30 September 2026
ChatGPT coding plans in production
OpenAI just announced the solution to the biggest problem B2C AI software founders face. The sheer cost of production API tokens.
What was once a workaround is now codified. Users can pay for inference on your app with their ChatGPT plans. You no longer pay for each user. That unlocks stronger margins. It also lets you serve a free tier without setting money on fire.
Without you setting money on fire. Coding plans are heavily subsidized compared to API prices. Anecdotally I regularly use the equivalent of about $700 of API on my $100 plan. Closed source API prices are inflated so that is not a real 7x of value.
Users see no immediate benefit. They spend plan usage they could have spent in ChatGPT. SaaS companies have to supply the value proposition that captures ChatGPT users. Two ways to do it:
- Discounted services or subsidized bonus credits for ChatGPT users
- An option to use the ChatGPT subscription instead of models that drain your credits
OpenAI may see further burn from subsidizing production apps. Anthropic's burn rate is public now. That would make it hard for Anthropic to respond in kind.