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OpenAI has a new subscription tier in the works. Leaked data and screenshots point to a plan called Pro Max, priced at $500 per month — well above the $20 Plus tier and the $200 Pro plan that launched in December 2024.
The first person to spot it was independent researcher Tibor Blaho, who dug through hidden interface logs and found references to the new tier. Leak tracker TestingCatalog then confirmed what Blaho found, though the actual price wasn’t pinned down right away. A user later posted a screenshot showing the $500 monthly figure. The popular AI leaks account Chetaslua also shared a screenshot of the planned tier sitting inside ChatGPT’s own interface — Chetaslua initially floated a price as high as $2,000 before the real number came out.
Not just one source.
Reddit users separately turned up the same $500 tag, along with code strings containing the phrase “chatgptpromax.” Multiple people reporting the same number, through different channels, gives the leak more weight than a single screenshot usually would.
Cerebras Hardware and the Speed Angle
So what’s the point of a $500 plan? Per the leaks, it’s mostly about speed. The Pro Max tier is said to run on Cerebras hardware — specifically the company’s large “wafer-scale” processors, which are built differently from Nvidia’s chips and can push data through significantly faster. Cerebras has long marketed those processors as both quicker and cheaper to run than the competition, which makes the $500 price tag a bit hard to square at first glance. If the underlying hardware costs less, why charge $300 more per month than the existing Pro tier?
No clear answer yet. OpenAI hasn’t said a word publicly about any of this. The most likely explanation floating around AI communities is that the speed gains are real and dramatic enough that power users — developers, researchers, anyone running intensive workloads — would pay a premium for near-instant responses on complex tasks.
The plan reportedly targets OpenAI’s Work and Codex agent products specifically. Those tools handle more demanding, multi-step jobs than a standard ChatGPT session, so faster processing matters more there. On top of the speed boost, the Pro Max plan is said to include maximum memory allocation and 100GB of file storage. OpenAI hasn’t confirmed either of those details officially, so they’re probably best treated as likely-but-unverified until something official drops.
Where OpenAI Sits in a Shifting Pricing War
The broader AI subscription market has been moving fast. Anthropic’s Claude Max plan runs between $100 and $200 per month. Google’s AI Ultra plan recently came down to $100. Both sit well below what OpenAI is apparently planning for Pro Max. If the $500 figure holds, OpenAI would be pricing itself into a different category entirely — not competing on value, but betting that a chunk of its user base wants the absolute best performance and will pay for it.
That’s a real strategic bet. It’s also kind of a risky one. Pushing a $500 product into a market where strong competitors are pricing at $100 to $200 means OpenAI needs the performance gap to be obvious and undeniable. If the speed advantage feels marginal in daily use, the pricing looks hard to defend.
But OpenAI has done this before. The $200 Pro tier raised eyebrows when it launched, and it found buyers. The company seems to believe there’s a segment of users — probably professionals and developers — who treat AI access as a core business tool and price accordingly.
DevDay on September 29 Could Settle the Questions
OpenAI’s DevDay event is set for September 29. It’s the kind of event where the company tends to make real announcements rather than tease them, and the timing of these leaks feels deliberate — or at least convenient. Whether OpenAI planned the leak or not, the chatter around Pro Max is already running hot heading into the conference.
If OpenAI does announce Pro Max at DevDay, the questions that matter most are the ones the leaks didn’t fully answer. What exactly does maximum memory allocation mean in practice? Is the Cerebras speed advantage consistent across all task types or mainly on specific workloads? And will there be usage caps, or is $500 a true all-you-can-use price?
Unclear on all of those. The screenshots and code strings gave the market a price and a name. They didn’t give much else.
What’s certain is that rivals are watching. Any time OpenAI sets a new price ceiling, it shifts what competitors have to respond to — whether that means matching features, cutting prices further, or finding a different angle entirely. Anthropic and Google both have the resources to move quickly if OpenAI lands a product that clearly justifies $500 a month.
The Pro Max plan reportedly offers 100GB of file storage alongside the enhanced speed features tied to Cerebras’ wafer-scale processors.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ChatGPT Pro Max plan and how much does it cost?
ChatGPT Pro Max is a leaked subscription tier from OpenAI priced at $500 per month, sitting above the existing $200 Pro plan and $20 Plus plan.
What hardware powers the ChatGPT Pro Max tier?
The Pro Max plan is reportedly built on Cerebras’ wafer-scale processors, which offer speed advantages over Nvidia’s chips and are said to focus on faster performance for OpenAI’s Work and Codex agent products.
Why It Matters
The introduction of a $500 subscription tier by OpenAI highlights the growing trend of premium offerings in the AI market, reflecting increasing demand for enhanced features and capabilities. This move could signal a shift in how AI services are monetized, potentially attracting high-budget users while also raising questions about accessibility and competition among other AI providers. As the landscape evolves, it will be important to monitor how such pricing strategies influence user adoption and the broader market dynamics.
