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OpenAI Drops Usage Numbers from Pro Tiers, $500 'Pro Max' Looms

OpenAI has quietly tweaked its ChatGPT subscription page, and users aren't happy. The two Pro plans—previously $100 and $200 per month—are now called Pro Standard and Pro More. But the real kicker? The clear multipliers "5x Plus usage" and "20x Plus usage" have vanished, replaced with a fuzzy "more usage than Plus."

A Third Tier Emerges from the Code

Rumblings of a new plan surfaced earlier. On September 25, OpenAI merged a code change into its public codex repository, adding a "promax" scheme type. The internal names "prolite" and "pro" were updated to "Pro" and "Pro (More)," matching the new page labels. No prices in the code, but leaked strings suggest Pro Max could cost a whopping $500 per month, promising "fastest performance and Codex experience."

Why drop the old multipliers? Simple: with three tiers, OpenAI needs a new way to differentiate. Pro Max targets speed demons and heavy coders—possibly running on Cerebras chips, though that's unconfirmed. It's a logical move: GPT-6 Astra is a resource hog, and the $200 tier once had to pause sign-ups. A premium option lets deep-pocketed users get top resources while keeping lower tiers from hogging compute.

Transparency Concerns Ahead of DevDay

But stripping away concrete numbers has left existing users feeling nervous. "More than Plus" is vague—OpenAI could interpret it loosely. Online, opinions split. Some say tiered pricing makes sense; smarter models cost more, and $500 is worth it for teams needing speed. Others cry foul: removing quantitative metrics usually signals a downgrade. Accusations of "roasting investors" are already flying, with some advising against subscribing.

Tuesday is OpenAI's annual DevDay. Will the rumored Pro Max make its official debut? That's the million-dollar question—or should we say, the $500 one.

Key Points:

  • OpenAI renamed Pro tiers and removed specific usage multipliers from its pricing page.
  • Code reveals a new "promax" plan, possibly priced at $500/month.
  • Users worry about reduced transparency and potential benefit cuts.
  • Pro Max may offer ultra-fast performance and full coding capabilities.
  • Official announcement could come at DevDay on Tuesday.