OpenAI rolls a new Pro tier, teases Codex desktop app

OpenAI has added a $100-a-month ChatGPT Pro plan built around heavier Codex use, splitting the gap between its $20 Plus tier and its $200 Pro tier. (help.openai.com) (techcrunch.com) OpenAI’s Help Center says the new $100 plan gives 5 times the usage of Plus and, for a limited time, 10 times the Codex usage of Plus. The company said the $200 Pro plan stays in place as the highest-use option, with 20 times the Codex usage of Plus. (help.openai.com) Codex is OpenAI’s coding agent, a tool that can work through software tasks in separate threads instead of only answering one prompt at a time. OpenAI introduced a Codex app for macOS in February 2026 and described it as a “command center” for multiple agents and long-running jobs. (openai.com) (developers.openai.com) The new pricing move lands as OpenAI and Anthropic push subscription plans tied to coding assistants rather than general chat alone. CNBC reported on April 9 that OpenAI framed the higher Codex limits as a response to Anthropic’s Claude Code push. (cnbc.com) Reporting over the past two days also points to a broader desktop push inside OpenAI. TestingCatalog reported on April 11 that OpenAI is developing a unified Codex-based app that would combine ChatGPT, the Atlas browser project and coding tools in one client. (testingcatalog.com) TestingCatalog said the in-development app includes managed agents and a new Scratchpad feature that can trigger multiple Codex tasks in parallel from a to-do-style interface. OpenAI has not published an official announcement for that unified app or Scratchpad feature. (testingcatalog.com) That reported design matches the direction of OpenAI’s existing Codex software. OpenAI’s February launch post and Codex changelog both describe parallel agent workflows, project-based threads and a desktop interface for tracking work across tasks. (openai.com) (developers.openai.com) The immediate change users can verify today is the subscription ladder: Free, Go, Plus, the new $100 Pro tier and the existing $200 Pro tier. The rest of the story is about whether OpenAI turns Codex from a coding app into a single desktop hub for chat, browsing and software work. (techcrunch.com) (help.openai.com)