Why do you pay OpenAI $20 when LLM aggregators offer more for less?

Hey everyone,

On paper, third-party LLM aggregators (or "wrappers") seem like an obvious win for users. You get access to multiple top-tier models—like GPT-4, Claude 4.1, and Gemini 2.5 Pro—all under one subscription, often for the same $20/month as ChatGPT, or even less.

And yet, from what I've seen, most power users I know (myself included, until recently) stick to their native subscriptions. We pay OpenAI or Anthropic directly and don't make the switch.

I have a few theories why:

1. Fear of missing out on new features

2. Trust & Speed

3. Inertia - We're just used to the workflow

But I'm curious if I'm missing the bigger picture.

I'm trying to understand what would actually move the needle.

• Is it a suite of powerful productivity features that native apps simply don't have (e.g., better organization, visualization tools, workflow automation)?

• Is it a radically better, faster, or more customizable UX that makes the native apps feel clumsy?

• Is it enterprise-grade security and privacy guarantees that are demonstrably better than the originals?

• Or is it something else entirely?

Just genuinely curious to hear how this community sees the landscape. What's your take?

Cheers!