OpenAI Introduces Tiered Pricing for Web Search Tool Calls, Impacting GPT-4o and GPT-4o Mini Rates
What happened
Between the Mar 9, 2025 and Apr 1, 2025 captures of OpenAI's pricing page, Pulse recorded 4 changes: Web Search Tool Call pricing introduced with tiered rates - GPT-4o: $30-$50/1K calls, GPT-4o mini: $25-$30/1K calls based on search context size; Code Interpreter tool pricing introduced at $0.03 per session; Responses API introduced - combines simplicity of Chat Completions with built-in tool use of Assistants; File Search Tool Call pricing introduced at $2.50/1k tool calls (Responses API only). Pulse files it as a packaging change (new add-on, feature added) with an upward direction. Pulse's latest capture (Oct 18, 2026) lists Go at $8, Plus at $20, Business at $20 and Pro at $100.
OpenAI's previous recorded change was "OpenAI Discontinues Fine-Tuning and Legacy Models, Introduces GPT-4.5 and New o3-mini Pricing for Enhanced Accessibility" (Q4 2024). OpenAI has been tracked since 2023-11-14.
In the same window Metabase and Anthropic also changed their AI & Machine Learning pricing pages. Those moves are listed further down, and the Pulse Agent can compare them side by side.
- Tool Call · Add-onAdded
BeforeNo Web Search Tool Call pricing
AfterWeb Search Tool Call pricing
- — · Add-onAdded
BeforeNo Code Interpreter tool pricing
AfterCode Interpreter tool pricing
- — · FeatureAdded
BeforeNot listed
After- combines simplicity of Chat Completions
- Tool Call · Add-onAdded
BeforeNo File Search Tool Call pricing
AfterFile Search Tool Call pricing
| Plan | Field | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tool Call | Add-on | No Web Search Tool Call pricing | Web Search Tool Call pricing | Added |
| — | Add-on | No Code Interpreter tool pricing | Code Interpreter tool pricing | Added |
| — | Feature | Not listed | - combines simplicity of Chat Completions | Added |
| Tool Call | Add-on | No File Search Tool Call pricing | File Search Tool Call pricing | Added |
Values as written on OpenAI's public pricing page in the two captures Pulse compared; where the page states no number, the cells give the wording before and after.
Evidence
The two captures Pulse comparedFull-page captures of OpenAI's pricing page (openai.com) from Mar 9, 2025 and Apr 1, 2025; the change is marked on the page, where Web Search Tool Call pricing now appears.
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The two full-page captures with this change marked up are free with an account.
OpenAI, the last 90 days
Full history- Jan 12, 2026packagingOpenAI API Implements 40% Price Increase for GPT-5.2 Output and Input Tokens, Renames GPT-5 to GPT-5.2
- Q3 2025packagingOpenAI API Introduces GPT-5 Mini and Nano Models with Significantly Lower Pricing, Enhancing Accessibility for Users
- Q2 2025packagingOpenAI Announces Dramatic 87% Price Drop for Flagship Reasoning Model Outputs During Transition to o3
- Mar 2025packagingOpenAI Introduces Tiered Pricing for Web Search Tool Calls, Impacting GPT-4o and GPT-4o Mini Rates · this change
- Q4 2024packagingOpenAI Discontinues Fine-Tuning and Legacy Models, Introduces GPT-4.5 and New o3-mini Pricing for Enhanced Accessibility
Across AI & Machine Learning in the same window
All AI & Machine Learning changes- MetabaseJan 12Metabase Introduces SCIM Account Provisioning for Pro and Enterprise Plans
- AnthropicJan 10Anthropic API Introduces Tiered Pricing and Prompt Caching for Sonnet 4.5, Restructuring Costs Based on Token Length
- MetabaseJan 12Metabase Unifies Pricing Structure with Monthly/Annual Toggle and 'Save 10%' Offer
- MetabaseJan 12Metabase Cuts Storage Add-On Pricing by 53% for 500K and 1M Rows, Now Just $35 and $70/Month
- MetabaseJan 12Metabase Raises Enterprise Plan Minimum Annual Price by 33% to $20k, Alongside Other Price Increases Across Plans and Add-ons
Questions about this change
Did OpenAI raise prices in April 2025?
No list-price increase was recorded between Mar 9, 2025 and Apr 1, 2025. The change Pulse detected was a packaging change: new add-on, feature added.
What changed on OpenAI's pricing page between Mar 9, 2025 and Apr 1, 2025?
Tool Call add-on: No Web Search Tool Call pricing → Web Search Tool Call pricing, added; add-on: No Code Interpreter tool pricing → Code Interpreter tool pricing, added; feature: Not listed → - combines simplicity of Chat Completions, added; Tool Call add-on: No File Search Tool Call pricing → File Search Tool Call pricing, added. Pulse compared the captures it took on Mar 9, 2025 and Apr 1, 2025; the before/after table above lists each item as written on the page.
How often does OpenAI change its pricing?
Pulse recorded 1 other pricing-page change for OpenAI in the 90 days before this one; the previous change was "OpenAI Discontinues Fine-Tuning and Legacy Models, Introduces GPT-4.5 and New o3-mini Pricing for Enhanced Accessibility" in Q4 2024; OpenAI has been tracked since 2023-11-14.