How to use ChatGPT 5.2 completely free

The new wave of artificial intelligence already has a name: ChatGPT 5.2 is the most advanced version of ChatGPT Created by OpenAI to date. And it arrives with a very clear idea: to stop being "just a chatbot" and become a tool capable of working almost like a professional, autonomous assistant. If you're looking for how to use ChatGPT 5.2 freeWhat does it bring that's new, and why is everyone comparing it to Google's Gemini 3? Here you'll find a complete and straightforward explanation.

This update is not a radical generational leap, but a very powerful evolution within the GPT-5 series which corrects many of the most criticized flaws: unstable reasoning, major errors in dataGPT-5.2 focuses on three main areas: speed, accuracy, and reliability in complex contexts, as well as opening up several ways to use it without paying directly for ChatGPT, thanks in part to its integration with Microsoft Copilot.

What is ChatGPT 5.2 and why is it generating so much buzz?

GPT‑5.2 is, to this day, OpenAI's most advanced language model and the second major revision within the GPT-5 branch. It doesn't come with completely new "magical" features for the average user, but it does represent a very serious fundamental change in the way the model thinks, organizes information, and corrects its own errors before responding.

OpenAI presents GPT‑5.2 as a family of models with three distinct variants Instead of a single model for everything. That is, we no longer talk about "the" ChatGPT, but about three levels of power and cost that are activated depending on the type of task you need: from quick queries and simple writing to complex programming, data analysis, and planning of long projects with many intermediate steps, and they can help you choose the best AI for your needs.

This version arrives at a key moment: Pressure from Google and its Gemini 3 model has triggered a "red flag" at OpenAIThis internal reorganization has put other projects on hold to focus almost all resources on improving ChatGPT. The goal is very clear: to avoid losing ground in a race where the quality of responses, reaction time, and reliability determine who wins over the professional user.

The three variants of GPT-5.2: Instant, Thinking, and Pro

One of the major new features of GPT-5.2 is the segmentation into three levels of usedesigned to adapt to both those who just want to resolve quick doubts and teams that need a digital work "partner".

• GPT-5.2 Instant It's the lightweight version, optimized for everyday consultations, quick writing and translationsIts priority is speed: near-instant responses, low latency, and reduced resource consumption. It's the ideal model for chatting, searching for information, writing simple texts, rewriting emails, or generating daily content without major complications.
• GPT‑5.2 Thinking, clearly oriented towards complex work: programming, mathematics, analysis of extensive documents, planning, and multi-step tasksHere, the model takes slightly longer to respond because it dedicates more effort to reasoning, coordinating tools, and checking the internal consistency of its output. This variant achieves the best results in technical and professional evaluations.
• GPT‑5.2 Pro, designed to critical scenarios where there is little room for errorAdvanced software engineering projects, delicate financial calculations, complex data modeling, or in-depth technical analysis. It doesn't add magical features that don't already exist in Thinking, but it pushes reasoning, accuracy, and the ability to follow very long contexts with the fewest possible errors to the limit.

This clearer separation between Instant, Thinking, and Pro makes it the usage layers are much better definedFor everyday tasks, there's Instant; for intensive intellectual work, there's Thinking; and for expert needs, there's Pro. It's not so much that there are new tools, but rather that each variant leverages the improvements of GPT-5.2 differently depending on the type of work.

Performance improvements: speed, context, and fewer errors

Under the hood, GPT-5.2 introduces a battery of technical adjustments to make it faster, more stable, and less prone to hallucinationsAlthough ChatGPT may visually appear almost the same as with GPT-5.0 or GPT-5.1, the model's behavior has changed significantly.

Firstly, The response speed has increased significantly.This is especially noticeable in the Instant versions and in many Thinking queries. It's particularly evident when working with code, data analysis, or generating long documents, where previously there could be more annoying pauses or waiting times. Now, responses flow more smoothly, even when the task is complex.

