ChatGPT is OpenAI's multimodal AI application for text, research, data analysis, coding, image generation, voice, and knowledge-based work.
Its current feature set includes, among other things, Search, Deep Research, Data Analysis, Projects, Custom GPTs, Codex, Images, Voice Mode, and, additionally for Business/Enterprise, Apps and Company Knowledge. This makes ChatGPT today more of a broad work platform than just a chatbot.
Chat GPT
ChatGPT is your AI chatbot for everyday use
Origin: USA ⓘ OpenAI OpCo, LLC, 1455 3rd Street, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
Plus Individual plan for advanced use; includes, among other things, GPT-5.5 Thinking, expanded messages/uploads, better image generation, enhanced Deep Research and Agent Mode, Projects, Tasks, Custom GPTs, and expanded Codex access.
Pro Powerful individual plan for maximum productivity; includes more usage, GPT-5.5 Pro, maximum Codex tasks, unlimited GPT-5.3 and file uploads, faster image generation, maximum Deep Research and Agent Mode, as well as larger memory/context functions. Other Business Codex Usage-based team model for development-oriented teams; focus on AI-supported software development, code and security reviews, automation, cloud environments, admin controls, SAML/MFA, and no training on customer data.
Business ChatGPT & Codex Team plan for startups and growing companies; includes Plus and Business Codex features, unlimited core chat, apps/connectors such as Slack, Google Drive, SharePoint, GitHub, and Atlassian, data analysis, Record Mode, Canvas, shared projects, workspace GPTs, admin and security features.
Enterprise Custom enterprise model for large organizations; includes an expanded context window, enterprise security features such as SCIM, EKM, role-based controls, domain verification, data residency in multiple regions, 24/7 priority support, SLAs, custom contract terms, and no use of business data for training by default.
ChatGPT Edu / Higher Education Education plan for higher education institutions; offers expanded access to GPT-5, tools for data analysis, web browsing, file integrations, document summarization, and custom GPTs for campus workspaces.
Target audience
Today, ChatGPT is aimed at a very broad spectrum: private users, freelancers, knowledge workers, developers, analysts, teams, universities, and large enterprises. For individuals, Free, Go, Plus, and Pro are the main options; for organizations, Business, Enterprise, and Edu are the relevant variants. The feature set scales from everyday questions and writing to coding, data analysis, Deep Research, and internal knowledge integration.
Outstanding features
ChatGPT’s biggest distinguishing feature is the bundling of very different work modes into a single interface: Search for up-to-date web research with sources, Deep Research for longer, documented analyses, Data Analysis for file and spreadsheet work with code execution, Codex for software development, Images for image generation/editing, Voice Mode and Record Mode for spoken work, as well as Projects, Custom GPTs, Apps, and Company Knowledge for recurring team workflows. This breadth is exactly what makes ChatGPT a “general purpose” AI tool for many users rather than a niche tool.
Most important use cases
ChatGPT is strongest wherever unstructured knowledge work needs to be translated quickly into concrete results: research, drafts, revisions, coding, data analysis, meeting and voice summaries, project planning, document work, presentation support, and internal knowledge retrieval. In Business/Enterprise scenarios, this is further expanded by connecting internal sources via Apps and Company Knowledge. This means ChatGPT covers both individual productivity and organized teamwork.
Usage & notes
Free is enough for initial testing; for serious daily knowledge work, Plus is usually the more realistic starting point. As soon as multiple people collaborate or sensitive data is involved, Business or Enterprise/Edu should be considered, because different privacy, admin, and compliance rules apply there than with consumer plans. It is also practically important to understand the plan differences precisely: not every feature is included in every plan, each feature has different limits, and some features are platform-specific or still rolling out. Human review remains advisable for high-stakes content.
| Who is it suitable for? | Assessment & rationale |
|---|---|
| Private individuals | Very suitable – for everyday life, learning, writing, research, translations, planning, simple image ideas, and productivity. According to OpenAI, the Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans are designed for individuals. |
| Self-employed / freelancers | Very suitable – especially for content, proposals, emails, SEO, research, presentations, client communication, and idea development. The typical use cases align strongly with Texts / Content, Writing & Editing, Research, Marketing / Advertising, SEO / GEO, and Email / Communication. |
| SMEs / small teams | Very suitable – according to OpenAI, ChatGPT Business is intended for organizations that want to use a shared workspace, including secure collaboration, centralized billing, admin controls, role/access management, as well as usage and output control. |
| Large enterprises | Very suitable – ChatGPT Enterprise is a managed plan for organizations with enterprise privacy, security, centralized administration, domain verification, SSO, SCIM, and usage insights. |
| Developers / technical teams | Suitable – not as an API replacement, but as a work assistant for code understanding, refactoring, debugging, documentation, technical concepts, and Codex usage. For production integration into their own software, however, the OpenAI API is more suitable. |
| Privacy-conscious companies | Conditionally to well suited – OpenAI cites enterprise privacy, security, and admin controls for ChatGPT Business and Enterprise; according to OpenAI, customer data or metadata from the API, ChatGPT Business, and ChatGPT Enterprise are also not fed into the training pipeline. Nevertheless, companies should review DPA/AVV, data flows, role permissions, and internal policies before deployment. |
| Education / students / teachers | Suitable – useful for explanations, study plans, summaries, practice exercises, language learning, and academically oriented research. Important: results must be checked, especially sources, facts, and quotations. |
| Pure API/product integration | Not primarily suitable – ChatGPT is the end-user interface. Anyone who wants to build AI functions directly into their own apps, SaaS products, or backend processes should use the OpenAI API. |
Source: Introducing GPT-5.5 | OpenAI
Hosting & Data
1) On-prem / local hosting
Meaning: The company operates the solution on its own hardware or within its own infrastructure. In the strictest sense, not only the application runs locally, but ideally the model as well.
