OpenAI restructures Plus plan, moves GPT-5.4 Thinking to credit-based access
What happened
Between the Mar 23, 2026 and Apr 1, 2026 captures of OpenAI's pricing page, Pulse recorded 3 changes: Plus plan: 'Codex agent and Sora video generation' replaced by 'Expanded Codex usage'. GPT-5.3 Instant upgraded to full access on Go. Sora 1 and Sora 2 rows removed from comparison table. GPT-5 Thinking Mini added as new model row; Context window section restructured: simple '16K/32K/128K' table replaced with detailed GPT Instant context window per chat (27K/54K/128K) and GPT Reasoning context window per chat (256K/400K) rows, plus page-equivalent callouts; GPT-5.4 Thinking access for Business plan changed from included (Yes) to credit-based (Flexible**), meaning Business users must now purchase credits for GPT-5.4 Thinking access. Pulse files it as a packaging change (feature change, limit increase, metric change) 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.
It lands the same day as OpenAI's previous change, "OpenAI API slashes web search tool price 60% to $10 per 1k calls" (Apr 2, 2026). Before that Pulse recorded "OpenAI API triples GPT-5 mini pricing, launches budget nano tier" (Mar 24, 2026), "OpenAI API launches GPT-5.4 at $2.50/M tokens, adds Containers tool" (Apr 6, 2026) and "OpenAI upgrades GPT models across all plans, adds Skills beta feature" (Mar 17, 2026). OpenAI has been tracked since 2023-11-14.
In the same window Microsoft, Anthropic, Metabase and X also changed their AI & Machine Learning pricing pages. Those moves are listed further down, and the Pulse Agent can compare them side by side.
- Plus, Go · FeatureRemovedSora 1 and Sora 2 rowsNot listed
- Plus · LimitLimit increase
Context window section restructured: simple '16K/32K/128K' table replaced with detailed GPT Instant context window per chat (27K/54K/128K) and GPT Reasoning context window per chat (256K/400K) rows, plus page-equivalent callouts.
- Business · Pricing modelMetric change
GPT-5.4 Thinking access for Business plan changed from included (Yes) to credit-based (Flexible**), meaning Business users must now purchase credits for GPT-5.4 Thinking access.
| Plan | Field | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plus, Go | Feature | Sora 1 and Sora 2 rows | Not listed | Removed |
| Plus | Limit | Context window section restructured: simple '16K/32K/128K' table replaced with detailed GPT Instant context window per chat (27K/54K/128K) and GPT Reasoning context window per chat (256K/400K) rows, plus page-equivalent callouts. | Limit increase | |
| Business | Pricing model | GPT-5.4 Thinking access for Business plan changed from included (Yes) to credit-based (Flexible**), meaning Business users must now purchase credits for GPT-5.4 Thinking access. | Metric change | |
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 23, 2026 and Apr 1, 2026; the change is marked near the top of the page, where the Sora 1 and Sora 2 rows no longer appears.
Sign in to see the evidence
The two full-page captures with this change marked up are free with an account.
OpenAI, the last 90 days
Full history- May 11, 2026increaseOpenAI API raises GPT-Realtime-2 text output 50%, adds translate
- Apr 27, 2026decreaseOpenAI API cuts image output pricing, launches GPT-image-2
- Apr 9, 2026decreaseOpenAI cuts Business plan price 20% to $20/user/month
- Apr 2, 2026improvedOpenAI restructures Plus plan, moves GPT-5.4 Thinking to credit-based access · this change
- Apr 2, 2026decreaseOpenAI API slashes web search tool price 60% to $10 per 1k calls
- Mar 24, 2026packagingOpenAI API triples GPT-5 mini pricing, launches budget nano tier
- Apr 6, 2026packagingOpenAI API launches GPT-5.4 at $2.50/M tokens, adds Containers tool
- Mar 17, 2026improvedOpenAI upgrades GPT models across all plans, adds Skills beta feature
- Mar 18, 2026improvedOpenAI API adds Sora-2-pro HD video tier at $0.70/second
- Mar 10, 2026improvedOpenAI democratizes GPT-5.4 Thinking to Free tier, upgrades Pro models
Across AI & Machine Learning in the same window
All AI & Machine Learning changes- MicrosoftApr 3Microsoft Copilot adds 4K Clipchamp export, AI image tools to Premium plan
- AnthropicMar 16Anthropic API simplifies pricing, removes volume-based tiers
- MetabaseFeb 23Metabase reveals Advanced Transforms add-on at $250/mo for 72K runs
- XFeb 18X adds real-time voice AI, drops structured outputs from API
Questions about this change
Did OpenAI raise prices in April 2026?
No list-price increase was recorded between Mar 23, 2026 and Apr 1, 2026. The change Pulse detected was a packaging change: feature change, limit increase, metric change.
What changed on OpenAI's pricing page between Mar 23, 2026 and Apr 1, 2026?
Plus, Go feature: Sora 1 and Sora 2 rows → Not listed, removed; Context window section restructured: simple '16K/32K/128K' table replaced with detailed GPT Instant context window per chat (27K/54K/128K) and GPT Reasoning context window per chat (256K/400K) rows, plus page-equivalent callouts; GPT-5.4 Thinking access for Business plan changed from included (Yes) to credit-based (Flexible**), meaning Business users must now purchase credits for GPT-5.4 Thinking access. Pulse compared the captures it took on Mar 23, 2026 and Apr 1, 2026; the before/after table above lists each item as written on the page.
How often does OpenAI change its pricing?
Pulse recorded 11 other pricing-page changes for OpenAI in the 90 days before this one; the previous change was "OpenAI API slashes web search tool price 60% to $10 per 1k calls" on Apr 2, 2026; OpenAI has been tracked since 2023-11-14.