OpenAI is quietly testing a new ChatGPT subscription tier called Pro Max that would cost $500 a month. Code references and screenshots started circulating this week. That price tag sits at 25 times the cost of the $20 ChatGPT Plus plan. It is also more than double the $200 Pro tier that OpenAI launched in December 2024.
Independent researcher Tibor Blaho first spotted the changes in hidden logs. Leak tracker TestingCatalog followed with another confirmation soon after. A user later responded with a screenshot of the logs showing a price of $500 per month.
Chetaslua, a popular account in the artificial intelligence leaks scene, shared a screenshot of the tier appearing inside the ChatGPT interface. The account noted that a new ChatGPT Pro Max plan had been spotted in development. Another user guessed the price could reach as high as $2,000 a month before the real number surfaced. It remains unconfirmed whether the user interface image is a leak or a render, but the content matched the rumors.
A Reddit thread on roms and forums independently surfaced the same $500 price tag. Code strings featuring the chatgptpromax identifier matched the details described by the leakers.
The $500 price point does not buy a higher message volume. Based on video evidence shared by Chetaslua, the only listed change between the Pro and Pro Max plans is speed on two of OpenAI agent products. Those products are Work, which handles multi-step research and writing tasks, and Codex, which writes and debugs software code independently over long stretches of time.
Chetaslua noted questions regarding the underlying math of the service. The plan is rumored to rely on Cerebras as its inference provider. Cerebras is a chipmaker that builds oversized wafer-scale processors roughly the size of a dinner plate. These chips move data faster than the smaller hardware sold by Nvidia. Inference refers to the process of an artificial intelligence model generating an answer, distinct from the training phase.
Cerebras has marketed its hardware as 21 times faster than Nvidia B200 chips at one-third of the cost. This creates questions about why a speed boost from cheaper hardware would command a $300 premium over the existing Pro plan. Other reported perks include maximum memory allocation and 100GB of file storage, based on screenshots reviewed by outlets tracking the leaks.
OpenAI has not made any public statements regarding the Pro Max tier. None of the details are confirmed until the company officially speaks.
A $500 pricing tier would exceed the costs charged by competing artificial intelligence providers. Anthropic operates a top Claude Max plan priced between $100 and $200 a month. Google reduced its competing AI Ultra plan from $250 down to $100 a month in May.
OpenAI DevDay takes place on September 29. TestingCatalog predicted the public would likely hear more about the tier very soon at the event.
