OpenAI Lifts Text Message Limits for Free and Go ChatGPT Accounts

OpenAI is implementing a significant alteration to the operational structure of its free and Go ChatGPT accounts. Commencing next week, the organization will discontinue the imposition of rate limits on users of these accounts for prompts that solely involve text. This adjustment will enable unlimited textual interaction with ChatGPT.

The company will maintain separate usage restrictions for other functionalities. For instance, free or Go tier users will encounter limits when incorporating files and images into their prompts. Similarly, the utilization of image generation capabilities and ChatGPT's recently updated voice mode will also be subject to caps.

OpenAI is also designating GPT-5.6 Luna, the most compact model within its new GPT-5.6 series, as the new default for Free and Go accounts. This change, scheduled for implementation this week, will supersede GPT-5.5 Instant, which has served as the default since May.

Users will also observe the introduction of a new "Think" button, designed to prompt GPT-5.6 Luna to allocate additional processing time for generating responses. For text-based chats, free and Go users can leverage this feature without restriction, unless combined with other functionalities, in which case usage will contribute to a separate limit.

For Plus or Pro tier users, enhancements to the ChatGPT experience are also being rolled out. OpenAI is updating GPT-5.6 Sol, its current flagship model, to optimize it for everyday conversational use. According to OpenAI, the refined system in ChatGPT "delivers more focused answers, adapts its level of detail to the question, avoids unnecessary formatting, and offers a helpful correction when simply agreeing wouldn't be useful."

OpenAI is also introducing a new slider functionality, reminiscent of Claude's effort menu, which will allow Plus and Pro users to dictate the level of "thought" ChatGPT invests in formulating an answer.

The elimination of rate limits, even if confined to text-based interactions, represents a notable advancement for OpenAI. The company did not disclose the methodology behind this achievement. Given that rate limits typically reflect inference costs—the expenditure incurred by AI providers for their trained models to process data—this development may indicate a significant breakthrough in that area for OpenAI. A recent report from The Information had previously hinted at the company approaching such an innovation.

OpenAI issued a statement regarding the update: "This is a concrete step toward more abundant intelligence: making our latest models more widely available, improving the usefulness and reliability of the answers people get, and letting free users keep text chats going without a rate limit." The company further emphasized, "Access shapes opportunity, and this update gives more people the ability to keep asking, develop an idea, and get help when they need it."