OpenAI has temporarily d new ChatGPT Pro subscriptions amid rising demand for its latest and most advanced AI model, Astra. This decision was made public by Thibault (Tibo) Sottiaux, the product manager of OpenAI, on the platform X. Sottiaux clarified that ChatGPT Pro costs the company more computing power than other subscription packages. Users are free to subscribe to the Plus and Go subscription packages while the API is still accessible.
According to Sottiaux, OpenAI made the decision to block access to the Pro tier as a way to relieve pressure on its infrastructure without blocking access to more users.
To make sure our current users have an incredible experience and continued access to Astra, we are going to 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
September 10, 2026 “To make sure our current users have an incredible experience and continued access to Astra, we are going to 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 access possible. All other plans and the api remain available,” he wrote in his post.
The temporary ban follows the earlier warning by Sottiaux that OpenAI might stop accepting new Pro users if demand continues to grow fast. In his Wednesday post, he noted the level of interest in Astra as unprecedented.
“Demand for Astra is really unprecedented. We’re pulling all the levers possible to sustain the demand, but I’ve not seen anything like it until now and we went through very steep growth before. Priority will always be to keep excellent service for existing users, but we might have to new Pro subscriptions for a bit if this continues,” he posted earlier on Wednesday.
Astra is the name of a product launched by OpenAI just last week. This is already being made available through several subscriptions, including Pro, Plus, Enterprise, and Business. OpenAI has considered this development as an important step towards achieving AGI.
OpenAI has failed to clarify the duration of the freeze on subscriptions. The company has also failed to provide data on daily sign-ups, thus it is hard to measure the level of demand.
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