OpenAI is testing a $100-a-month version of ChatGPT — and it finally fills a big gap

OpenAI appears to be developing a new mid-tier subscription called ChatGPT Pro Lite, priced at approximately $100 per month, according to code discovered by Testing Catalog. This new tier strategically fills the significant price gap between the existing $20/month ChatGPT Plus and the $200/month ChatGPT Pro plans. The move comes as OpenAI faces soaring compute and energy costs from its massive user base, pushing the company to explore new sustainable revenue models beyond ads. The timing is notable, following the hiring of OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger, whose agent framework would be better suited to a mid-priced plan than the current extremes.

The Pro Lite tier is designed for power users who regularly hit the strict rate limits and slowdowns of ChatGPT Plus during demanding tasks like deep reasoning, iterative coding, or long image/video generation sequences. While specific features aren't detailed, it's expected to offer a 'lesser version of Pro' with higher daily capacity, faster inference speeds, and better access to advanced models than Plus. This positions OpenAI to directly compete with Anthropic's $100/month Claude Max and similar Google Gemini pricing, while more sustainably distributing the infrastructure costs of high-usage customers. For professionals, it creates a viable middle ground for deploying more resource-intensive workflows involving desktop integrations, file handling, and emerging agentic capabilities.