OpenAI added a $200 a month ChatGPT Pro plan for heavy users, and a report says the $20-style Plus price could also climb. Here is what you get and who needs it.
OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Pro, a new top tier of ChatGPT that costs $200 a month. It is available now. The plan is aimed at people who push the chatbot hard on difficult work, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called it built for "power users." For most people, the bigger story may be what the price signals.
Pro gives unlimited access to OpenAI's models, including GPT-4o and Advanced Voice Mode, which lets you talk with ChatGPT out loud. It also includes the full version of o1, a model built to reason through problems step by step. Pro adds one exclusive feature, called o1 pro mode.
O1 pro mode uses more computing power on hard math, programming and writing problems. OpenAI says it scores better on tests of math, coding and PhD-level science questions. The tradeoff is time. Because it works longer, it takes longer to answer, so it shows a progress bar while you wait.
The full o1 model left its limited preview on the same day. It is live for ChatGPT Plus and Team users. Edu and Enterprise users get it the following week. OpenAI says o1 is 50 percent faster than the preview version and does 34 percent better on difficult real-world questions. It can now also understand images you upload. OpenAI says it is working on web browsing and file upload tools.
The New York Times reported that OpenAI is considering raising the price of ChatGPT Plus to $44 a month over the next five years. OpenAI has big revenue goals: tripling its revenue by next year and reaching $100 billion by 2029. It is also considering an advertising model. None of this is confirmed as a plan, so treat it as a direction to watch.
Pro is unlikely to make sense unless you regularly hit the limits of the cheaper plans on demanding work. Before paying more, check which features you actually use. Nothing in the announcement changes what Plus costs today.
One more detail hints at what is coming. A software engineer, Tibor Blaho, found the Pro pricing page less than two hours before the livestream. He also found a Team plan page that mentioned a "limited preview of GPT-4.5." That reference has since been removed, and OpenAI has not confirmed anything about it.
ChatGPT Pro costs $200 a month, but Plus is unchanged for now, so only upgrade if you truly need more power for hard tasks.
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