By OpenAI

ChatGPT and Codex explained for business

ChatGPT can help your team write, research, analyse information and complete tasks. You can use Chat for a conversation, Work for a task with a finished result, and Codex for software development and more technical work.

For example, you could ask a question about a report, turn several reports into a presentation, or make a change to your website.

Ways to use ChatGPT

Chat, Work and Codex sit in the same ChatGPT app. Think of them as useful starting points rather than strict boundaries.

Chat

Work through a question

Use it to ask questions, explore ideas, summarise information and improve drafts.

For example: “Help me rewrite this customer email.”

Work

Delegate a task

Describe the outcome, provide the relevant files or authorised connections, and ask for a result you can review, such as a document, spreadsheet or presentation.

For example: “Compare these supplier proposals and create a recommendation document.”

How this works: Work
  • Work pauses when it needs more information or your approval. It asks before consequential actions, such as completing a payment.
  • On the desktop app, a Cloud task keeps running after you close the app or turn off your computer.
  • ChatGPT Work replaced the earlier “ChatGPT agent” feature.

Codex

Work on software

Use it to understand a software project, make changes, investigate problems and run checks. It can also help with research, documents and other knowledge work.

Changes still need review and testing before they go live. Codex will not always get things right or finish the job.

For example: “Add a contact form to our website and check that it works.”

How this works: Codex
  • Codex can work in different environments, including directly in a local project, in an isolated working copy, or in a configured cloud environment. The setup determines what it can access and change.
  • In a cloud environment, internet access is off by default. When it finishes, Codex shows a summary and the proposed changes for a developer to review.

Which tools you can use, what ChatGPT can access and how much you can use it depend on your plan, the environment and your workspace settings.

From a request to a finished result

Example: comparing supplier proposals with Work

  1. Step 1: Describe the outcome

    Ask for a comparison of three supplier proposals.

  2. Step 2: Provide the information

    Attach the proposals and explain your budget and requirements.

  3. Step 3: Compare the options

    ChatGPT reviews costs, inclusions, exclusions and missing information.

  4. Step 4: Create the deliverable

    It prepares a comparison spreadsheet and a recommendation.

  5. Step 5: Review the result

    A staff member checks the source information and makes the decision.

What it can do for a business

Practical examples, each labelled with the mode or feature it uses.

Chat

Draft and refine business content

Draft emails, proposals and meeting summaries, or improve your own. Review the facts and tone before anything goes out.

Projects and skills

Reuse instructions for recurring work

Save your instructions once, such as your quote format or house style, and apply them each time. Project instructions or a skill can do this, depending on your plan.

Chat

Research a topic

Research can combine several sources into a report with references. Citations make checking easier, but they don’t guarantee every claim is correct.

Work

Complete a task across files and tools

Give Work a clearly defined deliverable, the files it needs and access to the right connected tools, such as a shared drive. It returns a result for you to review.

Codex

Build or maintain software

Your developers or software supplier can use Codex to fix problems and add features to your website or internal tools, with every change reviewed and tested.

Chat or Work

Analyse a spreadsheet

Upload a spreadsheet to examine figures, spot trends and produce charts. Check the source data, formulas and assumptions before relying on the results.

Useful features explained

Five features that shape how ChatGPT works with your information.

Projects

Keep related work together

A Project keeps related chats, files and instructions together for ongoing work. Projects can be shared with the people you invite.

For example: A workspace for a client project, with the brief, contract and meeting notes.

Setup details: Projects
  • Project sharing is available on every plan, on the web and mobile apps. People can be given chat or edit access.
  • Business and Enterprise workspaces can invite groups, and may limit sharing to their own members.
  • Shared Projects use project-only memory and can’t see any member’s personal memories.

Memory

Carry useful context forward

When enabled, ChatGPT can remember useful details between conversations. Memory is different from Project files (documents you add on purpose) and from live access to a business system.

