Why I Don’t Regret Paying $200 Monthly for ChatGPT
There's no limit to how AI can enhance your life as a creator.
In the last 6+ months I've had more chats with AI than with any other human being.
(Yes, it sounds sad, but let's be real—this is time I would have spent staring at my screen anyway.)
In part this happened because I live like a hermit. In part because I need to study AI to help my clients. In part because the more I use it, the clearer it becomes that it's the missing piece in my life I didn't even know I needed.
It feels so exciting, that about 4 weeks ago I shelved $200 for the Pro version of ChatGPT. 😮
I announced it with a post (as people do nowadays, right?) and it got surprising traction (for my standards).
If your FOMO is high (like mine) here's how it went.
I REALLY dove in
I'm grateful ChatGPT hasn't a "time to take a break" notification. It would be constantly on.
But you need to know that spending $200 monthly seemed extravagant, even knowing I could cancel anytime. I have very few memories from my childhood. But the image of my mother budgeting meticulously, carefully saving for essentials, is deeply ingrained in me. I need to be sure this investment is worth it.
I really squeezed everything out of the tool:
I experimented with all its models, 4o, 4.1, o4, 4.5, o3... (we can all agree OpenAI has a naming problem).
I tried all the features like Deep Research, Canvas, image creation, even video.
I approached it "laterally". There was a constant question in my mind "can AI do this for or with me?".
I used it to generate text, brainstom ideas, write code, plan client projects, match clothing, solve parenting problems, review sensitive messages, and so on.
I wasn't disappointed.
But why $200?
I had been using ChatGPT Plus every day for months before upgrading to Pro, and it already helped me a lot. Why did I upgrade?
As usual, when I dive into something, I also change my information diet. So, these days, I am constantly watching videos and listening to podcasts about AI.
I keep hearing from influential people I respect how AI is expanding their capabilities and satisfying their thirst for knowledge and creativity. People like Greg Eisenberg, a very creative and successful founder, or Tyler Cowen, a deep and original thinker.
I also constantly ran out of credits for Deep Research and and the GPT-4.5 model. It felt like having to drive in first gear on an empty highway with no exits or cars in sight.
Aaaand, there was a bit of FOMO, too. Knowing that Pro users had exclusive access to advanced tools like the agentic browser ChatGPT Operator, my brain hitched at the thought of the amazing things it could achieve.
Well, after about four weeks, my only regret is not having had more time to chat with AI. Let me break down the standout benefits.
A reliable, 24/7 reasoning partner
As you probably know, standard ChatGPT models don't "think"—they predict text based on vast data sets. The more recent reasoning models instead simulate human reasoning by combining multiple actions like planning, searching, synthesizing, and so on.
The most advanced reasoning model in ChatGPT is o3. It's become my best friend.
For example, I regularly feed o3 the transcriptions of conversations with clients seeking business automation. It identifies requirements, recommends tools, creates detailed workflows, and even provides the necessary code.
It dramatically cuts down the time spent creating proposals and allows me to explore unknown tools and technologies. Of course, then it helps me also with the implementation. So I'm able to serve clients with tools and technologies I never heard about. I am good at understanding the context and the problem, and at designing the high-level solution. o3 takes care of the details.
But this powerful ally helped me also in my personal life. When I asked for a practice plan for my son's drumming sessions, o3 took the time to research, calculate, and deliver detailed, reliable suggestions.
With ChatGPT Plus I was approaching o3's credit limit. ChatGPT Pro eliminated the problem.
PhD level reports, on anything, in 10 minutes
With ChatGPT Pro, my Deep Research credits are unlimited. Instead of conducting traditional online searches, I get deep, concise, comprehensive reports on the topic.
I used it to search products, investigate technologies, compare anything, find shaded places for a summer trip (midday sun kills me), compile music playlists with very particular requirements, synthesize the historical evidence of Jesus Christ's existence, and on, and on.
I'm a multiplotentialite. I thrive on novelty and knowledge. I'm always wondering about how something works, or about how to improve something. Instead of forgetting about it, I now spend a couple minutes writing a Deep Research prompt and let ChatGPT do its job.
Then, when I have time, I read the results or, better, let it read them to me.
With the Plus version, I ran out of Deep Research credits every couple days. Now, it's an endless source of delightful knowledge.
The best editor, on tap
AI slop isn't on my agenda. But I do know a thing or two on how to leverage AI to enhance my writing, particularly since English isn't my first language, while preserving my unique voice.
ChatGPT's best writing model is GPT-4.5, but the Plus subscription severely limits available credits. This meant constantly debating whether using a credit was justified, and spending most of the time without access to GPT-4.5.
Now I don't need to ration credits anymore. If I need to write more than a couple sentences, I choose GPT-4.5.
It has been a real productivty booster. For example, when I have to create a client proposal, I create a new chat and first explore the requirements and the solution with o3.
Then I change the model to 4.5, feed it an example proposals, and generate the sections one by one (if you limit the scope, you get better results). The output needs just a few minor corrections. My conversion rates haven't suffered—in fact, they might even have improved.
And, of course, I'm using 4.5 to clean up this article too!
A browser that works for you
Many AI YouTube channels are ridiculous. Nine out of ten titles include sensational phrases like "game changer" or "mind-blowing"... which of course turn out to be clickbait.
I watched a few videos about ChatGPT Operator. It seemed not perfect but it did look like a game changer.
It’s essentially an automated web browser capable of navigating websites, extracting information, filling out forms, basically everything you'd normally do online. But it does it independently by following your prompts and understanding web pages.
It can save you hours of tedious tasks. For example, I recently had to pay a 70€ fine because I didn't issue an invoice within 12 days of a $7 payment. This is how idiotic the Italian fiscal law is.
It requires me to issue an invoice for every payment I receive, including Substack subscriptions. But those are automatic payments, so I can miss one notification. This is exactly what happened, during a particularly intense month.
Unfortunately, my accounting software can't be automated in any way. So, I thought "Can I use Operator for this?" The answer is "Yes!!!" (with a fistpump and a silly dance).
Looking at Operator perform the task is a bit funny because it spends about 10 minutes for every invoice, but for me it's totally hands off.
I prompt it, "Please create an invoice for each of these payments in my accounting software." I provide the URLs of the Stripe notifications, and then I forget about it. If it's unsure or needs to log in on a website, it just stops and asks me.
When the work is done, I can also ask it to check if the data has been correctly added. If you're valuing your time, Operator alone may be worth $200/month.
Living in the future
It's always Christmas in the AI world. New exciting models, tools or features appears every week.
Pro subscribers get far earlier access to OpenAI's latest and most advanced tools and features.
Remember how I love o3? Well, just a couple days ago I receveid early access to o3-pro, an even more sophisticated reasoning model! I'm still exploring it, so I can't say how it actually performs.
So far I've seen it really thinks deep, every reply takes several minutes, often about 15. And it surely returns more complex replies.
But anyway, I'm excited like a child!
Should everyone spend $200/month for ChatGPT Pro?
I don't know if you should commit to Pro forever. But I think if you're a creative, a multipotentialite, overwhelmed, and/or an enterpreneur (which could includ all of the above), you have to try it seriously for at least one month.
AI isn't like any other previous technology. It can affect every part of your life. And it's not just about knowledge, ideation, or writing. With tools like Operator it can actually DO things in your place.
It can save you a lot of time, and a lot of stress. While it takes care of the mundane you keep elevating yourself and making the most of your talents.
Have you tried Pro, or the highest tiers of the other AI tools?
What's your experience?