2) Private cloud / data center
Meaning: The solution runs in a dedicated or more clearly separated cloud environment, often with a hosting provider or hyperscaler, but in a German data center or in a particularly controlled environment.
3) EU SaaS / managed
Meaning: The provider operates the solution itself as a service. The company uses the tool as a ready-made cloud service, ideally with EU data residency.
4) Hybrid
Meaning: One part of the processing remains internal / local / in a private cloud, while another part runs in an external cloud or EU SaaS.
5) AVV / DPA
Meaning: This is the data processing agreement or Data Processing Addendum. It governs that the provider processes personal data on behalf of the customer and is bound by the customer's instructions.
6) No training
Meaning: The provider does not use your prompts, uploads, attachments, chat histories, or outputs for training or improving the general model — ideally excluded by contract.
7) Open-source / transparency path
Meaning: There is a path toward greater technical transparency and sovereignty, for example through:
- open models
- documented components
- self-hostable parts
- traceable architecture
- export / switching options
| On-prem / local hosting | ❓ |
| Private cloud / data center | ❓ |
| EU SaaS / Managed | ❓ |
| Hybrid | ❓ |
| DPA / AVV | ⚠️ |
| No training on customer data | ⚠️ |
| Open source / transparency path | ⚠️ |
For companies with GDPR requirements, ChatGPT Enterprise is clearly preferable. Enterprise offers data residency, advanced security features, no training by default, DPA/AVV, SCC provisions, admin controls, and certifications. ChatGPT Business is suitable for many standard business scenarios, but without data residency and without some Enterprise controls. Free/Plus/Pro are only recommended to a limited extent for sensitive personal data, confidential company data, or regulated industries.
Conclusion:
For GDPR-sensitive organizations, ChatGPT Enterprise with DPA/AVV, training disabled, appropriate admin controls, and enabled EU data residency is the most robust option. For private or standard Plus/Pro use, ChatGPT remains only conditionally suitable from a data protection perspective, because content may be used by default for model improvement and there is no classic AVV for business processing.
| On-prem / local hosting | ❓ |
| Private cloud / data center | ❓ |
| EU SaaS / Managed | ❓ |
| Hybrid | ❓ |
| DPA / AVV | ⚠️ |
| No training on customer data | ⚠️ |
| Open source / transparency path | ⚠️ |
For companies with GDPR requirements, ChatGPT Enterprise is clearly preferable. Enterprise offers data residency, advanced security features, no training by default, DPA/AVV, SCC provisions, admin controls, and certifications. ChatGPT Business is suitable for many standard business scenarios, but without data residency and without some Enterprise controls. Free/Plus/Pro are only recommended to a limited extent for sensitive personal data, confidential company data, or regulated industries.
Conclusion:
For GDPR-sensitive organizations, ChatGPT Enterprise with DPA/AVV, training disabled, appropriate admin controls, and enabled EU data residency is the most robust option. For private or standard Plus/Pro use, ChatGPT remains only conditionally suitable from a data protection perspective, because content may be used by default for model improvement and there is no classic AVV for business processing.
Strengths & Weaknesses at a Glance
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| • Very broad range of functions in one product: writing, research, analysis, coding, images, voice. | • For Individual plans, content may by default be used for model improvement unless users actively opt out. |
| • Search and Deep Research with sources make up-to-date research possible directly in ChatGPT. | • The level of data protection and governance differs significantly between Consumer and Business/Enterprise. |
| • Codex also makes ChatGPT seriously relevant for software development. | • The pricing model has meanwhile become considerably more complex, with multiple Personal, Business, Enterprise, Edu, Credit, and Codex options. |
| • Data Analysis can analyze structured files and generate tables/charts. | • Some features depend on the plan or platform; for example, Record Mode is currently only available in the macOS app. |
| • For Business/Enterprise, there are workspace, admin, SSO, SCIM, company knowledge, and privacy features. |
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GDPR-compliant use possible?
ChatGPT is not categorically “GDPR-compliant” or “not GDPR-compliant”; the assessment depends heavily on the plan used, the activated settings, and the specific use case.
For private accounts / Free, Plus, Pro: OpenAI may use content to improve the model; according to OpenAI, data sharing is enabled by default for personal workspaces, but can be disabled via “Improve the model for everyone.” For users in the EEA or Switzerland, OpenAI Ireland Ltd. is the responsible entity; OpenAI also processes and stores personal data outside the EEA/UK/Switzerland and relies on adequacy decisions and SCCs, among other things, for transfers.
For ChatGPT Business / Enterprise / Edu: significantly better suited, as OpenAI does not use business data for training by default. OpenAI offers a Data Processing Addendum / DPA for business customers; in the DPA, OpenAI acts as a processor, processes customer data only to provide the service, and regulates data subject rights, security measures, data breaches, subprocessors, and international data transfers.
Positive: DPA available, SCCs regulated, no training by default for Business/Enterprise/Edu data, encryption, SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO certifications for relevant Business/Enterprise services.
Negative / points to review: US/global provider, subprocessors in multiple countries, not all plans have data residency, and personal accounts are only suitable to a limited extent for sensitive corporate or personal data.
Europe privacy policy -
Enterprise privacy -
Security & Privacy