For example: It remembers that you want Australian spelling and short summaries.

Setup details: Memory
  • Manage it in Settings under Personalisation. You can turn off saved memories and chat history separately.
  • What memory can draw on varies by plan. Treat it as a helpful reminder, not the place to keep your business rules.

Connected tools

Work with other systems

Authorised apps and plugins let ChatGPT look up information and, where allowed, take supported actions in other tools. Connecting a service does not give access to everything: it only reaches what that account can already access.

For example: Search your Google Drive for last month’s sales reports.

Setup details: Connected tools
  • OpenAI now calls these integrations plugins. ChatGPT and Codex share the same plugin directory.
  • On Business and Enterprise, admins decide which plugins are available and can limit them to read-only actions.

Reusable instructions

Repeat a process consistently

Project instructions apply to every chat in a Project. Skills package instructions for a focused task you repeat, such as formatting a monthly report. Plugins combine skills with connected tools.

For example: A skill that turns meeting notes into your standard action-item format.

Setup details: Reusable instructions
  • OpenAI is moving custom GPTs to plugins. Its migration guide is written for Enterprise workspace admins, and timelines for other plans may differ. Check what applies to your account before building a new custom GPT.

Scheduled work

Run a task on a schedule

Scheduled tasks repeat a task at set times, such as preparing a weekly update, and run without anyone watching.

For example: Every Monday, summarise last week’s support emails into a short report.

Setup details: Scheduled work
  • Available on Plus and higher plans. Tasks run with your default permission settings, so decide in advance what they may do.
  • Cloud tasks keep running when your computer is off. Desktop tasks that use files on your computer need the computer on and the app running.

Plans and costs

Plans differ in how much you can use ChatGPT, which features you get and how your data is handled. Prices below are US reference prices.

Australian customers see their local price and tax at checkout.

ChatGPT plans: who each suits, the US reference price and what usage is included
Free Who it suits Trying ChatGPT US reference price US$0 Usage Limited usage. Work only in the desktop app.
Go Who it suits Light personal use US reference price US$8 a month Usage More than Free. Work only in the desktop app.
Plus Who it suits Individuals US reference price US$20 a month Usage Work on web, desktop and mobile, plus Codex and scheduled tasks. Extra credits can be bought.
Pro Who it suits Individuals with heavy use US reference price From US$100 a month. New sign-ups to the US$200 tier are temporarily paused. Usage 5 or 20 times Plus usage. Extra credits can be bought.
Business Who it suits Teams of 2 to 200 US reference price Standard seat US$25 a month, or US$20 a month when paid annually. Premium seat US$125, or US$100 when paid annually Usage Premium seats allow five times Standard usage. Seat types can be mixed.
Enterprise Who it suits Larger organisations US reference price Custom pricing Usage Arranged with OpenAI, including credit-based options.
  • Go, Plus and Pro are billed monthly. Business seats can be paid monthly or annually.
  • Work and Codex share the same usage allowance. When it runs out, Plus and Pro users can buy extra credits, and Business and Enterprise workspaces on flexible pricing can buy workspace credits.

Last checked . See current prices on chatgpt.com (opens in a new tab)

What the plan terms mean
Usage allowance
How much you can use ChatGPT in a period. It varies by plan and by how demanding each task is.
Credits
Extra usage you can buy after reaching your allowance.
Seat
A paid place on a Business or Enterprise plan for one person.

For custom software

Advanced

The OpenAI API lets developers add OpenAI’s models to your own software, such as a customer portal or an internal tool.

It has its own account and usage-based billing. A ChatGPT subscription, including Business, does not include API usage. Codex used with an API key is also charged at API rates.

OpenAI API pricing (opens in a new tab)

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • A wide range of tools in one app, including research, file analysis, images and finished documents from Work.
  • Handles many kinds of task, from a quick question to a spreadsheet or presentation.
  • Projects can be shared on every plan, so a team can keep related work together.
  • Codex covers software work, and can also help with documents and research.

