After launching its entry-level Go plan at $8 last year, OpenAI seems to be preparing to fill in the gaps in the pricing pyramid for ChatGPT. Developer Tibor Blaho recently discovered through digging into web code that OpenAI is testing a mid-tier paid plan called "Pro Lite", with a monthly fee set at $100.
Key Highlights: 3-5 Times More Computing Power
This plan's positioning is very clear: it targets those who frequently exhaust the quotas of the $20 Plus plan but cannot afford the $200 Pro plan. According to the leaked checkout page draft, Pro Lite will offer:
Deep Reasoning Model: The estimated usage limit is expected to be 3 to 5 times that of the Plus plan.
Unlimited Multimodal: Provides unlimited advanced voice, image, and video generation quotas.
Programming Privileges: Includes access to the Codex programming agent with "priority speed," which is highly appealing for developers relying on AI architecture.
Responding to Community Feedback, Competing with Rivals
Interestingly, this plan's pricing coincides with users' enthusiastic suggestions on the OpenAI community forum two weeks ago. With Anthropic launching the $100 Claude Max plan, OpenAI clearly does not want to leave a vacuum in this key price range.
Under the current market conditions, OpenAI is facing significant financial pressure. According to industry data from 2026, despite the company's annual revenue reaching $20 billion, the huge computing costs are expected to result in an annual loss of $14 billion. Launching a $100 tier can not only convert more Plus users but also effectively alleviate cost fluctuations caused by computing power allocation.
Although the current text on the page still has a "draft" nature, considering Tibor Blaho's previous accurate predictions of features, Pro Lite is likely to be officially launched within a few weeks. This marks that ChatGPT has built a tiered subscription matrix covering from $8 to $200.
