OpenAI reopens $200 Pro plan and adds $500 Pro tier while cutting API credits in half
OpenAI is reopening its $200-per-month Pro plan to new sign-ups while reducing API credits per dollar by half, as reported by The Decoder and confirmed by OpenAI’s help documentation. The company also introduced a new $500-per-month Pro 500 tier, announced during its DevDay event, which includes access to the Ultrafast feature and the GPT-6.1 Sol model. Existing Pro 200 subscribers will retain…
What you can do with it
AI at Work →Draft content with ChatGPT Pro
Removes the five-hour weekly usage window, letting you use your allowance continuously.
- Who for
- marketers
- Cost
- paid from $200
- Effort
- minutes
Use it for
- Draft content
- Analyze customer data
- Automate repetitive tasks
Watch out Check the details on the maker's page first
Key points from the news
- OpenAI reopened the $200 Pro plan with halved API credits per dollar and removed the 5-hour weekly cap.
- The new $500 Pro 500 tier includes Ultrafast access and GPT-6.1 Sol, announced at DevDay.
- Existing Pro 200 users keep current allowances until Oct 29, 2026, then shift to reduced usage unless re-subscribed.
While all sources agree on the reintroduction of the Pro 200 plan and the launch of Pro 500, only Engadget details the specific reduction in usage for the $200 tier — decreasing from 20x to 10x of Plus user allowance in Codex and Work, and from 200 to 100 weekly GPT-6 Pro message caps in ChatGPT. The Decoder notes the removal of the 5-hour weekly usage cap, allowing flexible distribution of allotments. OpenAI’s help page confirms grandfathering rules for existing Pro 200 subscribers and clarifies that Ultrafast is exclusive to the Pro 500 plan.
The Epoch AI article does not cover this event, focusing instead on long-term trends in AI inference costs and performance pricing over the past three years.
Model pages: GPT-6 Sol → · GPT-6 Luna → · GPT-6.1 Sol →
The story so far
8 episodes →- OpenAI reopens $200 Pro plan and adds $500 Pro tier while cutting API credits in halfthis story
OpenAI reopens its $200 Pro plan but cuts API credits in half as it nudges users toward pay-per-use
The Decoder · 29 September 2026
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This text was published by The Decoder and written by Matthias Bastian. It is reproduced here with attribution so you can read it in full; the rights remain with the publisher. Read it at the source ↗
Coverage and discussion
8sources- Hacker News discussion · 42 pointsnews.ycombinator.com
- Reddit discussionreddit.com
- ChatGPT now has a $500 monthly plan with 8x faster computing: What happens to the $200 Pro tier?Press · businesstoday.in ·
- ChatGPT Pro 500Press · help.openai.com ·
- OpenAI adds $500(!) Pro subscription, nerfs its existing $200 tierPress · engadget.com ·
- OpenAI wants $500 a month for ChatGPT now, and the $200 plan is paying for itPress · digitaltrends.com ·
- ChatGPT’s $200 Pro plan is returning with a change you’ll want to know aboutPress · digitaltrends.com ·
- The plunging price of thoughtPress · epoch.ai ·
- OpenAI's GPT-6 Sol and Luna cut prices in half but barely move the needle on performancePress · The Decoder ·
The headline, key points and digest above were generated by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources. Automated summaries can contain errors: the sources are the record. Spotted a mistake? Tell us. Published by Martin K., who runs Digest AI and handles corrections.
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