OpenAI has announced a new subscription tier for ChatGPT specifically aimed at heavy users of coding features. It is a $100-per-month subscription that falls between the existing $20 Plus subscription and the more expensive $200 Pro subscription.
With this launch, OpenAI is responding to the growing demand for AI-powered software development, particularly the rise of vibe coding, according to VentureBeat.
The new offering provides significantly higher usage limits for Codex. According to OpenAI, the capacity is approximately 5 times that of the Plus subscription. It is intended to be particularly attractive to developers who conduct longer and more complex sessions.
The company notes that Codex is increasingly being used. By adding a subscription tier, OpenAI aims to better serve this target group while simultaneously improving segmentation of usage.
At the same time, OpenAI is implementing changes to how usage limits are distributed within the Plus subscription. Instead of long sessions on a single day, usage will be spread more evenly throughout the week. With this, OpenAI appears to be focusing on more consistent usage. However, this may mean that the daily peak capacity is reduced.
Different limits per model and usage type
The exact limits vary by model and task type. Usage is divided between tasks running locally and processes executed via OpenAI’s cloud. How much capacity is actually consumed depends heavily on the code’s complexity—and on the duration of the sessions.
Notably, OpenAI is temporarily making extra capacity available for the new subscription. Until the end of May, users will receive double the usage limits, meaning the effective capacity is temporarily even higher than the intended fivefold scale compared to Plus.
The introduction of the new pricing tier comes amid increasing competition in the market for AI development tools. Anthropic, in particular, is gaining ground with solutions focused on autonomous programming processes. These developments are putting pressure on OpenAI to further differentiate its offerings.
By positioning a subscription between the existing price points, a broader portfolio is created that better caters to users from occasional developers to professionals who work with AI daily.
With this move, OpenAI underscores ChatGPT’s shift from a general-purpose chatbot to a full-fledged development platform. Vibe coding and other forms of AI-driven software development appear to be playing an increasingly central role in this transition.