# ChatGPT: what's new, verdict & setup Canonical: https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/chatgpt · Released: 2026-10-20 · Last verified: 2026-10-25 · Evidence: Reported (not run by us) · Vendor: OpenAI · Official site: https://chatgpt.com/ > OpenAI's assistant for chat, writing, images, voice and agent-style work. ## Verdict **Still the broadest all-round assistant; the October updates matter most if you write documents, decks or work with audio.** Good for: - Writers who need drafts, decks and meeting notes in one place - Teams already on ChatGPT Business or Enterprise - People who want image generation (Images 2.5) in the same app Skip if: - You want strict data isolation by default (check settings) - You need features only on Pro plans and are on a lower tier Status: Reported. Written from official release notes and docs; we have not run this release ourselves. Pricing: Official page, dated. Plan prices read from OpenAI's pricing docs on 2026-10-25. (checked 2026-10-25) ## Best for - [Best AI tool for writing](https://theagenticweekly.com/best/writing) (#1): Writing blocks, Pages, Slides, audio uploads and Word integration make it a general writing workbench. - [Best AI tool for images](https://theagenticweekly.com/best/image-generation) (#3): ChatGPT Images 2.5 (Sep 11) offers templates, sketch-to-image and editing in chat. - [Best AI tool for small business](https://theagenticweekly.com/best/small-business) (#6): Meetings plugin, Pages and scheduled tasks help with admin work, though many features are plan-gated. ## What's new OpenAI's Oct 20 release notes add locked chats, ChatGPT Slides for Pro, Business and Enterprise users in Space, and updates to GPT-6 Pro; earlier in October came GPT-6 with Intelligent UI (Oct 7) and audio uploads (Oct 6). - Oct 20: Locked chats hide selected conversations from history and search behind a 4-digit PIN or device authentication; rolling out to Free, Go, Plus and Pro. - Oct 20: ChatGPT Slides lets you create decks and collaborate in Space, with export to PowerPoint, PDF or Google Slides on the web; for eligible Pro, Business and Enterprise users. - Oct 20: GPT-6 Pro in chat gets faster responses, better tool use and parallel agents for Pro users. - Oct 7: GPT-6 with Intelligent UI can mix text, visuals and interactive elements such as calculators; Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise use GPT-6 Sol; Free and Go use GPT-6 Luna. - Oct 6: Upload audio files for transcripts and summaries on paid plans. - Sep 29: A new Pro 500 plan at $500/month; Pro 200 at $200/month is available again. OpenAI's pricing docs now list Pro plans at $100, $200 or $500 per month. ## How to set it up: Use ChatGPT for a first draft and a deck Steps come from the vendor's own pages or docs. We have not run them ourselves. 1. **Draft in chat.** Describe the document, audience and tone. The June release notes describe full-screen writing blocks for essays, reports and blog posts, which you can save to your Library. ``` https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6825453-chatgpt-release-notes ``` 2. **Add a source.** Upload a file or audio recording (paid plans for audio) and ask for a summary or structured notes. 3. **Turn it into slides.** If you have access to Space, ask ChatGPT to create a presentation, edit it, and export to PowerPoint, PDF or Google Slides. ## Pros and cons Pros: - Very broad feature set - Detailed dated release notes - Word, Excel and PowerPoint add-ins Cons: - Many features roll out gradually and vary by plan, region and workspace - Models, plans and limits change often - Custom GPTs are planned to be retired in favor of plugins ## Guides for ChatGPT - [ChatGPT Work vs ChatGPT Chat vs Codex: what each is for](https://theagenticweekly.com/guides/chatgpt-work-vs-chatgpt-chat) (Reported (not run by us): from OpenAI's documentation; we have not used ChatGPT Work; last verified 2026-10-26) ## Alternatives - [Claude](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/claude): Anthropic's assistant app, with Claude Duet as a new proactive agent in research preview. - [Gemini Notebook](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/gemini-notebook): Source-grounded notebook that turns your documents into answers, slides, video overviews and study aids. - [Midjourney](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/midjourney): Image (and video) generation with the alpha.midjourney.com web app. - [Copy.ai](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/copy-ai): Go-to-market AI platform now priced by workflow credits. - [Grammarly](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/grammarly): AI writing assistant that works across apps; Free $0, Pro $12 per month, Enterprise custom. - [Jasper](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/jasper): AI platform for marketing teams with brand governance and AI visibility tracking; 7-day free trial. - [Writesonic](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/writesonic): Platform for tracking and improving visibility in AI search with article generation. - [FLUX (Black Forest Labs)](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/black-forest-labs): Black Forest Labs' FLUX image models, available through an API with per-image pricing; the flux GitHub repository is Apache-2.0. - [Freepik AI](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/freepik): Stock library with AI suite and credit plans; credits valid for 1 year. - [Goodcall](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/goodcall): AI phone answering service that builds a voice agent for your business and bills per unique customer. - [Ideogram](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/ideogram): AI image generator with Plus, Pro and Team plans, pay-as-you-go credits at 1 cent each, and an API. - [Jobber Receptionist](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/jobber): AI receptionist inside Jobber's home-service business software: answers calls and texts 24/7, books visits and escalates. ## FAQ ### What did ChatGPT add on Oct 20, 2026? Locked chats, ChatGPT Slides in Space for eligible paid workspaces, GPT-Live-1.1 voices, and updates to GPT-6 Pro. ### How much do ChatGPT plans cost? Per OpenAI's pricing docs (fetched Oct 25, 2026): Free $0, Go $8/month, Plus $20/month, Pro plans at $100, $200 or $500/month, Business $20 per user per month billed annually ($25 billed monthly, 2+ users), plus Enterprise and Edu on request. ### Can ChatGPT summarize audio? Yes. Audio uploads are available with paid ChatGPT subscriptions and workspaces, per the Oct 6 note. ## What we have not verified - Writing quality compared with other assistants (not tested) - Whether new features are available on your account ## Sources - [ChatGPT release notes](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6825453-chatgpt-release-notes) (fetched 2026-10-25) - [ChatGPT pricing (OpenAI docs)](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing.md) (fetched 2026-10-25) ## How to cite Agentic Weekly, "ChatGPT: what's new, verdict & setup", last updated 2026-10-25, https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/chatgpt Keep the Reported or Tested label when you quote the verdict.