ChatGPT and Gemini Include Study Modes on Free Plans

Update, 11 October 2026. This page said free Gemini drops to Flash-Lite alone on 9 October. Google has since revised its notice: free accounts get Auto, which sends most prompts to Flash-Lite and some to Flash or Pro. The sentence is corrected; nothing about the study modes changed.

ChatGPT’s study mode and Gemini’s Guided Learning are both offered on the free plans: OpenAI marks study mode as included on Free, Go, Plus and Pro, and Google’s help page for Guided Learning asks only that you sign in. Claude’s learning mode, by Anthropic’s own pages, comes with university plans and with Claude Code, which starts at $20 a month; Microsoft’s Study and Learn comes with school licences.

All four do roughly the same thing. Instead of handing over an answer, the chatbot asks what you already know, walks through the problem in steps, and quizzes you. None of the pages we read publishes results showing a mode works better than ordinary chat, and we make no claim either way.

The four, side by side

Product	Mode	What the maker says it does	Plans that include it	How to turn it on
ChatGPT	Study mode	Asks guiding questions, explains in layers, quizzes you and gives feedback; can work from uploaded notes or a photo of a problem	Free ($0), Go ($8), Plus ($20), Pro (from $100)	Type @study on the web, or + then Study in the apps
Gemini	Guided Learning	Probing, open-ended questions; step-by-step breakdowns; images, diagrams, videos and quizzes	No plan named; sign-in required	Add files › More tools › Guided Learning
Claude	Learning mode	Socratic questions and guidance rather than answers; in Claude Code, leaves small pieces of code for you to write	Claude for Education (university plans); Claude Code on Pro ($20 billed monthly) and Max	Set by the university plan; /output-style learning in Claude Code
Microsoft Copilot	Study and Learn Agent	Leads with questions; flashcards, quizzes, matching and fill-in-the-blank from your own files	Microsoft 365 Education licences A1, A3 and A5, ages 13 and up	Left-hand pane or Chat dropdown in the Copilot app

Prices are US list prices a month from each maker’s pricing page, read on 7 October 2026. Claude Pro is $17 a month if paid for a year up front.

ChatGPT: study mode

OpenAI’s Help Center says study mode can ask what you already know, explain an idea simply and then add detail, quiz you one question at a time, and work from class notes, slides, PDFs or a photo of a maths problem. With memory switched on, it may use past chats to pitch explanations at your level.

It costs nothing extra, and it gives you nothing extra either. OpenAI says study mode follows the same plan, model and message limits as ordinary chat, and does not add messages or unlock models. On the free plan that means the same usage ceiling as everything else in ChatGPT.

To switch it on, type @study in the message box on the web and pick Study, or open chatgpt.com/studymode. In the apps, tap + and choose Study. It is not available in Temporary Chats, GPTs or Projects. To switch it off, delete the Study token from the message box.

Two cases where it may already be on: a parent can set Study hours on a linked teen account, which start new chats in study mode at chosen times, and some ChatGPT Edu schools require it.

OpenAI is plain about the limits. Its launch post said study mode runs on custom instructions rather than a specially trained model, which “may result in some inconsistent behavior and mistakes”, and the Help Center says it sometimes gives a direct answer anyway. It can also be wrong in the way any chatbot can, which is why AI chatbots make things up covers.

Gemini: Guided Learning

Google launched Guided Learning on 6 August 2025, built on LearnLM, its family of models fine-tuned for learning. Google says it asks “probing and open-ended questions”, breaks problems down step by step, and mixes in images, diagrams, YouTube videos and quizzes.

On a computer, open gemini.google.com, click Add files in the text box, then More tools › Guided Learning. In the mobile app, tap Add files, then Guided Learning. Videos appear only when Gemini Apps Activity is on, and Google says the practice-question and OpenStax textbook features are US and English only, and not offered to under-18s or work and school accounts.

Google announced the learning tools “for everyone”, and its help page names no plan. What it does not say is which model Guided Learning runs on for a free account once free Gemini moves to mostly Flash-Lite on 9 October. Google’s notice about that change lists no feature being removed.

Claude: learning mode

Anthropic introduced learning mode on 2 April 2025 as part of Claude for Education, working inside Projects. Its description: guide rather than answer, ask Socratic questions such as “What evidence supports your conclusion?”, stress the principle behind a problem, and offer templates for study guides and outlines. Claude’s pricing page still lists “learning mode” under the education plan, which a university buys for its students.

The other version is for programmers. Claude Code’s Learning output style explains its choices and, when it reaches a real design decision, leaves a TODO(human) marker and waits for you to write those few lines. Run /output-style learning, or pick it under /config. Claude Code is not on the free plan; it starts with Pro at $20 billed monthly, and what each Claude plan includes sets out the rest.

Ordinary Claude.ai accounts are the open question. Engadget reported in August 2025 that Anthropic had added a “Learning” option to Claude.ai’s style menu for all users. Anthropic’s current help article on shaping Claude’s replies lists Instructions, Project instructions and Skills, and no styles, and we found no Anthropic page describing a Learning style today. We did not sign in to check.

Microsoft Copilot: Study and Learn

Microsoft’s equivalent is the Study and Learn Agent in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, on the web and Windows. Microsoft says it leads with questions and turns your files into flashcards, quizzes, matching and fill-in-the-blank exercises.

It is a school product. Microsoft lists it for users aged 13 and up with an Education licence (A1, A3 or A5), at no extra cost. In K-12 schools it opens by default, though students can switch to ordinary Copilot Chat where the school allows. We found no Microsoft page offering it on a personal Microsoft account.

Before a student starts

A study mode changes how the chatbot replies, not where your words go. OpenAI says ChatGPT’s study mode draws on the same memory settings as the rest of ChatGPT, so if study chats will include coursework or anything personal, check whether your conversations train the model first.

OpenAI also tells students to follow their school’s rules on AI for graded work, and says study mode “does not replace your teacher, tutor, course materials, or academic requirements”.

Questions people ask

Is ChatGPT study mode free?

Yes. OpenAI’s pricing page marks study mode as included on Free, Go, Plus and Pro, and its Help Center says it works with every ChatGPT model. It uses your plan’s normal message limits, so a free account runs out at the same point it would without study mode.

How do I turn on study mode in ChatGPT?

On the web, type @study in the message box and pick Study, or go to chatgpt.com/studymode. In the iOS and Android apps, tap + and choose Study. It is not offered in Temporary Chats, GPTs or Projects.

Where is Guided Learning in Gemini?

On a computer, open gemini.google.com, click Add files in the text box, then More tools, then Guided Learning. In the mobile app, tap Add files and then Guided Learning. Google says you have to be signed in.

Is Gemini Guided Learning free?

Google launched it for everyone in August 2025, and its help page asks only that you sign in, naming no plan. Google’s 9 October notice moves free accounts to the Flash-Lite model and lists no feature being removed.

Does Claude have a study mode?

Anthropic calls it learning mode. Its own pages document it for Claude for Education, the university plan, and as the Learning output style in Claude Code, which needs Pro at $20 a month or Max. A Learning style in Claude.ai was reported in 2025; Anthropic’s current help pages do not mention it.

Does Microsoft Copilot have a study mode?

Microsoft’s is the Study and Learn Agent, in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app on the web and Windows. Microsoft says it comes at no extra cost with Education licences A1, A3 and A5, for users aged 13 and up.