OpenAI quietly adjusted its ChatGPT Pro membership plan, introducing a new $500-per-month "Pro Max" tier, while renaming the original $100 and $200 tiers to Pro Standard and Pro More. A code update in September already revealed the addition of the proamax option. The previous labels stating "5x the usage of Plus" and "20x the usage of Plus" have been removed, replaced with the vague phrasing "more usage than Plus." This change comes just before OpenAI’s annual developer conference, DevDay, sparking user concerns about reduced transparency in benefits and fueling debate over the fairness of tiered pricing.Author and source: AIBase
This weekend, subscribed users noticed that ChatGPT’s paid page had quietly been redesigned. The previous two Pro tiers, priced at $100 and $200 per month, were renamed "Pro Standard" and "Pro More." Most notably, the clear statements—"5x the usage of Plus" and "20x the usage of Plus"—have been removed, replaced by a vague phrase: "More usage than Plus."
The third tier appears in the code, requiring a monthly fee or reaching $500.
Actually, the changes had been foreshadowed. On September 25, OpenAI merged a change involving 24 files into its public Codex codebase, titled "Add Pro Max plan and update Pro display name." The change revealed that the system introduced a new plan type called "promax," displayed externally as "Pro (Max)"; the internal codes "prolite" and "pro" were also renamed to display names "Pro" and "Pro (More)," respectively, matching the on-page labels "Pro Standard" and "Pro More." While the code itself did not specify pricing, previously leaked in-app strings indicated that Pro Max would cost $500 per month, with the selling point being "the fastest work experience with Codex."
The old 5x and 20x terminology was likely removed precisely because there wasn’t room for a third tier—OpenAI needs a new way to distinguish between three levels. Pro Max emphasizes ultra-fast response and full programming capabilities; unverified reports suggest it may run on Cerebras’ inference chips, though the company has not confirmed this. Logically, it makes sense: GPT-6 Astra is so computationally intensive that it once forced the $200 tier to pause sign-ups. Adding a higher-tier ceiling allows those willing to pay a premium to access the best resources, while preventing lower-tier users from being starved of compute power.
Transparency controversy, just before DevDay
However, removing specific multipliers and retaining only vague promises has made long-term users worry that their benefits may be quietly reduced—a phrase like "more than Plus" gives OpenAI considerable room for interpretation. Online opinions are divided: one side believes tiered pricing is entirely reasonable—more intelligent models consume more computing power, and teams and enterprises getting 500 dollars' worth of efficiency is a fair trade; some even speculate this adjustment is paving the way for a price cut. The other side focuses on transparency, arguing that replacing quantitative metrics with ambiguous language has always been a bad sign; some have already cried "cutting the lambs" and urged others to cancel their subscriptions.
This past Tuesday was OpenAI’s annual developer conference, DevDay, and whether the rumored Pro Max will be officially unveiled there has become the biggest question right now.