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OpenAI and Anthropic make money by charging individuals and organizations for access to AI products, and developers for model use through separately billed APIs. Their public billing pages show several ways customers can pay—subscriptions, per-seat plans, credits, and usage-based charges—but they do not disclose how much revenue each channel generates or whether it is profitable.

How OpenAI charges customers

ChatGPT subscriptions for businesses

OpenAI sells ChatGPT Business workspace access through Standard and Premium seats. On its pricing page checked October 7, 2026, Standard was listed at $20 per user per month with annual billing or $25 with monthly billing; Premium was $100 annually billed per user per month or $125 with monthly billing. Business workspaces require at least two seats and may combine seat types. Prices can vary by country and change. See OpenAI’s ChatGPT Business pricing and Business plan overview.

Extra workspace usage

OpenAI says Business customers can purchase workspace credits to extend usage beyond included limits. For eligible Enterprise agreements, usage may instead be billed by tokens, with rates calculated from input, cached input, and output tokens. The applicable arrangement depends on the workspace agreement; the seat price alone may not represent the customer’s full spend.

Developer API charges separately

ChatGPT Business does not include API usage. A company building an application with OpenAI models pays for API usage separately from its ChatGPT workspace subscription. API costs depend on the model and the amount of token usage, so current rates should be checked on OpenAI’s API pricing page.

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How Anthropic charges customers

Claude subscriptions

Anthropic offers individual Claude subscriptions, including Pro, as well as Team and Enterprise options. Its pricing page checked October 7, 2026 listed Pro at $20 per month, or $17 per month when billed annually at $200 upfront. Those are listed subscription prices, not company revenue figures, and prices and features may change. The same page lists free and paid plans, including Max: Anthropic’s Claude pricing.

Team and Enterprise access

Team is priced per person and has a minimum team size. Enterprise combines a seat fee for access with separate usage charges: Anthropic says usage in Claude, Claude Code, and Cowork is billed at standard API rates according to consumption. An organization’s cost can therefore include both recurring seat fees and variable usage charges. Details are on Anthropic’s pricing page.

API and Console billing

Claude subscriptions do not include API or Console access; those are separate purchase paths. Anthropic says most organizations pay for API and Console usage with prepaid credits, while organizations with an invoicing arrangement are billed monthly. API and Console usage depends on the model and consumption. Consult Anthropic’s API billing guidance and model pricing for current details.

Access through cloud platforms

Some customers can procure Anthropic models through AWS Bedrock, Google Vertex AI, or Microsoft Foundry, in addition to Anthropic’s own services. Pricing and availability depend on the provider, model, and sometimes region; the listed options do not establish that Anthropic receives a particular commission or share of a cloud provider’s charges. Anthropic’s model-pricing materials describe these routes.

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How the billing models compare

Question OpenAI Anthropic
Individual access Paid ChatGPT plans are available; the detailed prices above concern Business seats. Claude offers free and paid subscription plans, including Pro and Max.
Organization access Business uses Standard and Premium seats; some arrangements can add credits or token-based usage billing. Team is priced per person; Enterprise charges a seat fee for access and bills usage separately.
Is API access included with a subscription? No. ChatGPT Business and API use are billed separately. No. Paid Claude subscriptions do not include API or Console access.
How extra usage is billed Business can use workspace credits beyond included limits; eligible Enterprise agreements may use token-based rates. Enterprise usage is billed at API rates; API and Console use is prepaid for most organizations or invoiced monthly where arranged.
What public prices establish Listed customer prices and billing mechanisms, not revenue share, margins, or profitability. Listed customer prices and billing mechanisms, not revenue share, margins, or profitability.

These options are not directly comparable by price alone: a monthly seat fee and a per-token API rate measure different things. When evaluating costs, identify who will use the product, what the subscription or seat includes, whether usage is capped or metered, whether API access is separate, and how additional use is billed.

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What public prices can—and cannot—tell you

Pricing pages explain how a customer may be charged. They do not show how much either company actually earns from subscriptions, business plans, APIs, or cloud distribution. Nor do they establish total revenue, costs, margins, or profitability. The cited official pricing and billing pages describe product-level mechanisms, not audited financial results. Because plans, model rates, and availability can change, check the provider’s current terms before budgeting or comparing options.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.