Another key point is the managing long contexts and extensive documentsGPT-5.2 handles lengthy conversations, multi-page reports, complex spreadsheets, and projects divided into multiple code files much better. The model is able to maintain a more coherent flow, remember relevant details, and connect information without getting lost along the way.

In the most delicate area, OpenAI claims that GPT-5.2 reduces by approximately 38% the factual hallucinations Compared to the previous version, there are approximately 30% fewer errors overall in the Thinking variant. This doesn't mean the system will stop making mistakes (that's impossible at the moment), but it does make fewer serious errors, detects internal inconsistencies more effectively, and corrects some of its responses before displaying them to the user.

Results in professional tests and benchmarks

To support these improvements, OpenAI has published GPT-5.2 performance data in different benchmarks comparing the model with human professionals and with previous versions of GPT-5 itself.

In the GDPval benchmark, a test that It evaluates well-defined tasks in 44 real-world occupations.GPT-5.2 Thinking manages to outperform or match human professionals in approximately 70,9% of cases, and also completes tasks up to eleven times faster. This does not make it a direct replacement for an expert, but it does reinforce its role as a very powerful support tool in knowledge-based work.

In other high-level exams, such as GPQA Diamond or AIME 2025The model shows remarkable improvements: it achieves a 92,4% success rate in GPQA Diamond, which focuses on advanced reasoning, and 100% in AIME 2025, which centers on mathematical problems. Performance also improves in technical tests such as FrontierMath and ARC-AGI, where abstract reasoning and generalization skills are key.

These figures translate into visible advantages in everyday tasksIn OpenAI's internal assessments, for example, GPT-5.2 Thinking improves its score on typical financial analyst tasks, such as creating three-state models or simulating leveraged buyouts, rising from approximately 59,1% to 68,4% average quality. Companies already integrating it into their workflows—such as Notion, Box, Shopify, and Harvey—report significant improvements in long-term reasoning and coordinated tool use.

Programming, document analysis, and developer work

One of the areas where GPT-5.2 makes the biggest difference is in programming and software engineering, as it happened with GPT-5.1 Codex MaxThe model has been optimized to better understand large projects, apply consistent changes across multiple files, and detect errors in its own code before returning it to you. This is reflected in demanding internal software development tests, where GPT-5.2 Thinking achieves more stable and robust performance.

For developers, the great news is that GPT-5.2 has already been integrated into GitHub CopilotThis allows access to its capabilities from Visual Studio Code, Copilot Chat, and other compatible interfaces. This results in more accurate code suggestions, a better understanding of the project context, and extra help when refactoring, writing tests, or reviewing complex changes.

Beyond the code, GPT-5.2 excels in the creation and analysis of long documentsThis includes creating spreadsheets with logical structures, generating presentations with coherent narratives, summarizing lengthy reports, and coordinating various steps to prepare a final client-ready document. For professionals like consultants, analysts, or project managers, this means delegating more of the "heavy lifting" to AI.

Safety, responsible use and protection of minors

OpenAI has also leveraged GPT-5.2 to Strengthen safety measures and promote responsible use of the model. The company has specifically adjusted how the system responds in contexts related to mental health, emotional distress, or sensitive topics, seeking to avoid harmful or inappropriate responses.

In addition, the company is working on age estimation systems to apply automatic protections to minorsThe goal is to adapt the content and limit certain interactions. Their roadmap also includes the creation of an adult mode, aimed at users over 18, with separate controls and policies for that type of content.

Although GPT-5.2 is more stable than previous versions, OpenAI emphasizes that The model is still imperfect and may make mistakesThat's why he insists on the importance of human oversight, especially in critical professional contexts such as healthcare, legal, or financial sectors. Improvements to filters and safeguards are ongoing, but we are not yet at a point where AI can be blindly trusted without reviewing its work.

