OpenAI sets ChatGPT Pro Max subscription at $500

OpenAI is reportedly pricing its upcoming ChatGPT Pro Max plan at $500 per month, a figure that would make it the most expensive individual AI subscription on the market by a wide margin.

If launched, the tier would cost 25 times more than the $20 per month Plus plan and 2.5 times the current top-end $200 per month Pro subscription.

Where Pro Max fits in OpenAI’s pricing ladder

OpenAI currently runs a tiered subscription structure. The $20 per month Plus plan serves as the entry point for premium features. Above that sit two Pro tiers: a $100 per month option offering five times the usage limits of Plus, and the $200 per month plan with 20 times the limits.

Both Pro tiers share the same core models and features. The only difference is how much you can use them before hitting a ceiling.

The $100 Pro tier arrived on April 9, 2026, positioned as a direct response to Anthropic’s $100 per month Claude Max plan. That move was specifically designed to keep power users, particularly those relying on Codex for coding tasks, from drifting to the competition.

The original $200 Pro plan dates back to December 5, 2024, when it launched with a promise of unlimited access to OpenAI’s most advanced reasoning models.

Demand is already straining infrastructure

OpenAI paused new subscriptions and upgrades to the $200 Pro tier on September 10, 2026. The reason: overwhelming demand for GPT-6 Astra, the company’s recently launched model, was pushing infrastructure to its limits.

Existing subscribers weren’t affected. But anyone trying to sign up or upgrade to the top tier found the door temporarily closed. New sign-ups for the $100 tier and lower plans continued without interruption.

The $500 question: who is this for?

Anthropic’s Claude Max tops out at $100 per month. Google’s Gemini Advanced runs at $20 per month.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Diego Almada Lopez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.