- ChatGPT’s hidden backup model has become smarter and it’s a stealth upgrade that happens in the background
- OpenAI also announced a new $100 Pro plan, shaking up access to its best tools.
- The changes show that OpenAI is making ChatGPT more hierarchical and 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’s cheaper than its $200 Pro option, but gives you more access to Codex, OpenAI’s programming tool, than a Plus user would get.
The second change is to introduce a new fallback model of ChatGPT, when you have reached your throughput 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 because that’s what you default to when you’ve reached your throughput limits.
Taken together, the new changes show that OpenAI is reshaping both the free experience of using ChatGPT and the way it delivers premium access.
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The hidden upgrade you won’t notice
GPT-5 Instant Mini replaces ChatGPT-5.3 Instant as the backup model you get after reaching your GPT-5.3 Instant limits, which will depend on the plan you’re using. Before the new version, you defaulted to ChatGPT-5 mini. OpenAI claims that ChatGPT-5.3 Instant Mini outperforms GPT-5 Instant Mini in a range of different use cases.
“Compared to GPT-5 Instant Mini, GPT-5.3 Instant Mini feels more natural in conversation, with stronger writing 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 even if it only affects the “overflow” experience, it shows that’s where many regular users end up. It’s Pro users who will be less likely to be affected, since they have much higher usage rates.
The new Pro level at $100
At the same time, OpenAI is introducing a new Pro tier at $100/month (£89 in UK, AU pricing TBD) aimed at longer, high-intensity Codex sessions. It includes unlimited access to GPT-5.4, access to GPT-5.4 Pro, and temporary use of the Codex in 10x mode compared to the Plus tier.
What’s confusing is that the $200/month Pro plan still exists, so there are now two plans for ChatGPT called “Pro”. It’s easier to think of the $100/month plan as a middle tier 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 looks the same between the two shots.
What changes for Plus users
There is also a small change for Plus users at $20/month. Codex’s temporary Plus promotion is ending, so OpenAI is rebalancing the use of Plus to support more sessions throughout the week, rather than longer, high-intensity sessions on a single day.
This is actually OpenAI redefining what Plus is for: lighter, more stable daily use rather than intensive bursts. At the same time, it introduces a new intermediate level in the hope that people using ChatGPT Plus for coding will be upgraded.
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