OpenAI launches $100 ChatGPT Pro plan as Codex hits 3 million weekly users, targeting Claude Max

Reviewed byNidhi Govil

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OpenAI introduced a new $100-per-month ChatGPT Pro plan to address surging demand from developers using its Codex coding tool. The new subscription tier sits between the $20 Plus plan and the existing $200 Pro option, offering five times more Codex usage than Plus. The move directly challenges Anthropic's Claude Max, which is also priced at $100 monthly, as AI coding tools see explosive growth across the industry.

OpenAI Introduces $100-a-Month Pro Subscription to Fill Pricing Gap

OpenAI unveiled a new ChatGPT Pro plan priced at $100 per month on April 9, 2026, creating a middle ground between its $20 Plus plan and the existing $200 Pro tier

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. The launch comes as the company's Codex coding tool crosses 3 million weekly users, representing a 5x increase in just three months with 70% month-over-month growth

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. Sam Altman confirmed the update on X, stating the new tier arrived "by very popular demand" as Codex continues gaining traction among developers

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Source: FoneArena

Source: FoneArena

The new OpenAI subscription tier directly addresses a critical pain point for developers who found the $20 Plus plan too restrictive but considered the $200 option too expensive. AI coding tools require significantly more tokens—the basic unit of AI generation—than standard chat interactions, causing users to hit Codex usage limits well before their billing cycles end

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. This pricing gap left many vibe coding enthusiasts choosing between waiting for resets or making a $180 jump in monthly costs.

Source: VentureBeat

Source: VentureBeat

Five Times More Codex Usage and Exclusive Model Access

The $100 ChatGPT Pro plan delivers five times more Codex usage compared to the Plus plan, specifically targeting what OpenAI describes as "longer, high-effort Codex sessions"

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. As a launch promotion running through May 31, 2026, subscribers receive ten times the Codex usage of Plus, temporarily doubling the standard advantage

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. The $200 Pro plan remains available for users with high-volume coding demands, offering 20 times the Codex usage of Plus—four times more than the new $100 tier

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Both Pro plans include access to the same core capabilities, with the primary difference being usage allowance rather than features. Subscribers to either tier gain access to the exclusive GPT-5.4 Pro model, unlimited use of GPT-5.4 Instant and GPT-5.4 Thinking models, and all other advanced features

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. This means developers can access cutting-edge artificial intelligence capabilities without paying for the highest tier unless their usage patterns genuinely require it.

Source: Phandroid

Source: Phandroid

Direct Challenge to Compete with Anthropic's Claude

OpenAI made no effort to obscure the competitive intent behind the new pricing. The $100 price point matches Anthropic's Claude Max 5x tier exactly, which also costs $100 per month and includes elevated limits for Claude Code, Anthropic's terminal-based agentic coding product

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. Claude Code has become the fastest-growing segment of Anthropic's commercial portfolio, with an estimated $2.5 billion in annualized revenue by early 2026

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The timing proves particularly strategic. Just days before OpenAI's announcement, on April 4, 2026, Anthropic banned third-party agents from Claude Pro and Max subscriptions, forcing users who wanted to continue using external frameworks to pay separately under a new per-session system

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. OpenAI's move went in the opposite direction, increasing Codex availability and temporarily doubling limits to mark the launch. According to OpenAI, the company claims its Codex tool delivers more coding capacity per dollar during heavy usage compared to competitors

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Expanded Subscription Tiers Target Developers and Enterprises

ChatGPT pricing now includes six distinct tiers: a free account with advertising, an $8 per month Go plan, the $20 per month Plus plan, two versions of Pro at $100 and $200 per month, a $25 per user per month Business plan, and custom-priced Enterprise contracts

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. The $200 Pro plan no longer appears prominently on ChatGPT's pricing page, though OpenAI confirmed to TechCrunch it remains available

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This structure mirrors the broader AI competition landscape, where companies increasingly recognize that developers and enterprises represent distinct market segments requiring tailored solutions. OpenAI has realized it needs to pursue coders and enterprises with the same intensity as Anthropic's strategy

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. The company rolled out a dedicated Codex app for macOS in February 2026, designed to move beyond line-by-line code generation into agentic, multi-task coding workflows that orchestrate multiple agents in parallel and handle instructions spanning hours rather than seconds

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To celebrate reaching 3 million weekly Codex users on April 8, 2026, Sam Altman announced OpenAI would reset Codex usage limits across all plans and commit to repeating the reset for every additional million users until Codex reaches 10 million weekly users

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. This gesture signals OpenAI's commitment to supporting the developer community as it scales its AI coding tools infrastructure to meet surging demand.

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