OpenAI Drops Text Chat Limits for Free ChatGPT Users
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- OpenAI is removing rate limits on text chats for ChatGPT's free and Go tiers starting next week, while keeping limits on messages that include file uploads and images.
- OpenAI is adding a new "Think" button for free and Go users next week that provides access to "higher reasoning for harder questions."
- Free and Go users are being upgraded this week to GPT-5.6 Luna as ChatGPT's default AI model.
- GPT-5.6 Sol is being updated for Plus and Pro subscribers to be "more reliable with facts," with OpenAI saying it makes fewer mistakes on dates, numbers, sources, rules, and assumptions.
- Plus and Pro subscribers get a new slider to control "how much thought ChatGPT puts into an answer," available starting Thursday alongside the updated GPT-5.6 Sol.
Why it matters: Free users gain unlimited text conversations plus access to a reasoning button that was previously gated, removing the primary friction that nudged casual users toward paid plans. Plus and Pro subscribers get a targeted factuality upgrade with GPT-5.6 Sol focused on dates, numbers, sources, and rules—a known ChatGPT weakness—while image and file uploads stay paywalled across all tiers.
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