OpenAI announced on 6 August 2026 major upgrades to ChatGPT that significantly expand access for free-tier and lower-paid users.
Key changes for Free and Go users
- Unlimited text chats: rate limits on pure text conversations are being removed. Limits still apply to file uploads, images, voice mode and image generation, and abuse guardrails remain.
- GPT-5.6 Luna becomes the default: this lighter GPT-5.6 model replaces GPT-5.5 Instant. OpenAI reports factual errors were about 62% less common with Luna in internal financial, medical and legal evaluations.
- New “Think” button: lets Free and Go users request higher reasoning effort for more complex questions.
Timeline: GPT-5.6 Luna is rolling out as the default this week (week of 3–9 August 2026); unlimited text chats and the Think button arrive the following week (week of 10 August).
Changes for Plus and Pro users
Paid subscribers receive an upgraded GPT-5.6 Sol, tuned for more focused, reliable everyday responses with fewer factual errors (OpenAI claims ~68% fewer than GPT-5.5 Instant in the same evaluations). A new reasoning/thinking slider lets users adjust how much “thought” the model applies — from quick replies to deeper multi-step reasoning — while keeping consistent tone and style. The updated Sol is already available to Plus and Pro users.
Summary of model access
| Tier | Default model | Unlimited text? | Reasoning control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free & Go | GPT-5.6 Luna | Yes (rolling out next week) | Think button |
| Plus & Pro | GPT-5.6 Sol (updated) | Already available | Thinking slider |
The updates make OpenAI’s newer GPT-5.6 family more widely available and remove one of the biggest friction points for free users — text message limits — while differentiating paid tiers through stronger models, deeper reasoning controls and higher limits on multimodal features.