Key insights
- OpenAI is introducing a new $100/month ChatGPT Pro subscription to compete with Anthropic's Claude Code, offering increased usage limits for its Codex AI coding assistant. This move reflects the growing popularity and revenue potential of AI coding tools, potentially boosting productivity in the software development sector. The increased competition could lead to further innovation and adoption of AI in coding.
OpenAI announced a Pro ChatGPT tier on Wednesday that increases limits for Codex, OpenAI's artificial intelligence-powered coding assistant, as the company looks to compete with Anthropic's popular Claude Code.
In an announcement posted to X, the company said the $100 per month Pro tier has five times more Codex usage than its $20 per month Plus level, and is best for "longer, high-effort Codex sessions."
"The Plus plan will continue to be the best offer at $20 for steady, day-to-day usage of Codex, and the new $100 Pro tier offers a more accessible upgrade path for heavier daily use," the company wrote in a post on X.
The new level brings the number of ChatGPT subscription tiers to five for personal use: Free, Go, Plus and now two Pro levels. OpenAI already had a $200/month Pro tier.
Anthropic, which launched Claude Code to the public in May 2025, has a similar subscription tier model with four fee levels, starting with Free. Its highest tiers, Max 5x for $100/month and Max 20x tier for $200/month, have higher limits for Claude Code usage than its Pro subscription.
The coding assistant can automate tasks and bug fixes for software developers and has soared in popularity. The run-rate revenue for the tool was over $2.5 billion in February, increasing over 100% since the beginning of 2026, CNBC previously reported.
OpenAI launched Codex initially last April, and made it widely available in October.
On Tuesday, CEO Sam Altman posted on X that Codex had three million weekly users, and the company would reset usage limits every million users until the platform hits 10 million.
In February, the company launched a standalone Codex app for Apple computers in a push to gain more users as AI coding tools continue to gain popularity.