OpenAI launched a new $100/month ChatGPT Pro tier on April 9, filling the pricing gap between the $20 Plus plan and the $200 Pro plan that left millions of power users without a mid-range option. The new tier delivers five times more Codex usage than Plus and includes access to the most capable Pro model alongside unlimited Instant and Thinking model availability.

What Happened

The $100 Pro plan targets developers and creators who hit Plus limits regularly but do not need the full 20x capacity of the $200 tier. TechCrunch reported that the plan was driven by user demand for an intermediate option, since subscriptions previously jumped from $20 directly to $200 with nothing between them.

As a launch promotion, subscribers who sign up before May 31 get 10x Codex usage compared to Plus, double the standard 5x allocation. The $200 Pro tier remains available for users who need 20x limits.

Why It Matters

Codex has grown to more than 3 million weekly users, a fivefold increase in three months with 70% month-over-month growth. That growth strained the two-tier pricing model. Creators using Codex for prototyping, automation, or building AI-powered tools were either underserved on Plus or overpaying on the $200 plan.

The new tier also signals that coding has become ChatGPT's highest-value use case. OpenAI is structuring its pricing around Codex usage limits rather than model access or conversation volume, a shift from the feature-based tiers that defined earlier ChatGPT plans.

Key Details

  • Price: $100/month, positioned between Plus ($20) and the existing Pro ($200)
  • Codex limits: 5x more usage than Plus (10x through May 31 launch promo)
  • Models included: Pro model access, unlimited Instant and Thinking models
  • Existing $200 tier: Unchanged, retains 20x Codex limits vs Plus
  • Codex growth: 3M+ weekly users, up 5x in three months

The Codex pricing page breaks down the usage quotas by tier. For creators already leaning on Codex in their daily workflow, the difference between 1x and 5x limits can mean the difference between hitting a wall mid-project and finishing a full prototype in one session.

What to Do Next

If you are on Plus and regularly hit Codex rate limits, the $100 tier pays for itself in uninterrupted coding sessions. The May 31 promo makes the first two months especially attractive at 10x limits. If you rarely use Codex, the Plus plan still covers standard ChatGPT usage without the premium. For a broader look at how Codex compares to Cursor, Claude Code, and other options, see our AI coding tools comparison.