By skyforbes 
ChatGPT Plus, Midjourney, Claude Pro — we break down the subscription dilemma every budget-conscious student faces.
Hey everyone, Muneeb here, your Budget Tech Buddy!
Man, what a day. I swear I spent the whole morning bouncing between Claude and DeepSeek just to nail down the final details for this comparison.
Let’s be real about the biggest AI dilemma on campus: the price tag. You see tools that promise to automate your life, ace your assignments, and revolutionize your workflow, but then you see the $20/month subscription fee. When your budget is already stretched thin between tuition and textbooks, that monthly payment for ChatGPT Plus or Midjourney stings.
I’ve put in the hours testing the free and paid tiers so you don’t have to. I’m giving you the straight truth on when you should stick to free (and totally thrive), and when paying up is genuinely an investment that pays for itself.
🔬 The Free Tier: Surprisingly Powerful (and always open)
For 90% of your student life, the free tools are more than enough. These are your essential, zero-dollar workhorses: