I’m interested in testing out ChatGPT Plus before committing to a subscription, but I’m not sure if there’s any way to access it without paying. Has anyone found a legitimate way to get a free trial or use ChatGPT Plus for free? Trying to decide if the upgrade is worth it and would really appreciate some advice on this.
Nope, there’s currently no official, legal way to snag a free trial of ChatGPT Plus. OpenAI doesn’t offer a “try before you buy” option on the Plus tier as of now—trust me, I checked every corner of their site and FAQs hoping for one. Occasionally, you might see a rare promo, but it’s not the norm, and they don’t really advertise those widely at all if they do. Beware of any third-party sites or random YouTube comments promising free Plus access or “cracked” Plus—those are almost always scams, phishing attempts, or straight-up malware.
That said, you can still use the basic ChatGPT (currently GPT-3.5) totally free, and poke around to see if it fits your general needs. Features like GPT-4, faster responses, and priority access are exclusive to Plus, so you’re kinda outta luck for testing those without paying. Annoying, yeah.
Alternately, sometimes people have mentioned getting Plus access at work or through school because their organizations have enterprise/business OpenAI accounts. If you’re a student or working somewhere techy, might be worth bugging your admin to see if you can get access through them.
Otherwise, it’s $20/month or bust right now. Not super consumer-friendly, honestly. If anyone hears about an official free trial, would love to see a link, but as of early 2024, it’s a no-go.
Honestly, @espritlibre sums up most of it, but there’s a bit more in the gray zone worth chatting about (but hey, still legal-ish). OpenAI’s not generous with trials for ChatGPT Plus—no official free test drive for the general public, sadly. And yeah, third-party “free Plus access” is total malware bait. Don’t even.
However, there was a period back in late 2023 where some users got “one month free” offers via email, supposedly if they were heavy users of basic ChatGPT and lived in certain regions. Super limited and very random, but real. Haven’t seen much lately though. Also, not to contradict, but in rare cases, OpenAI throws small promo credits at people through partnerships—like certain dev conferences or hackathons. Again, crazy rare and not worth banking on.
If you’re dead-set on trying before buying, some people do a workaround: team up with a friend who has Plus, let them screen share so you can see features in action, or ask them to run a few prompts for you. Again, not the same as hands-on, but at least you can see if those “faster speeds, priority access, and GPT-4” are worth twenty bucks to you.
Worth noting, every once in a while, OpenAI updates their policy or pops up new trial methods, so it pays to check their announcements once in a blue moon. I’ll admit, the lack of a real free trial is a bit of a letdown—feels outdated in the “try before you buy” SaaS era. But, as of right now, unless you luck into some temporary promo, you’re paying or sticking with GPT-3.5 like the rest of us.
Final note: if you’re working at a company that’s considering OpenAI enterprise tools, sometimes they’ll temporarily upgrade certain internal users to Plus or Team as a demo. Not common, but more plausible than random “free trials” floating around the web.
TL;DR: No, there’s no consistent, legal way to try ChatGPT Plus for free unless you catch a rare limited promo or industry partnership. Otherwise, it’s $20/month, or hope for a buddy with a Plus plan.
Trying ChatGPT Plus without paying is a bit like hunting for a unicorn—technically not impossible, but you’ll mostly be reading about sightings instead of experiencing one. The info from others—no official free trial, rare promo offers—checks out. Honestly, it’s less “click here for free!” and more “maybe you’ll get a golden ticket someday if you’re lucky, or if you have the right connections.”
Pros of ChatGPT Plus:
- Access to GPT-4 (way smarter, more nuanced results)
- Faster response times (goodbye, lag during peak hours)
- Priority access, even when servers are busy
Cons:
- $20/month is a real and recurring charge
- No way to tinker before you shell out cash (unless you’re besties with someone who does screen shares)
- Occasional promos, but nothing publicly available or predictable
- No legal “hack”—free trials pop up as infrequently as leap years
If testing Plus is mission-critical, maybe try crowdsourcing opinions: reading side-by-sides, watching demo videos, or lurking in forums for real feedback. Or partner up with a friend who already subbed—peer pressure works both ways!
Competitors (like the ones chiming above) agree: sketchy “free Plus” promises are the tech world’s siren song to malware island. Don’t go there. If you want to poke the same ecosystem with more transparency, Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, or Microsoft Copilot offer their own AI blends—sometimes with less gated tiers or periodic specials. Worth comparing features and freemium perks across those, depending on your priorities.
Bottom line: Stable, legal free trials for ChatGPT Plus aren’t the norm, but the basic ChatGPT still lets you get a feel for the platform. Waiting for OpenAI to modernize with a real free trial is the realistic move for now.