What Is ChatGPT 4? GPT-4 Explained — Features, vs GPT-3.5, and Access Guide

ChatGPT 4 refers to the version of ChatGPT powered by OpenAI's GPT-4 model. GPT-4 is a large language model — the engine under ChatGPT's hood — that was a significant leap over its predecessor, GPT-3.5, when it launched in March 2023.

As of mid-2026, GPT-4 itself is no longer the newest model. OpenAI has released GPT-5 and its variants (GPT-5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6 Sol), and the original GPT-4 has been largely phased out of ChatGPT's interface. But "ChatGPT 4" is still searched heavily, both because users remember the name and because many still use it to mean "the good version of ChatGPT" as opposed to the free tier.

What Made GPT-4 Different

When GPT-4 launched, it brought three major improvements over GPT-3.5:

Better reasoning. GPT-4 scored in the 90th percentile on the Uniform Bar Exam, compared to GPT-3.5's 10th percentile. On SAT-style questions, AP exams, and standardized tests, GPT-4 consistently outperformed. This translated to real-world use: GPT-4 could follow complex instructions, maintain context over long conversations, and avoid logical traps that tripped up GPT-3.5.
Multimodal input. GPT-4 could accept images as input — not just generate them. You could upload a photo of your fridge contents and ask for recipe ideas, or screenshot a chart and ask for analysis. GPT-3.5 was text-only.
Longer context. GPT-4 supported up to 32K tokens of context (roughly 25,000 words). The Turbo variant went to 128K tokens — enough to process a 300-page book in a single conversation. GPT-3.5 maxed out around 4K tokens for most users.

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GPT-4 vs GPT-4 Turbo vs GPT-4o

OpenAI released several sub-variants of GPT-4:

GPT-4 (original): The March 2023 launch model. 8K or 32K context. Slower, more expensive to run.
GPT-4 Turbo: Faster, cheaper, and with 128K context. Better at following instructions. Trained on data through April 2024.
GPT-4o ("omni"): Released May 2024. Native multimodal — it understood text, images, and audio in a single model rather than routing to separate systems. Faster and cheaper than Turbo. The "o" stands for "omni."
GPT-4o mini: A smaller, faster, cheaper variant for simpler tasks. Good for the free tier.

Can You Still Use ChatGPT 4?

Not directly — the original GPT-4 has been retired from the ChatGPT interface. As of mid-2026, the model selector shows GPT-5.x variants. Even the free tier now uses lighter GPT-5.x models, not GPT-4o mini.

GPT-4 and its variants are still accessible through the OpenAI API for developers who need them. But for regular ChatGPT users, GPT-4 is historical — the model that proved AI could be broadly useful, now superseded by its successors.

What Comes After GPT-4

The GPT-5 family launched in phases through 2025-2026. GPT-5 brought better reasoning, faster responses, improved coding, and stronger multimodal capabilities. GPT-5.4 (March 2026) and GPT-5.5 (April 2026) added agentic behavior — the ability to break down complex tasks and execute them step by step without hand-holding.

If you're searching for "ChatGPT 4" because you want the paid, better version of ChatGPT, sign up for ChatGPT Plus ($20/month). That gives you access to the current GPT-5.x models. The name has changed, but the concept — paying for the most capable model — is the same.