OpenAI made a significant announcement during its "12 Days of OpenAI" live-stream event by introducing its new ChatGPT Pro subscription tier. This tier comes with a monthly cost of $200, which is ten times the price of a standard single-user Plus account priced at $20 per month.

Recommended Videos

Pricing

OpenAI offers a ChatGPT Plus subscription for $20 per month, which is in line with the average in the industry. Competitors like Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Anthropic Claude, and Perplexity also have similar pricing. On the other hand, the Pro subscription costs a substantial $200 per month. The Plus tier is generally aimed at individual users seeking improved performance over the free tier, while the Pro tier is more suitable for power users and businesses that require continuous access to OpenAI's models and inference services. OpenAI also provides a $25-$30 (depending on billing) Teams plan for small businesses, granting multiple employees Plus-tier access. The Enterprise tier is for large-scale corporate licensing, and the Edu tier is used by schools, colleges, and educational institutions for student access.

With a Plus subscription, users gain access to a wide range of OpenAI's model lineup, including GPT-4o mini, which is the default version used by the ChatGPT chatbot. It also offers increased usage limits for GPT-4o compared to the free tier, including for file uploads, advanced data analysis, and image generation. This tier enables users to not only use but create custom GPTs and access both the standard and Advanced Voice Mode features. Additionally, there is limited access to OpenAI's new o1 and o1 mini reasoning models, similar to how free tier users have limited access to GPT-4o.

The Pro subscription provides unlimited access to all models and features offered by OpenAI. Users have free rein over the GPT-4 and o1 family of models and unlimited access to the various features and functions of Advanced Voice Mode. Moreover, they can use Pro Mode, which allocates additional compute resources to queries to generate the most comprehensive and accurate responses.

Who Needs to Pay?

For most casual users, the free tier of ChatGPT suffices. However, if one uses the chatbot frequently as part of their daily workflow, requires unlimited access to image and GPT generation, or wants to utilize the platform's advanced analytical tools, paying $20 per month for a Plus subscription is a reasonable choice. It can even be deducted from taxes if working independently.

So, why would someone spend $200 for the Pro tier? According to OpenAI, there are numerous individuals who can benefit from direct access to the company's generative AI resources. "ChatGPT Pro offers a means for researchers, engineers, and other daily users of research-grade intelligence to enhance their productivity and stay at the forefront of AI advancements," stated OpenAI in its announcement post. If one needs ChatGPT to solve complex problems and requires immediate results, the Pro tier is the ideal option.