OpenAI upsells Coders

OpenAI has added a new $100-a-month ChatGPT Pro plan built around coding use, not just general “power user” access. (community.openai.com) OpenAI announced the plan on April 9 and said it gives 5 times more Codex usage than ChatGPT Plus, with a temporary promotion of up to 10 times more than Plus. The existing $200 Pro plan stays in place as the top tier and now carries 20 times Codex usage over Plus. (community.openai.com, help.openai.com, help.openai.com) OpenAI’s help pages say both Pro plans keep the same core capabilities, and the main difference is usage allowance. The $100 option sits between Plus at $20 a month and Pro at $200 a month on OpenAI’s current pricing ladder. (help.openai.com, openai.com) Codex is OpenAI’s coding assistant, and the company now says plan changes are meant to “better support the growing use of Codex.” That language shifts the sales pitch from broad access to models toward how much coding work a subscriber can run. (community.openai.com, developers.openai.com) OpenAI’s release notes tie the new tier directly to “longer, high-intensity Codex sessions,” while describing Plus as better for “steady, day-to-day use.” The same notes say the $100 plan includes unlimited access to GPT-5.4 and access to GPT-5.4 Pro inside ChatGPT. (help.openai.com, openai.com) That pricing change arrives as reports point to a broader product reshuffle around coding. TestingCatalog reported on April 11 that OpenAI is developing a Codex-based desktop app that would combine ChatGPT, the Atlas browser and coding tools in one interface. (testingcatalog.com) TestingCatalog also reported a new “Scratchpad” feature that could let users launch multiple Codex tasks in parallel from a single to-do style view. OpenAI has not publicly announced that desktop app or Scratchpad feature on its official site. (testingcatalog.com) Outside coverage has framed the new $100 tier as a direct answer to Anthropic’s coding-heavy subscription lineup. TechCrunch reported that OpenAI is explicitly using the lower Pro price to compete for developers who need more coding capacity without paying $200 a month. (techcrunch.com) The immediate result is a cleaner ladder: $20 for regular use, $100 for heavier coding sessions, and $200 for the highest limits. If the unified Codex app appears, OpenAI would be selling not just a chatbot plan but a larger coding workspace tied to subscription tiers. (openai.com, help.openai.com, testingcatalog.com)