OpenAI just solved a pricing problem that’s been bugging users for a while: the massive gap between the $20 Plus plan and the $200 premium tier. Now there’s a new $100 Pro plan — and it’s aimed squarely at developers who use the AI coding assistant Codex heavily.
What the New Plan Offers
The $100 Pro plan delivers five times the Codex usage compared to the $20 Plus plan. It also includes unlimited access to GPT-5.4 and all Instant and Thinking models. Until the end of May, there’s even a promotional boost: Pro subscribers get temporarily ten times the Plus limits for Codex.
The pricing structure now looks like this: Plus stays at $20, Pro is $100 (5x Plus limits, temporarily 10x for Codex), and the $200 plan offers 20x Plus limits.
Codex Is Growing Fast
The numbers behind this launch tell the story: Codex now has over 3 million weekly users. OpenAI also recently released a Mac app for Codex that integrates more tightly into the developer workflow. The fact that Codex is gaining this much traction explains why OpenAI is carving out a dedicated pricing tier for it.
The Elephant in the Room: Claude Max
OpenAI isn’t shy about admitting that the new plan is a response to Anthropic. Claude Max — Anthropic’s $100 subscription — has been around for a while and offers intensive Claude usage for power users. By matching that exact price point, OpenAI is positioning itself head-to-head.
For developers torn between Claude Code and Codex, the decision gets a bit easier — or harder, depending on how you look at it. Both platforms now offer comparable pricing for heavy usage.
My Take
The pricing war in AI coding is heating up. The fact that OpenAI is introducing a dedicated tier just for Codex power users shows how important this segment has become. For us users, that’s a good thing — more competition means better deals. The interesting question: will Anthropic respond by adjusting Claude Max?
Sources: TechCrunch: ChatGPT Pro Plan $100/month Codex · 9to5Mac: OpenAI introduces $100/month Pro plan · Engadget: OpenAI $100 ChatGPT Pro plan