patterns emerge from the pricing history:
The $20 anchor. ChatGPT Plus set $20/month as the market standard in February 2023. Claude, Perplexity, and Copilot all matched it exactly. Gemini undercut by a penny. This price point has proven remarkably sticky.
Expansion, not inflation. No provider has raised the price of an existing plan. Instead, providers add new tiers above (ChatGPT Pro at $200, Gemini Ultra at $249.99) or below (ChatGPT Go at $5) the standard tier.
Annual billing as the value play. Starting in 2025, providers began offering annual billing discounts of 10-15%. This effectively creates a lower price tier without reducing the headline monthly rate.
Free tiers persist. Every provider except Grok offers a free tier. Free access has become a customer acquisition expectation rather than a temporary promotion.
When Do Prices Typically Change?
Based on historical patterns, pricing changes tend to cluster around:
- Product launches and rebrandings — new models or platform changes often come with pricing adjustments
- Q1 announcements — several providers have introduced annual billing or new tiers in January through March
- Developer conferences — OpenAI’s DevDay and Google I/O have been venues for pricing announcements
- Competitive responses — new entrants (like ChatGPT Go) tend to trigger responses within 1-2 quarters
For the latest pricing across all providers, see our complete pricing comparison.
What to Do Next
Frequently Asked Questions
- How far back does the price history go?
- Our records cover pricing from each provider's consumer launch date. For ChatGPT, that starts with the Plus plan in February 2023. Other providers are tracked from the date they first offered a paid consumer subscription.
- Do you track price changes in other currencies?
- All prices are listed in USD. Some providers price differently by region, but our tracker focuses on US dollar pricing as the baseline for comparison.
- How quickly do you add new price changes?
- We verify and add pricing changes within 48 hours of an official announcement. Unconfirmed leaks or beta pricing are not included until the provider makes a public change.
- Have any AI subscriptions increased in price?
- As of April 2026, no major provider has raised the price of an existing plan. Price changes have come through new tier introductions rather than increases to established plans.