OpenAI has temporarily paused new sign-ups for its $200-per-month Pro subscription tier. The company cited heavy strain on its infrastructure caused by massive interest in its newest and most powerful model, Astra.
Thibault Sottiaux announced the decision on X. Sottiaux is OpenAI's product leader overseeing core products such as ChatGPT and Codex at the artificial intelligence laboratory.
Sottiaux explained that the Pro plan places the heaviest burden on company systems. This specific tier is now being disabled for new users to manage the load.
Sottiaux wrote that the team wanted to take the smallest step allowing them to continue providing the broadest access possible. Other company offerings, including the API alongside the lower-cost Go and Plus plans, remain open for enrollment.
OpenAI issued a warning on Wednesday about a potential pause. Sottiaux noted at the time that demand for Astra was truly unprecedented.
Sottiaux stated that he had never seen anything like this surge before despite experiencing very steep growth previously. He emphasized that priority will always remain on maintaining excellent service for current users.
OpenAI has not disclosed the duration of the Pro tier suspension. The business also did not share daily sign-up figures to illustrate the exact scale of the demand.
The current infrastructure strain appears to be a recent development. OpenAI had just raised usage limits for Codex users as recently as last month.
Astra launched on September 3. The model is currently rolling out across Pro, Plus, Enterprise, and Business accounts, as well as the main AI platform.
OpenAI marketed Astra as delivering major advances in AI reasoning, coding, and computer use. These functions represent highly competitive sectors in the technology industry.
OpenAI previously described Astra as the start of the artificial general intelligence era and a generational leap forward. This framing drove consumer demand even higher.
OpenAI has not announced when Pro subscriptions will reopen for new customers.
