OpenAI Expands GPT-4.5 Availability to ChatGPT Plus Subscribers
OpenAI has begun rolling out GPT-4.5, its latest advanced AI model, to subscribers of the ChatGPT Plus tier. The expansion follows an initial release to ChatGPT Pro users, who pay a premium of $200 per month, last week.
In a series of updates shared on X, OpenAI indicated that the rollout process would span approximately 1–3 days. Additionally, the company anticipates adjustments to usage rate limits as demand patterns become clearer. "We'd like to give everyone with access to GPT-4.5 a sizable rate limit," OpenAI explained, "but we expect rate limits to change as we learn more about demand."
Model Capabilities and Performance
GPT-4.5 represents OpenAI's largest model yet, built using significantly more computing resources and data compared to previous versions. Despite its size and enhanced capabilities, GPT-4.5 doesn't necessarily outperform all other models in every benchmark. In particular, GPT-4.5 lags behind specialized "reasoning" models developed by competitors like DeepSeek and Anthropic, and even some of OpenAI's own newer offerings.
Cost Considerations
Cost remains a significant concern with GPT-4.5. OpenAI has acknowledged that the substantial computational expenses involved may lead the company to reconsider the model's long-term availability via its API. Currently, OpenAI charges $75 per million input tokens (approximately 750,000 words) and $150 per million output tokens. These costs represent a notable increase—30 times higher for input and 15 times higher for output—compared to the more efficient GPT-4o model.
Advanced Features and Improvements
Nevertheless, GPT-4.5 offers significant advantages. OpenAI claims the model possesses "deeper world knowledge" and exhibits higher emotional intelligence than its predecessors. It also reportedly demonstrates fewer hallucinations, reducing the likelihood of generating inaccurate or fictional information.
Additionally, GPT-4.5 has excelled in rhetorical skill. An internal benchmark by OpenAI demonstrated the model's remarkable effectiveness at persuading other AI systems—even convincing another AI model to provide it with cash in a hypothetical scenario.
Image credit: OpenAI. The OpenAI logo used in this article is the property of OpenAI.
