Your ChatGPT usage limits are about to get loosened if you’re a free user. OpenAI said on Thursday that it is giving free users unlimited text chats, and the default model for paying users is getting upgraded.
Usage limits are one of the biggest annoyances of using AI chatbots and other products. If you don’t pony up for the $20 paid subscription — or if your workplace doesn’t pay for an enterprise plan — you probably run into messages on ChatGPT telling you that you’ve reached your limit for the day. Now, these limits for text-only chats will be removed for free users. Limits on image generation, file uploads and voice tools will still apply.
Free and paying users will have a new default model, GPT-5.6 Luna, the lightweight version in the company’s newest model family. Luna has performed better than the current default, GPT-5.5 Instant, with OpenAI reporting that factual errors were 62% less common with Luna. There’s also going to be a new “Think” button available for free users and subscribers on the $8 per month Go plan. This is supposed to help the AI answer harder questions by taking more time to process an answer.
Plus and Pro users ($20 and $200 per month subscribers, respectively) should also see some improvements when they use GPT-5.6 Sol, the heavyweight new model. OpenAI said it tweaked Sol to be better at everyday tasks, like web research, writing, planning and making decisions. It should give honed or focused answers — less unnecessary info and formatting. There will also be a slider tool where you can increase the amount of technical firepower you want in your prompt, like upgrading from GPT-5.6 high to extra high to pro.
Luna will be the new default model starting this week, while the unlimited chats, new Think button and slider should be released next week. Don’t panic if you don’t see them right away; rollouts can sometimes take a few days.
While unlimited chats might be nice if you use AI for school or work, it could be an issue for some vulnerable groups. We’ve seen more than a few cases (and subsequent lawsuits against AI companies) where people who use AI chatbots excessively develop and exacerbate some mental health issues. In one lawsuit, a mother alleges that OpenAI failed to enact necessary safeguards in order to keep her daughter engaged with ChatGPT. It’s a similar concern that is underpinning several lawsuits against social media companies, saying they had deliberately addictive designs that resulted in harm for young and vulnerable users.
OpenAI says it has added guardrails to the models so they “avoid romantic roleplay, age-restricted challenges and presenting itself as a substitute for real-world relationships” for users under 18.
(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)
Katelyn Chedraoui
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