OpenAI halts $200 Pro plan sign-ups amid surging Astra demand
What's the story
OpenAI has temporarily suspended subscriptions for its $200-per-month Pro plan, owing to the high demand for its latest and most powerful model, Astra. The announcement was made by Thibault Sottiaux, OpenAI's product leader overseeing core products like Codex and ChatGPT. He explained that the Pro plan places the most strain on their systems, leading to this decision.
Demand surge
Suspension duration and user statistics not disclosed
Sottiaux acknowledged the unprecedented demand for Astra, saying they are doing everything possible to meet it.
He said, "Priority will always be to keep excellent service for existing users, but we might have to pause new Pro subscriptions for a bit if this continues."
The company has not yet revealed how long the suspension of Pro tier sign-ups could last or how many people are signing up daily.
Model introduction
Astra's impact on AI landscape
Launched on September 3, Astra has been integrated into OpenAI's various plans, including Pro, Plus, Enterprise, and Business accounts.
The model is touted as a major advancement in AI reasoning, coding capabilities, and computer use.
OpenAI even called Astra the start of the "AGI era," further fueling demand for it.
Twitter Post
No impact to existing accounts
To make sure our current users have an incredible experience and continued access to Astra, we are going to pause subscriptions to our $200 Pro plan. These put the most strain on our systems and we wanted to take the smallest step that allows us to continue giving the broadest… https://t.co/WhLEm3HBL7
— Tibo (@thsottiaux) September 10, 2026
System enhancements
Enhancements for paid users and file access integration
In light of the high demand, Sottiaux confirmed that all other plans and the API will continue to function normally without affecting existing accounts.
He said, "We are working on adding more capacity as fast as we can."
Meanwhile, paid users are getting some useful upgrades with ChatGPT now integrating with Dropbox, Box, and SharePoint for seamless file access during chats.