The short answer
- Paying for 2 chat plans? Keep the one you use most. If you already pay for Google AI Pro, Gemini covers most day-to-day ChatGPT use: a modeled first-year saving of $215. the math
- For light or bursty use, pay per token: the Anthropic API and OpenRouter bill per token with no seat, but you give up the apps' projects, memory and web search. openrouter.ai
- For 2 or more people, Claude Team Standard costs $25/user/mo and ChatGPT Business $25/user/mo, each with a 2-seat minimum. claude.com
- Open WebUI gives you a self-hosted chat interface for your own API keys or local models. It's source-available and must keep its branding. the math
Four ways to stop paying for ChatGPT and Claude
A cheaper vendor
Already included Google AI Pro (Gemini): saves $215 in year one
Open source
Open WebUI: not priced yet
An agent skill
Nothing in the catalog fits this job yet.
Replace with AI
Nothing in the catalog fits this job yet.
The best option of each kind, modeled, not measured: each figure links its math. Keeping ChatGPT and Claude is a valid answer too.
Who should switch, and who shouldn't
Switch if
- You pay for more than one chat assistant and use one of them most days. recipe
- You chat a few times a week: per-token billing is cheaper than a seat for light use. openrouter.ai
- You're on a top tier but rarely hit limits: Claude Pro includes Claude Code with lower limits, and ChatGPT Plus is the entry paid plan. claude.com
Stay if
- You use deep research, voice mode, projects, custom GPTs, memory or the Codex coding agent every week. recipe
- You work in Claude Code daily and hit Pro's limits: Max exists for that. claude.com
- Your team shares projects and needs admin controls in a Team or Business workspace. claude.com
What ChatGPT and Claude cost today
List prices from each vendor's pricing page, as stored in the Stackcut catalog. Each price links its source.
| Plan | Billed monthly | Billed yearly (per month) | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Plus | $20/mo | not shown | $20/month billed monthly |
| ChatGPT Business | $25/user/mo | $20/user/mo | Per user; 2+ users |
| ChatGPT Pro ($200 tier) | $200/mo | not shown | Pro 20X |
| Claude Pro | $20/mo | $17/mo | $200 billed up front yearly or $20 monthly |
| Claude Max 5x | $100/mo | not shown | 5x Pro usage; priority access (from $100/mo) |
| Claude Max 20x | $200/mo | not shown | 20x Pro usage |
| Claude Team Standard seat | $25/user/mo | $20/user/mo | Teams of 2 to 150 |
- As of September 10, 2026, OpenAI has paused new sign-ups and upgrades to the Pro $200 plan; existing subscriptions continue. help.openai.com
The alternatives, ranked
6 ways out, ranked by modeled saving in the first year after setup and upkeep (1 priced). Modeled, not measured: each figure links the math on the recipe page.
- The recipe models 1 person on ChatGPT Plus at $20/mo. Claude has no recipe yet, so its options below show their facts and sources without a modeled saving. recipe
Compare a specific alternative
Considering a specific destination? Read its checked comparison before deciding what to move.
- ChatGPT vs Open WebUI Checked migration details, public switching accounts.
What AI chat seats cost at 1, 5 and 20 users
Individual plans are one per person. Team plans are per seat with a 2-seat minimum and add admin controls.
| Option | List price | 1 user | 5 users | 20 users |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Plus today | $20/mobilled monthly | $20 | $100one plan per person | $400one plan per person |
| ChatGPT Business today | $25/user/mobilled monthly | $502-seat minimum | $125 | $500 |
| Claude Pro today | $20/mobilled monthly | $20 | $100one plan per person | $400one plan per person |
| Claude Team (standard seat) today | $25/user/mobilled monthly | $502-seat minimum | $125 | $500 |
| Google AI Pro (Gemini) Google AI Proincludes 5 TB of storage | $19.99/mobilled monthly | $19.99 | $99.95one plan per person | $399.80one plan per person |
| Open WebUI (self-hosted)plus per-token model costs | $0 licensesource-available | $0+ your server | $0+ your server | $0+ your server |
How people actually left ChatGPT and Claude
6 public accounts of leaving ChatGPT and Claude: 5 switched, 1 evaluated. Summaries are ours; each links the original, and each was checked against its page before it appeared here.
(Note: the post never names ChatGPT explicitly.) A homelab author documents a two-month build of a fully local AI stack with Open WebUI as the daily-driver interface, ending all mandatory AI subscriptions; cloud models remain only as a rarely-used pay-per-use fallback. codysandahl.com
A three-year free-ChatGPT user self-hosts Open WebUI on Docker, fronts it with OpenRouter's zero-data-retention models, and keeps frontier access without a subscription; his GPU proved too weak for fully local models. andrewmarder.net
An r/LocalLLaMA poster shares a Python script that reformats ChatGPT exports for Open WebUI import, preserving dates and conversation tree structure, after finding the built-in import handled the format incorrectly. Reddit
An r/ChatGPTCoding user weighs replacing a ChatGPT Plus/Pro subscription with Open WebUI connected to GPT-5 via the OpenAI API, to escape ChatGPT's context and reasoning caps; no switch has happened yet. Reddit
An HN commenter from April 2024 reports using Open WebUI with the OpenAI APIs as their own pay-per-use GPT-4 setup, calling it functionally identical to the ChatGPT interface. Hacker News
A DEV Community author reports cancelling their ChatGPT subscription in April 2024 in favor of self-hosted Open WebUI running Llama 3 via Ollama, with OpenAI, GroqCloud (free tier) and their own Cloudflare Workers AI as fallback APIs. DEV Community
How to leave ChatGPT and Claude
Export first, then cancel. Every step links the vendor's own help page, checked on the date shown.
