- New Pro Tier: OpenAI has added a $500 monthly ChatGPT Pro option with the highest included usage for intensive research and coding.
- $200 Change: New Pro 200 customers receive a smaller included allowance at the same $200 monthly price.
- Existing Subscribers: Eligible Pro 200 subscribers keep their previous allowance through October 29, then move to the lower one.
- Speed Access: Pro 500 alone includes Astra Ultrafast; credits on cheaper Pro tiers do not unlock it at launch.
OpenAI has added a $500 monthly ChatGPT Pro subscription above its $200 option, which now comes with less included usage for new subscribers. OpenAI cited demand for its Astra model when it paused $200 sign-ups on September 10; it now offers that option again. Eligible existing $200 subscribers keep their earlier allowance until October 29, when the lower allowance reaches them.
What the $500 Pro Plan Adds
ChatGPT Pro is OpenAI’s subscription family for demanding research and coding work. Its current plan terms list three monthly prices in US dollars: $100, $200 and $500. All three include Pro models, Codex for coding, deep research and image creation. The broader pricing page also describes longer Codex and ChatGPT Work sessions as Pro benefits.
The distinction at $500 is more included usage and Astra Ultrafast, a new speed option that OpenAI reserves for Pro 500 at launch. Pro 200 has more included usage than Pro 100, but neither lower tier includes Ultrafast. Buying credits on those tiers will not unlock it at launch. Pro 500 draws on its included usage first and then on a credit balance when Ultrafast is used beyond that allowance.
Who Gets the Revised $200 Allowance
New Pro 200 subscriptions that do not qualify for the old terms come with a lower included allowance. OpenAI product leader Thibault Sottiaux described the new plan as 10X the Plus allowance, against 5X for Pro 100. In the same announcement, he said eligible existing Pro 200 subscribers would temporarily keep the previous 20X multiplier. All three figures compare plan allowances with Plus as the 1X baseline.
Customers whose Pro 200 subscription was active at OpenAI’s eligibility cutoff, or during the seven days before it, keep their previous allowance through October 29, 2026 while subscribed. After that date they move to the lower allowance at $200 a month. Someone whose subscription lapsed in that seven-day window can regain the temporary allowance by subscribing again. OpenAI has not dated the eligibility cutoff, though it says it will email affected customers.
Sottiaux separately valued the revised $200 allowance at about half the old plan’s equivalent dollar amount at OpenAI’s API prices. He predicted that more efficient models could let subscribers complete more work within the changed allowance. He also said OpenAI would not restore a five-hour limit, leaving subscribers free to use their weekly capacity when needed. The $200 change is a move toward paying for additional use. For accounts where credit purchases are available, OpenAI lets subscribers buy credits to continue eligible Codex and ChatGPT Work use after included usage runs out.
