OpenAI Launches $100 ChatGPT Pro Plan, Targeting Claude Max with Enhanced Codex Access
April 12, 2026 – 6:11 pm
In short:
OpenAI introduced a new $100 per month ChatGPT Pro plan on April 9, 2026, creating a new tier between the existing $20 Plus plan and the $200 Pro plan, directly competing with Anthropic’s Claude Max, also priced at $100. The new plan offers five times more Codex usage than Plus, access to the same model suite as the $200 tier, and a launch promotion doubling that advantage until May 31, 2026.
What the $100 Plan Includes
The sixth pricing tier in ChatGPT’s structure ranges from a free plan with advertising to:
- $8 per month Go plan
- $20 per month Plus plan
- New $100 Pro plan
- $100 and $200 Pro plans
- $25 per user per month Business plan
- Custom Enterprise contracts
The $100 Pro plan offers five times the Codex usage of Plus, targeting "longer, high-effort Codex sessions" that Plus users reach their limit on. While the $200 Pro plan provides 20 times more Codex usage than Plus, making it four times more intensive than the new $100 tier.
Despite usage limits, both Pro tiers access the same models: GPT-5.4 Pro, GPT-5.4 Instant, GPT-5.4 Thinking, and all other features available on the $200 plan. The distinction lies in volume, not capability.
As a launch promotion, new subscribers receive ten times the Codex usage of Plus until May 31, after which the standard five-fold limit applies. OpenAI also adjusted the Codex allocation for the Plus plan to support steadier day-to-day use rather than accommodating longer sessions.
Codex Demand and Growth
On April 8, 2026, OpenAI announced on X that they were resetting Codex usage limits "to celebrate 3M weekly codex users," committing to repeat this for every additional million users until Codex reaches ten million weekly users. Thibault Sottiaux, leading the Codex product, confirmed:
Three million people are now using Codex weekly, up from two million a little under a month ago.
OpenAI attributed this 5x increase in three months to developers adopting AI coding tools more extensively.