ChatGPT brings unlimited text chats to free users
TechCrunch Ivan Mehta ● Covered by 9 sources
OpenAI is scrapping the cap on text chats for every ChatGPT user, free tier included. Big deal — ChatGPT just crossed 1 billion weekly users, and the new models are far less error-prone.
Based on reporting by TechCrunch, Ivan Mehta — read the original for the full story.
Summary, retelling and take written by AI under human oversight; images are AI-generated illustrations. How we work · Report an error
OpenAI just told its entire ChatGPT user base — all one billion-plus of them checking in weekly — that they can stop worrying about hitting a wall mid-conversation. Text chats are going unlimited for everyone, a shift the company is rolling out alongside a fresh model lineup rather than as a standalone gesture.
The backbone of that change is GPT-5.6 Luna, which becomes the default model for Free and Go users, taking over from GPT-5.5. Those same users are also getting a "Think" button, letting them dial up reasoning power when a question actually calls for it. Worth noting: this generosity has a boundary. Files, images, voice, and image generation still have their own separate limits, so the free lunch stops at plain text.
Plus and Pro subscribers aren't left out. They're getting an upgraded GPT-5.6 Sol, tuned for the everyday grind — quick questions, web research, planning, writing, decision-making — with OpenAI promising tighter, more dependable answers. And in a detail that matters if you're paying attention, this is a distinct build from the GPT-5.6 Sol running inside Codex and Work, which OpenAI is leaving untouched for now. Plus and Pro users also get a thinking slider, a more granular version of the Think button, letting them scale reasoning effort to match how gnarly a task actually is.
On accuracy, OpenAI is leaning on its own internal testing to make the case for the upgrade. Compared with GPT-5.5-Instant, the company says factual errors dropped 62% with GPT-5.6 Luna and 68% with GPT-5.6 Sol. Those are OpenAI's own numbers, not independently verified, but they're the headline the company wants attached to this release.
The rollout is staggered. The refreshed GPT-5.6 Sol is live now for Plus and Pro users. Free and Go users will see their changes land this week. And the actual unlimited text chats, plus the Think button for that tier, arrive next week — so the announcement and the delivery aren't quite the same day.
My take — AI-written commentary, not fact-checked reporting
Unlimited text chats sound like generosity until you notice the fine print: images, voice, and files are still rationed, which tells you exactly where the compute costs actually bite. This is what scale looks like when a product hits a billion weekly users — you loosen the cheapest lever and keep the expensive ones tight. Nobody should mistake this for OpenAI going soft on limits; it's just moved the meter to where it hurts less.
Read more about this at: TechCrunch