Relationship with Gemini 3 and OpenAI's "code red"

The release of GPT-5.2 cannot be fully understood without glance sideways at Gemini 3, the Google model which has gained a lot of traction in recent weeks. Following the positive reception of Gemini 3, rumors began circulating that OpenAI had activated a kind of internal "code red" to accelerate the improvement of ChatGPT and not fall behind in the competition.

As the company itself has explained, this reorganization has involved temporarily pause development of the next major generation of GPT and other projects such as shopping assistants, to concentrate almost all efforts on refining the current models. The visible result of this change of course is GPT-5.2, which arrives just a few weeks after GPT-5.1, with concrete improvements in reasoning, latency, and stability.

OpenAI insists that GPT-5.2 is not just an impulsive response to GoogleRather, it's an update that has been in development for months and is part of a broader plan where ChatGPT becomes the absolute priority. Fidji Simo, the company's applications director, summarized it internally by noting that the core product—the user experience with ChatGPT—is what truly makes the difference at this stage of the race.

Where can you use GPT-5.2 today?

In the OpenAI ecosystem, GPT-5.2 is being progressively deployed in the ChatGPT payment plansPlus, Pro, Go, Business, and Enterprise. Users of these plans can already access the Thinking and Pro variants, while Instant is used for simpler queries within the ChatGPT interface itself, depending on the question type.

For developers and businesses, GPT-5.2 Thinking is available through the API under the name gpt-5.2, while the Instant variant appears as gpt-5.2-chat-latest. OpenAI has also announced that it will maintain GPT‑5.1 It was operational for about three months on ChatGPT before being completely removed from paid plans, giving technical teams time to migrate and adjust their integrations.

Regarding the price, GPT-5.2 is priced at approximately $1,75 per million tokens in and $14 per million tokens out.This makes it somewhat more expensive than GPT-5.1. OpenAI argues that, being more efficient, the actual cost per complex task may be lower, since less interaction and fewer repetitions are needed to reach a valid result.

How to use GPT-5.2 for free through Copilot and other channels

If what interests you is Use GPT-5.2 for free without paying ChatGPT PlusThe key lies in the alliance between OpenAI and Microsoft. As soon as the new model was announced, Microsoft confirmed that it would integrate it directly into its ecosystem. CopilotThis opens several doors to take advantage of GPT-5.2 without paying in ChatGPT.

On one hand, Copilot on the web and on Windows provides access to GPT-5.2 for general queriesThis includes copywriting, basic analysis, and productivity tasks. Depending on the configuration and service load, the system may use Instant or Thinking for certain requests, but this isn't always explicitly visible to the user. In practical terms, you'll notice improvements in reasoning, speed, and response quality.

In the development environment, GitHub Copilot is now working with the new GPT-5.2 modelsThis allows programmers to benefit from its ability to understand large projects, generate coherent code, and debug errors within editors like Visual Studio Code. In some cases, there are limited versions or trial periods that allow these features to be used for free or at reduced cost, especially for students or specific projects.

In addition, Microsoft has announced that GPT-5.2 will be rolled out gradually to Microsoft 365 subscriberswhere Copilot integrates with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Office applications. Although full access to these features is tied to a Microsoft 365 subscription, many companies and users already have one for work purposes, which, in practice, means using GPT-5.2 "without paying anything extra" thanks to OpenAI's model.

Beyond Microsoft, some companies like BBVA have announced partnerships with OpenAI To bring ChatGPT to tens of thousands of employees—in this case, more than 120.000—GPT-5.2 is also starting to infiltrate large-scale corporate environments. For the end user, this translates into more in-house tools, productivity assistants, and AI-enhanced workflows within the company.

With all these changes—lower hallucination rate, longer context, three distinct variants, deep integration into Copilot, and deployment in ChatGPT and API—, GPT-5.2 is established as a decisive step in the evolution of OpenAI towards more serious, professional models focused on real productivity, while multiplying the ways to access its capabilities, including options to take advantage of it for free or at no additional cost if you already use services like Copilot or Microsoft 365.