Getting in: free or paid, signing up, and the app

Do I need to pay?

No. Start with the free version. It’s genuinely useful, and everything in this guide works on it.

There are paid plans: a cheaper one called Go (around £5–£6 a month in the UK) and Plus (about £20 a month). They mainly give you more use and extra features. On the free version you may occasionally see a message saying you’ve reached your limit for now, and you may see some adverts.

A simple rule: only think about paying if you keep hitting the limit on days you actually need it. Many people never do.

💷 Never pay anyone else for access. The only place to pay is inside the official app or website. Anyone selling “ChatGPT accounts” or “lifetime access” is a scam.

What you’ll need

• An email address you can check (or a Google, Microsoft or Apple account)
• A computer, tablet or smartphone with internet access
• About 10 minutes

Signing up on a computer (or laptop)

1. Open your web browser (Chrome, Safari, Edge or similar).
2. At the top, where web addresses go, type chatgpt.com and press Enter.
3. Click Sign up (not “Log in”, since you don’t have an account yet).
4. Choose Continue with Google / Microsoft / Apple, or type your email address and create a password.
5. If you used an email address, ChatGPT sends you an email to confirm it. Open your email, find the message from OpenAI, and click the button in it. (Check your spam folder if it isn’t there within a minute or two.)
6. Type in your name and date of birth.
7. You’ll see a box that says something like “Ask anything”. You’re in!

✏️ Write it down: make a note of which email address you used, and keep it with your other important logins.

Getting the app on your phone or tablet

The app makes ChatGPT as easy as sending a text.

1. Open the App Store (iPhone/iPad) or Google Play Store (Android).
2. Search for ChatGPT.
3. Check the maker before you install. Under the app’s name it should say OpenAI. There are copycat apps with similar names and logos. Don’t use those.
4. Tap Get or Install.
5. Open the app and sign in with the same email or account you used on the computer.

Your conversations now appear on all your devices automatically.

Your first “hello”

Type this into the message box and press Enter (or tap the ↑ arrow):

Hello! I'm completely new to this. In two short sentences,
what are three simple things you could help me with this week?

Read the reply. That’s your first AI conversation. 🎉

Next: a guided tour of the screen, so every button makes sense.