• 2 min read
OpenAI makes ChatGPT text chats unlimited for free users
OpenAI will remove text-chat limits for free and Go users next week, while keeping separate caps on files, images, voice, and image generation.
Image: Engadget
OpenAI is removing rate limits on text-only ChatGPT conversations for users on its free and Go tiers, beginning next week. The change means those users will be able to keep chatting without hitting a text-message cap, although it does not make the free experience unlimited overall.
OpenAI will continue to limit prompts that include files or images, along with image generation and the updated voice mode. Those separate quotas will still apply to free and Go users.
The company is also changing the default model for those tiers this week. GPT-5.6 Luna, described as the smallest model in the GPT-5.6 family, will replace GPT-5.5 Instant, which had been the default since May.
Recommended reading
OpenAI marks GPT-5 anniversary with agent standard
GPT-5.6 Luna gets a Think button
Starting next week, free and Go users will see a Think button that asks GPT-5.6 Luna to spend more time working through a response. OpenAI describes it as access to “higher reasoning for harder questions.” For text-only chats, the feature can be used without a separate limit; combining it with other features will count against those features' quotas.
The two outlets emphasize different parts of the rollout. Engadget frames unlimited text access as a potentially significant shift in inference economics: OpenAI did not explain how it made the change, while a recent report from The Information said the company was nearing a breakthrough. The Verge instead highlights improvements to GPT-5.6 Sol, OpenAI’s flagship model for Plus and Pro subscribers.
For those paid tiers, the updated Sol model is expected to be more reliable with facts involving dates, numbers, sources, rules, and assumptions. OpenAI also says it will provide more direct answers, tighter formatting, and less unnecessary detail. A new slider, available starting Thursday, will let Plus and Pro users choose how much “thought” ChatGPT puts into an answer.
“This is a concrete step toward more abundant intelligence: making our latest models more widely available, improving the usefulness and reliability of the answers people get, and letting free users keep text chats going without a rate limit.”
OpenAI has not said how it can now offer unlimited text prompts, and neither outlet provides an independent verification of the company’s reliability claims for GPT-5.6 Sol. The practical result is still substantial for users who mainly ask text questions, but the unchanged limits on files, images, voice, and image generation mean “unlimited ChatGPT” is a narrower promise than it first sounds.
AI Editor
Ava covers the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence, from foundational models and research labs to the real-world economics of intelligence. With a background in computational linguistics, she cuts through the hype to find out what actually works. She firmly believes that benchmarks are just marketing until reproduced in the wild.
