OpenAI is restoring the ChatGPT Plus usage limit for Work and Codex. From 25 August, Plus subscribers face a five-hour cap again, stacked on top of the weekly allowance.
The five-hour limit was lifted in July, leaving only the weekly cap while OpenAI reset usage to celebrate milestones — including another million active users across Codex and ChatGPT Work, which are now unified.
Thibault “Tibo” Sottiaux, OpenAI’s engineering lead for Codex and ChatGPT, announced the change on X, and 9to5Mac covered it in full.
Tomorrow we will bring back the 5h limit for Plus accounts across ChatGPT Work and Codex. I had mentioned this a while ago, but then postponed it.
This is necessary as (a) the 5h limit allows us to smoothen the load on our compute, allowing to keep the plan generous in terms of weekly usage and (b) users on the Plus plan are relatively casual and new users, but then also just accidentally eat through their whole weeks usage and then are confused, making it not a great experience.
Thibault “Tibo” Sottiaux, engineering lead for Codex and ChatGPT at OpenAI
The cap spreads demand across the day and stops a casual user blowing the entire weekly allowance in one sitting.
How the limit works
The limit is a five-hour window of active Work and Codex use, sitting on top of the weekly allowance. Reach either limit and it is wait for the next cycle or buy credits; OpenAI also offers free resets from time to time, with banked resets earned through promotions and referrals.
Pro subscribers are exempt. Sottiaux said the 5-hour limit stays off “for the upcoming months” for Pro $100 and $200 plans, which keep their larger allowances. Enterprise and Edu accounts run on a separate credit-based system and are unchanged.
Plus costs $20 a month, about AED 73. Pro starts at $100 a month, about AED 367, with a $200 tier at about AED 734.
ChatGPT Plus usage limit: what it means for the UAE
OpenAI runs an inference residency in the UAE, one of only three regions worldwide where model inference happens in-country, alongside the United States and Europe. The offer targets enterprise and public-sector customers rather than consumer subscribers, but it is a measure of how seriously the company treats the region.
Under the reinstated ChatGPT Plus usage limit, the five-hour window is now a session budget for Plus subscribers here, and once it is spent the weekly allowance is all that is left. Tbreak’s earlier look at whether AI subscriptions are priced for heavy users explains why these caps keep coming back.
What is the ChatGPT Plus usage limit?
It is a five-hour cap on active use of ChatGPT Work and Codex, on top of the weekly allowance. Once the five-hour window or the weekly allowance is used up, usage pauses until the next reset or until credits are bought.
Does the 5-hour limit apply to Pro plans?
No. OpenAI is keeping the 5-hour limit off Pro $100 and $200 subscriptions for the coming months, and those plans keep their larger allowances. Enterprise and Edu accounts use a separate credit-based system and are unaffected.
How much does ChatGPT Plus cost in the UAE?
ChatGPT Plus is $20 a month, about AED 73 at the standard conversion. Pro starts at $100 a month, about AED 367, with a $200 tier at about AED 734.
