OpenAI pauses $200 Pro sign-ups as Astra demand strains systems

OpenAI has temporarily paused new sign-ups for its $200-per-month Pro plan after demand for Astra put pressure on the company’s infrastructure.

Thibault (Tibo) Sottiaux, OpenAI’s product leader for core products including Codex and ChatGPT, announced the move on X. He said the Pro plan places the greatest strain on OpenAI’s systems, so sign-ups for the tier are being disabled.

Sottiaux said the company was taking the smallest step that would preserve the broadest possible access. OpenAI’s other plans, including the API and the lower-cost Go and Plus plans, remain available.

OpenAI had warned on Wednesday that it might pause new Pro subscriptions if demand for Astra continued to grow. The company has not said how long the pause will last or how many people are signing up each day.

Launched on September 3, Astra is rolling out across Pro, Plus, Enterprise, and Business accounts. OpenAI says the model advances AI reasoning, coding, and computer use, and has described it as the start of the “AGI era.”