OpenAI is scrapping message limits on text-based chats for every ChatGPT user, the company announced today. According to TechCrunch AI, the change lands as ChatGPT just crossed 1 billion weekly users, and it comes bundled with a fresh set of models and controls for both free and paying tiers. This is significant because the free chat cap has long been the main nudge pushing people toward a paid plan. Removing it changes that math.
Here’s what OpenAI is rolling out, and who gets what.
1. Unlimited text chats for everyone
The headline change: no more caps on text conversations for Free and Go users. TechCrunch AI notes that separate limits still apply to files, images, voice, and image generation, so “unlimited” covers text only. Still, for the vast majority of people who mostly type back and forth with ChatGPT, the ceiling is gone.
2. A new default model called GPT-5.6 Luna
Free and Go users move to GPT-5.6 Luna, which replaces GPT-5.5 as the default. OpenAI says an internal evaluation found factual errors were 62% less common with Luna compared to GPT-5.5-Instant. That’s the company’s own testing, not an outside benchmark, so treat the number as a vendor claim until independent results show up.
3. A “Think” button for harder questions
Free and Go users also get a Think button that dials up reasoning power on demand. Instead of the model deciding how hard to work, you tell it when a question needs deeper thought. It’s a simple, useful bit of control that used to sit behind paid tiers.
4. An upgraded GPT-5.6 Sol for Plus and Pro
Paying users get a refreshed GPT-5.6 Sol tuned for quick tasks: questions, web research, advice, planning, writing, and decision-making. OpenAI says answers will be more compact and more robust. One clarification from TechCrunch AI worth flagging: this is a different version from the GPT-5.6 Sol used in Codex and Work, which stays unchanged. In OpenAI’s internal test, Sol showed 68% fewer factual errors than GPT-5.5-Instant.
5. A thinking slider for Plus and Pro
Rather than a single button, Plus and Pro users get a slider to tune how much thought the model puts into an answer. You can scale it up for multi-step problems or keep it light for fast replies. It’s the more granular sibling of the free tier’s Think button.
How the tiers compare now
The gap between free and paid narrows on chat volume, since unlimited text applies across the board. What still separates them is control and model quality: Plus and Pro get the sharper Sol model plus the fine-grained slider, while Free and Go get Luna and the simpler on/off Think button. Multimedia limits remain a paid-tier advantage too.
When you can get it
The rollout is staggered, according to TechCrunch AI:
- The updated GPT-5.6 Sol is live for Plus and Pro users today.
- The Free and Go changes arrive this week.
- Unlimited text chats and the Think button land next week.
What stands out here is the timing. Crossing 1 billion weekly users gives OpenAI enormous scale, and handing free users unlimited text is a bet that broader engagement matters more right now than squeezing conversions from a message cap. It also raises the competitive bar for rivals who still throttle free chat.
The caveat worth keeping in mind: the error-reduction figures come from OpenAI’s own internal evaluation, and “unlimited” stops at text. Files, images, voice, and image generation still have limits. For the full breakdown, check the original report at TechCrunch AI.