Limitations

  • Outputs can contain errors. Check facts, figures and sources.
  • Connected systems need authorisation, and only reach what that account can access.
  • Features and usage allowances vary by plan, device and workspace settings.
  • Staff need clear instructions and a review process.
  • Available actions and confirmation steps depend on the tool, permissions and setup. Define which actions require review.

Business data and privacy

Five separate questions to answer before your team uses ChatGPT with business information.

Is our data used for training?

By default, OpenAI does not train on data from ChatGPT Business, Enterprise or the API.

On personal plans (Free, Go, Plus and Pro), chats can be used unless the person turns off “Improve the model for everyone” in their data controls. Temporary chats are not used.

Who can access it?

On Business and Enterprise, admins control which apps and plugins are available and what they can do.

A shared connection acts with the permissions of the account that connected it, so choose that account carefully.

How long is it kept?

On Business, deleted conversations are removed within 30 days. Enterprise admins can set their own retention.

Deleting a conversation does not delete saved memories or files in your library. Temporary chats are kept for up to 30 days for safety.

Where is it stored?

Storing data in Australia is available to eligible API customers and new ChatGPT Enterprise and Edu customers. Check eligibility for your plan.

Where is it processed?

Processing in Australia is not currently offered. Connected apps, web search and some features, such as Codex on the web and beta features, sit outside data residency.

“Not used for training” is not a complete answer to whether you should upload client information. Also check your client agreements and consent, who can see the chats, how long data is kept, and your privacy obligations.

Where ChatGPT may fit

  • Teams that want one tool for many kinds of task, from questions to finished documents.
  • Turning several files into a report, spreadsheet or presentation with Work.
  • Developers or software suppliers maintaining your website or internal tools with Codex.
  • Teams that want shared Projects for client or team work.

What to compare before choosing

Test ChatGPT and alternatives on the same real tasks. Compare:

  • Your actual business tasks, such as long documents or work in Microsoft 365.
  • The systems you already use.
  • The integrations you need.
  • Your data requirements, including where data is stored and processed.
  • Your staff’s experience and the training they will need.
  • The total cost, including seats and extra usage.

Questions businesses ask.

What is the difference between Chat, Work and Codex?

Chat is for questions and drafts. Work is for handing over a task and getting a finished result to review, such as a document or spreadsheet. Codex is for software development and more technical work. They are all in the ChatGPT app, and the boundaries are not strict.

Do I need a developer?

Not for Chat or Work. Connected tools can usually be set up without coding, and admins manage them on business plans. Codex, custom integrations and the API are where developers usually come in.

How do Projects and memory differ?

A Project holds the chats, files and instructions you choose for a piece of work. Memory is context ChatGPT keeps from your conversations when it is turned on. Shared Projects use their own memory and can’t see members’ personal memories.

Can it connect to our existing systems?

Often, yes, through plugins for tools such as Google Drive, Gmail, Slack and GitHub. Each connection needs authorising, and it can only reach what that account can already access.

Can it prepare a recurring report?

Yes. On Plus and higher plans, scheduled tasks can prepare a report at set times. Cloud tasks run even when your computer is off. Decide what the task may access and review what it produces.

What should we check before uploading client information?

Check your client agreements and privacy obligations, whether your plan uses data for training, who can access the chats and connected tools, and how long data is kept. Use a business plan for client work.

What does our subscription include?

Each plan includes a usage allowance shared by Work and Codex, and a set of features. Extra credits can be bought on some plans. A subscription does not include API usage, which is billed separately.

Can our data stay in Australia?

Partly. Eligible API customers and new ChatGPT Enterprise and Edu customers can store data in Australia. Processing in Australia is not currently offered, and some features and connected apps sit outside data residency.

Where could ChatGPT help your team?

We can help you choose a useful first task, connect the right information and establish a practical way for your team to work with AI.

Discuss your business