The Lab Notes

OpenAI

OpenAI halves Pro 200 usage and adds a $500 Pro 500 plan

OpenAI cuts Codex and ChatGPT Work usage on its $200 Pro plan from 20x to 10x the Plus allowance and launches a $500 plan with 25x.

The Lab Notes ·

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OpenAI is cutting the usage allowance on its $200 Pro plan in half and has launched a $500 plan with 25 times the ChatGPT Plus allowance. Heavy users of Codex and ChatGPT Work will get less on the cheaper plan once the cut takes effect, The Next Web reported.

OpenAI announced the changes at its DevDay event, The Next Web reported Sept. 29, 2026. The Lab Notes could not load OpenAI’s own pages. This report rests on The Next Web and Anadolu Agency, which both published Sept. 29.

Pro 500 adds a speed tier

Pro 500 gives subscribers a faster tier for $500 a month, The Next Web reported. The tier, called Ultrafast, generates up to 300 tokens per second in Codex, up to 8x faster than standard speed. Anadolu Agency reported that Pro 500 also offers usage equal to 25 times the ChatGPT Plus allowance, and Ultrafast for GPT-6 Astra.

Pro 200 limits drop Oct. 30

OpenAI will cut ChatGPT Work and Codex usage on the $200 plan, called Pro 200, from 20x to 10x the Plus allowance starting Oct. 30, The Next Web reported. GPT-6 Pro chat messages fall from 200 to 100 a week.

Existing subscribers keep current limits through Oct. 29 and receive a one-time $2,500 usage credit that expires at year end, the outlet said. OpenAI committed not to reintroduce the five-hour limit on Pro 200, and the plan reopened to new subscribers with the reduced allowances.

The New Stack also reported the halving and the new plan on Sept. 29, in an article by Frederic Lardinois headlined “OpenAI halves $200 plan allowance, launches $500 plan.”

Dots arrives for Pro and Business Premium

OpenAI launched Dots, an always-on agent built on GPT-6 Astra that works across more than 4,000 apps, Anadolu Agency reported. It is rolling out to Pro and Business Premium subscribers in eligible markets. Enterprise gets a beta. Each user starts with one dot.

The Next Web said Dots will not initially reach Pro users in the European Economic Area, Switzerland or the United Kingdom. Sam Altman said of Dots, “It’s like an AI helper that’s always got your back,” Anadolu Agency reported.

Who uses it

OpenAI says ChatGPT has 1.2 billion weekly users, Anadolu Agency reported. The Next Web reported that more than 35 million people build with Work and Codex each week.

Analysis

We read the cut as pushing heavy Codex users toward the $500 tier. A subscriber who relied on the old 20x allowance would need Pro 500’s 25x to stay above it. The $2,500 credit cushions the change only until it expires at year end.