So OpenAI just did something unexpected: they made GPT-4o - their best model - available to everyone for free. Not a stripped-down version. Not a trial. The actual flagship model.
If you've been on the fence about paying $20/month for ChatGPT Plus, this changes the math. Here's what you need to know.
What Actually Happened
On May 13, 2024, OpenAI announced GPT-4o (the "o" stands for "omni"). It's their newest model that can work with text, images, audio, and video all at once.
The big news: they're rolling it out to free users. Not just paid subscribers. Everyone.
That's a pretty significant shift. For context, over 100 million people use ChatGPT every week. Most of them have been stuck on the older, less capable free version. Now they get the good stuff.
What Free Users Actually Get
Here's the full list of what's now free:
- GPT-4 level intelligence - The same brain that powers the paid version
- Web browsing - Ask it to look something up online and it will
- Data analysis - Upload a spreadsheet, ask questions, get charts
- Image understanding - Take a photo of something and ask about it
- File uploads - PDFs, documents, spreadsheets for summarizing or analysis
- Access to GPTs - Those custom chatbots in the GPT Store
- Memory - It remembers things about you across conversations
That's... basically everything. Six months ago, you needed to pay $20/month for most of this.
What's the Catch?
There's always a catch, right? Here's the deal:
Usage limits. Free users get a certain number of messages before ChatGPT bumps you down to the older model. OpenAI hasn't published exact numbers, but from testing it seems to be around 10-15 messages with GPT-4o before you hit the limit.
When you hit the limit, it doesn't cut you off - it just switches you to GPT-3.5 (the dumber free model) until your limit resets.
Plus subscribers get up to 5x higher message limits. So if you're using it heavily throughout the day, the paid tier still makes sense.
Why This Matters for Small Businesses
Here's the thing: 39% of small businesses are now using AI tools - that's more than double from last year. But a lot of business owners have been hesitant because they weren't sure if it was worth $20/month.
Now you can find out for free.
Some practical things you can now do without paying:
- Take a photo of a receipt and ask it to categorize the expense
- Upload a contract and ask "what should I be worried about?"
- Paste in customer emails and have it draft professional responses
- Share a screenshot of your website and ask what's confusing
- Upload your competitor's pricing page and ask for a comparison
The free version is now good enough for 80% of what small businesses need from AI.
Should You Still Pay for Plus?
Maybe. Here's when the $20/month makes sense:
- You use it constantly - If you're hitting that free limit multiple times a day, Plus removes the frustration
- You need voice conversations - The new voice mode is rolling out to Plus users first
- You create images - DALL-E image generation is still Plus-only
- You want priority access - When ChatGPT gets slow (happens during peak hours), Plus users get priority
If you use ChatGPT a few times a week for occasional questions? Stick with free. If it's becoming a daily work tool? The $20 is worth not hitting limits.
What About the Multimodal Stuff?
"Multimodal" is the tech buzzword here. It means GPT-4o can handle text, images, audio, and video all at once - not as separate systems bolted together.
For now, the practical parts are:
- Image understanding - Already live. Take a photo, ask questions.
- Voice conversations - Coming soon for Plus users, then free.
- Video understanding - Announced but not available yet.
The voice stuff is genuinely impressive in demos. Real-time conversation with natural pauses and responses. But it's not rolled out broadly yet, so I'll save the deep dive for when you can actually use it.
The Bottom Line
The free version of ChatGPT just got a lot better. If you've been curious about AI but didn't want to pay, the excuse is gone.
My recommendation:
- Try the free version first - Use it for a week. See if you hit the limits.
- If you keep hitting limits - Consider Plus ($20/month)
- If free works fine - Don't let anyone upsell you
The paid version isn't a scam - it's genuinely better for heavy users. But OpenAI just made the "should I try AI?" question a lot easier to answer. The answer is yes, and it costs nothing to find out.
What YouGrow Does Differently
We use AI tools daily - ChatGPT, Claude, and others - to help our clients with everything from drafting website copy to analyzing their competitors. But we're not here to hype every new announcement.
This one actually matters. Free access to GPT-4o is a genuine shift that makes AI practical for small businesses who weren't sure if it was worth the investment.
Not sure how to actually use AI for your specific business? Let's talk. I'll show you the workflows that actually save time - no charge for the conversation.