OpenAI has announced a new $500 per month Pro 500 subscription tier featuring "Ultrafast" speed capability that generates up to 300 tokens per second, aimed at users prioritising performance. However, the announcement simultaneously reduces the value proposition of its existing $200 Pro plan, with usage allowances and message limits being cut roughly in half across multiple applications. This reflects the increasingly stratified pricing landscape in the AI industry, where providers are introducing premium tiers to capture higher-value customers whilst streamlining mid-tier offerings.

The new Pro 500 plan includes the fastest speed tier, whilst the $200 Pro tier will see its usage allowance in Codex and Work applications decrease from 20x to 10x the standard Plus allowance, and ChatGPT's GPT-6 Pro message cap drop from 200 to 100 per week. Existing subscribers will maintain their current limits temporarily and receive a one-time credit to transition. All Pro subscribers gain access to Dot, OpenAI's new personal AI agent, and new integrations with 16 companies including Notion and Cognition via "Sign in with ChatGPT". Additionally, OpenAI introduced GPT-6.1 Sol, a new model costing one-fifth of its flagship GPT-6.0 Astra whilst claiming comparable performance in coding and computer use, with improved safety and transparency features.