TL;DR
- Discovery: A developer found references to a “Pro Lite” ChatGPT plan priced at $100 per month hidden in OpenAI’s checkout page code on February 23, 2026.
- Features: The code strings describe unlimited top-model access, Advanced Voice Mode, unrestricted image and video generation, and three to five times the reasoning quota of the Plus plan.
- Market Gap: The proposed tier would fill the pricing gap between ChatGPT Plus at $20 per month and the existing Pro plan at $200 per month.
- Status: OpenAI has not confirmed the plan, announced a launch date, or responded to the discovery as of February 23, 2026.
Users unable to justify the $200 per month Pro plan may soon find a new mid-tier option: a $100 per month Pro Lite subscription plan found in OpenAI’s checkout page code this week. Tibor Blaho, a Lead Engineer at prompt management platform AIPRM, found the plan name in ChatGPT’s checkout page code on February 23.
The code shows the plan listed under identifiers including “PROLITE” and “chatgptprolite,” consistent with an internal product name not yet made public. PCWorld independently verified the same code strings on the same date. AI engineer Blaho noted on X that the plan was likely still a work in progress. OpenAI has not commented.
What the Code Reveals
Beyond the price point, Blaho’s code findings describe a substantial feature set for the potential tier. According to the code strings, Pro Lite would include unlimited access to OpenAI’s top AI models, unlimited use of Advanced Voice Mode, and no caps on image and video generation, capabilities currently throttled or gated under the Plus plan. Priority-speed access to Codex agents, OpenAI’s AI-powered coding assistant, is also referenced in the strings, suggesting faster turnaround on automated coding tasks relative to the standard Plus experience.
The new ChatGPT Pro Lite plan costs $100 per month (the description on the checkout page is likely still a work in progress) https://t.co/TDH4Ql0gXb pic.twitter.com/Q1psZyJZDA
— Tibor Blaho (@btibor91) February 21, 2026
Standing out among the listed features is the reasoning quota. According to the code, Pro Lite could deliver three to five times the deep-reasoning model usage available to Plus subscribers. For users who routinely hit Plus limits on tasks requiring extended reasoning, such as multi-step data analysis, complex document review, or sustained coding work, that multiplier represents a meaningful capability jump at half the cost of Pro. All features are described in checkout code strings, not in official product documentation or any announcement from OpenAI.
The Gap Pro Lite Would Fill
That feature set maps onto a structural gap in ChatGPT’s subscription lineup. The current tiers run from a Free plan with limited usage quotas to ChatGPT Plus at $20 per month, then jump directly to the ChatGPT Pro plan at the top with full access to advanced models and unlimited features. No intermediate tier currently exists, leaving users who need more than Plus provides without an affordable stepping stone to that top tier.
At exactly half the Pro price, the proposed mid-tier would sit at the midpoint of that range. Researchers, developers, and professionals who need more than Plus can deliver but cannot justify a tenfold price jump represent a clear unserved segment in ChatGPT’s current pricing structure.
The Financial Calculus
Beyond market positioning, OpenAI also has financial motivation to introduce a mid-tier. Last year Sam Altman confessed that even the Pro plan was generating material losses, driven by heavy compute usage from Pro subscribers that worsened operating deficits.
A mid-tier plan calibrated for moderate usage could attract additional paying subscribers without replicating the per-user compute costs that make the existing top tier unprofitable. Priced between Plus and Pro, it offers OpenAI a potentially better unit economics profile while expanding the subscription base.
Demand for a mid-tier price point had already formed independently. Approximately two weeks before Blaho’s post, a thread in the OpenAI community forum requested a subscription tier at that price and drew visible community support, suggesting the gap between Plus and Pro was already being felt by users before any internal plans surfaced publicly.
As of February 23, Pro Lite exists in production checkout code under identifiers including PROLITE and chatgptprolite, but OpenAI has not disclosed a launch timeline or confirmed any features. When OpenAI announced the ChatGPT Go subscription tier in January 2026, the company pledged to keep ChatGPT available at “free and affordable price points.” Whether Pro Lite represents the next step in fulfilling that commitment, or simply an internal experiment that quietly disappears before launch, remains unconfirmed.
