ChatGPT vs Lex: pricing, features and which to choose

ChatGPT is OpenAI’s conversational AI service, launched in 2022 as a free research preview fine-tuned from GPT-3.5. It supports follow-up dialogue, web search, voice, files, vision, data analysis, image creation, coding, deep research, Projects, memory, custom GPTs, ChatGPT Work, and Codex. Current offerings include GPT-6 Astra, GPT-6 Sol, GPT-6 Luna, GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-5.6 Sol, GPT-5.6 Terra, and other tier-dependent models. Free access costs $0, while Pro costs $100 or $200 monthly, with Pro 500 at $500; Business costs $25 monthly or $240 annually per Standard seat, and Premium costs $125 monthly or $1,200 annually. Usage, context, tool access, and model availability vary considerably. Outputs can be inaccurate or non-unique, and API access is billed separately. Compared with Claude and similar assistants, ChatGPT suits users wanting broad multimodal tools, while privacy-sensitive organizations should consider Business or Enterprise.

A typical ChatGPT session starts with a typed prompt, uploaded file, voice request, or web search, then develops through follow-up questions, revisions, premise checks, and format changes. Depending on the plan, users can inspect images, analyze spreadsheets, create images, generate tables and charts, browse the web, conduct deep research, and organize work in Projects. Memory can preserve selected preferences across conversations, while Custom GPTs, scheduled tasks, ChatGPT Work, and Codex support repeatable workflows. The product also offers voice, vision, file uploads, data analysis, interactive tables, and a built-in browser, with access and limits varying by subscription. Business workspaces can connect Google Workspace, Slack, GitHub, Microsoft 365, and other internal tools under administrator controls, making ChatGPT adaptable for both individual tasks and coordinated organizational work.

ChatGPT is a broad general assistant, combining conversation, web search, file uploads, vision, data analysis, image creation, voice, projects, memory, custom GPTs, and Codex in one service. Its main strengths are convenience and breadth, while its main weaknesses are variable usage limits, potentially inaccurate or unsuitable output, and the need to pay separately for API access. It also is not presented as open source or self-hostable, which may rule it out for organizations requiring local control. Claude is a close competitor for writing, research, and coding, while Gemini may suit users deeply invested in Google services. Perplexity is a stronger choice for search-oriented answers with citations. Choose ChatGPT if one flexible workspace matters more than specialized search, a narrower interface, or on-premises deployment.

Lex is an AI-focused word processor founded by Nathan Baschez and spun out of Every. TechCrunch reported a $2.75 million seed round led by True Ventures on August 23, 2023, after Lex attracted about 25,000 sign-ups during its first day. Lex’s 2024 annual letter reported 47,000 users making 15 million edits across 400,000 documents, alongside more than 14 trillion language-model tokens processed. The product targets substantial writing and revision rather than standalone text generation. It combines a document editor with AI assistance, comments, shared documents, folders, and model selection. Its current pricing page says Lex is no longer accepting new customers, which materially changes its usefulness for new buyers while existing accounts continue working. Lex remains positioned around AI-assisted writing inside an integrated word-processing workspace.

Lex’s workflow keeps drafting, reference material, conversation, and revision in one browser-based writing environment. Users can write documents, collaborate through comments and sharing, open Ask Lex, attach files or PDFs, and request ideas, counterarguments, rewrites, summaries, or feedback on selected text. Context tags collect reusable background information from files, URLs, Lex documents, and folders, then let users add that material to chats when needed. The 2024 annual letter describes context tags as buckets of reusable information that can be shared across teams, allowing one person to maintain reference material for others. Checks provide inline suggestions, including a Brevity Check, while folders organize documents and shared work. The workflow is aimed at writers who want AI to support judgment, editing, research, and iteration rather than replace authorship.

Lex’s main caveat is availability: new customers cannot subscribe according to the current pricing page, while existing accounts continue working. The free plan’s complete numerical limits are not publicly stated, and Pro usage limits are described as generous rather than given as a fixed quota. Lex’s privacy notice says it collects documents, comments, chat inputs, assistant outputs, account information, usage information, and related metadata. Its terms grant Lex a license to operate the service and provide personalized suggestions, while stating that uploaded content is not used to train its models. Google Docs, ChatGPT, and Grammarly are named direct competitors, with Notion AI, Hemingway Editor, and Writer also relevant alternatives. Existing Lex users should pick it when integrated document editing and reusable context matter most.