In the previous article, we provided a brief introductory overview of the technology developed by OpenAI – ChatGPT. We discussed the basic version (3.5), its features, and limitations. We explored how this technology was created, its limitations, and the importance of prompt quality. The basic version of ChatGPT, which is available for free, is entirely offline and cannot communicate with the outside world via the internet. However, with the introduction of the paid version Chat GPT Plus 4, this changes. Additionally, the paid version includes several other enhancements.

Chat GPT Plus – Introduction, Pricing, Plugins

ChatGPT Plus can be considered as an extension of the basic version. It is an enhanced model (supposedly smarter), but more importantly, it gives us access to features that allow us to interact with the outside world through the internet. It is important to note that these features are in the beta version, so not everything is fully refined.

Features Included in Plus 4 Version Compared to Version 3.5

• Enhanced Model (better-trained) – although it still contains information only up to September 2021, just like the basic version.
• Plugins – a vast number of third-party plugins that you can install, and ChatGPT can use these plugins in conversations. For example, you can install a web scraping plugin or a plugin that allows you to discuss the content of a YouTube video with the chatbot, among many other possibilities.
• Advanced Data Analysis – This feature enables you to input data (e.g., in Excel or CSV format), and ChatGPT will analyze the data. It can even provide you with Python code for later analysis.

Limitations and Pricing of ChatGPT 4

• Price: $20 per user per month
• Version 4 seems slower compared to version 3.5 – everything feels sluggish. It takes a long time for the plugins to perform their tasks, and it also takes significantly longer for the chatbot to respond in the chat.
• Limit of 50 queries per 3 hours – if you exceed this limit, Chat GPT will turn off, and you may have to switch back to version 3.5 until ChatGPT 4 becomes available again.
• Some (especially useful) plugins are paid. So if you want to save a lot of information from a website or video, for example, into Excel or CSV, you will need to pay for the plugin.
• The chatbot is very “chatty,” which can be annoying due to the slowness before it outputs a response. It tends to consult and confirm its actions with you frequently, even when you’ve asked the bot to perform a task without detailing every step in the chat, which can be cumbersome.

Especially the limitation of 50 queries within a certain time frame is counterproductive considering that you’re paying for the service. Additionally, it seems that the servers cannot handle the demands placed on the Plus version, despite OpenAI proclaiming much faster prompt processing compared to the original version, the reality is quite the opposite.

How to Activate Chat GPT Plus

1) Open the login page.
Log in – I use my Microsoft account to log in, but there are multiple methods available (Google, Apple, or email registration).
Purchase the ChatGPT 4 subscription – $24 USD ($20 USD + tax), and then the enhanced version will become accessible to you – you can find the link on the OpenAI website.
If you want to use the new features in the beta version (such as plugins and advanced data analysis), you need to activate these features separately.

• At the bottom left of your account, click on the three dots – settings.

• Click on beta features.
• Enable plugins and advanced data analysis.

How to Install and Use ChatGPT Plus Plugins

Now that we have the Plus version paid for and have enabled the use of plugins and advanced data analysis in settings, let’s see how we can install and use plugins.
Open the chat window.
In the middle at the top, switch to GPT 4.

Now, we have three options to choose from – select Plugins.

• Stay in the original mode similar to the basic version but with enhanced GPT (offline).
• Use the Advanced Data Analysis feature (originally code interpreter) – upload a file and analyze it (offline).
• Use the mode with plugins.

After selecting, you will see a window with plugin options – click on it and select Plugin store. By the way, you can see that I already have some plugins installed.

Then, a window with various plugins will appear. Simply choose the ones you need. Each plugin serves a specific function, such as reading PDFs or web pages as requested or saving something to a file, generating a diagram, and more. However, some plugins are paid.

Note: You can use only 3 plugins simultaneously in the chat, and the bot will decide on its own which plugin to use and when (unless you instruct it otherwise).