How to leave ChatGPT
Export first
- Chat history and account data: Settings → Data controls → Export data → Export → Confirm export (ZIP). It arrives by email or SMS and can take up to 7 days; the link expires 24 hours after you get it. help.openai.com
Cancel
- Export your data first (see export).
- Settings → Billing → Cancel plan → Cancel.
- Subscriptions bought through the Apple App Store are cancelled with Apple; deleting your ChatGPT account doesn't cancel them.
- Takes effect
- Paid features stay until the end of the current billing period. Cancel at least 24 hours before the next billing date.
- Refunds
- Cancelling stops future renewals but doesn't refund earlier charges.
How to leave Claude
Export first
- Conversations and account data: Settings → Privacy → Export data (web or desktop app). A download link arrives by email and expires 24 hours after delivery. support.claude.com
Cancel
- Export your data first (see export).
- Your name at the lower left → Settings → Billing → Cancel.
- App Store and Google Play subscriptions are cancelled in those stores.
- Takes effect
- At the end of the current billing period. Cancel at least 24 hours before the next billing date.
- Refunds
- Payments are non-refundable except where Anthropic's terms or the law say otherwise; EEA and UK customers can get a refund within 14 days of purchase, prorated to use.
Not covered by the paths above, per the recipe: Deep research, Voice mode, Projects, Custom GPTs, Memory, Codex coding agent. If you rely on one of these, keep the incumbent or check the path closely.
Moving your data, destination by destination
What each destination's importer carries over, what it leaves behind, and any help it offers switchers.
To Open WebUI
Official guide docs.openwebui.com · Tools: Open WebUI built-in chat import
Moves: ChatGPT conversations (messages, roles, structure) (partial). docs.openwebui.com
Doesn't move: Other account data in the ChatGPT export ZIP beyond chat history (the ZIP also holds account data). docs.openwebui.com
Watch out for:
- Re-importing the same file creates duplicates because each import gets fresh chat IDs docs.openwebui.com
- No built-in converter for Claude or Gemini exports; only ChatGPT exports are auto-detected docs.openwebui.com
- Very large files have no hard size limit but take longer, depending on server memory docs.openwebui.com
Community guide github.com · Tools: chatgpt-to-open-webui (convert.py)
Moves: ChatGPT conversations (full). github.com
Watch out for:
- No progress or feedback during import; large imports take several minutes github.com
- Back up webui.db before importing; malformed conversations are skipped (check terminal output for skips) github.com
- Converter records imported chat IDs in ~/chatgpt/imported.json to avoid re-importing github.com
From each destination's own migration docs and switching pages, plus community write-ups where no official guide exists, each checked against its page. Confirm terms on the linked page before you rely on an offer.
Open-source and forkable options
- Open WebUI: Self-hosted ChatGPT-style UI for your own API keys or local models. Server plus per-token model costs depend on use, so unpriced. License: Open WebUI License (source-available; keep Open WebUI branding) · source code
Open source means no license fee, not free to run: the server, backups and upgrades are yours. Read the license before you fork or resell; several of these are open-core or source-available.
FAQ
How do I cancel ChatGPT Plus?
Settings → Billing → Cancel plan → Cancel. It stops future renewals but doesn't refund earlier charges; cancel at least 24 hours before the next billing date. help.openai.com
How do I cancel Claude Pro?
Settings → Billing → Cancel. It takes effect at the end of the billing period, so cancel at least 24 hours before the next billing date. support.claude.com
How do I keep my chats?
ChatGPT: Settings → Data controls → Export data, which can take up to 7 days to arrive. help.openai.com
Claude: Settings → Privacy → Export data. Both download links expire 24 hours after they arrive. support.claude.com
Is paying per token really cheaper?
For light use, yes: OpenRouter and the Anthropic API bill per token with no seat. The trade-off is the app: no projects, memory or built-in web search. openrouter.ai
Can I still buy ChatGPT Pro at $200?
Not as a new subscriber: as of September 10, 2026, OpenAI has paused new sign-ups and upgrades to the Pro $200 plan. Existing subscriptions continue, and Pro $100 is unaffected. help.openai.com
Keep reading
Check your own stack
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Connect the Stackcut MCP server (https://stackcut.io/mcp, no API key) and ask: “Our team of 5 pays for ChatGPT Plus and Claude Pro for everyone. What should we keep?”
audit_stack({"services": [
{"vendor": "chatgpt", "seats": 5, "monthly_spend_usd": 100},
{"vendor": "claude", "seats": 5, "monthly_spend_usd": 100}]})