- ChatGPT’s hidden backup model just got smarter, and it’s a stealth upgrade that happens in the background
- OpenAI also announced a new $100 Pro plan, shaking up who gets access to its best tools
- The changes show that OpenAI is making ChatGPT more layered and more complex behind the scenes
OpenAI just made two major changes to ChatGPT, but only one of them is obvious. The big news is that there’s now a new $100 Pro plan that comes in cheaper than its $200 Pro option, but gives you more access to Codex, OpenAI’s programming tool, than a Plus user would get.
The other change is to introduce a new ChatGPT’s fallback model when you have reached your speed limits on ChatGPT-5.3 Instant. The new model is called ChatGPT-5.3 Instant Mini, and you can’t select it in the model selector, as that’s what you default to when you hit your rate limits.
Together, the new changes show that OpenAI is reshaping both the free-flow experience of using ChatGPT and the way it packages advanced access.
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You won’t notice the hidden upgrade
The GPT-5 Instant Mini replaces the ChatGPT-5.3 Instant as the backup model you get after you reach your GPT-5.3 Instant limits, which depend on which plan you have. Before the new release, you used ChatGPT-5 mini by default. OpenAI claims that ChatGPT-5.3 Instant Mini outperforms GPT-5 Instant Mini across a variety of use cases.
“Compared to the GPT-5 Instant Mini, the GPT-5.3 Instant Mini feels more natural in conversation with stronger typing and contextual awareness throughout the chat,” OpenAI said in the ChatGPT-5.3 Instant Mini release notes.
The change is happening behind the scenes, but although this only affects the “overflow” experience, it shows that this is where many regular users end up. It is the Pro users who will be less likely to be affected as they have much higher consumption rates.
The new $100 Pro tier
At the same time, OpenAI is introducing a new $100/month Pro tier (£89 UK, AU price to be determined) aimed at longer, high-intensity Codex sessions. It includes unlimited access to GPT-5.4, access to GPT-5.4 Pro and temporarily up to 10x mode Codex usage than the Plus level.
What is confusing is that the $200/month Pro plan still exists, so now there are two plans for ChatGPT called “Pro”. It’s easiest to think of the $100/month plan as an intermediate step between Plus and the more expensive Pro option.
OpenAI describes the $100/month Pro plan as having 5x more usage than the Plus tier, while the $200/month plan has 20x more usage. Other than that, everything between the two plans works the same.
What’s changing for Plus users
There is also a small change for $20/month Plus users. The temporary Codex promotion on Plus is ending, so OpenAI is rebalancing Plus usage to support multiple sessions across the week instead of longer, high-intensity sessions in a single day.
This is effectively OpenAI, redefining what Plus is for: lighter, more stable everyday use rather than powerful bursts. At the same time, it introduces a new intermediate level in the hope that the people who use ChatGPT Plus for coding will upgrade.
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