OpenAI is merging Chat and Work in ChatGPT, and the change will alter how usage limits work. According to an updated OpenAI support page, starting in December the Plus, Pro, and Business plans will share a single token budget across ChatGPT and Codex. OpenAI is also folding Work's agentic features into the main interface.
Tokens measure the information a model processes and generates. More complex models and tasks use the budget faster. Users can check their remaining balance and reset times in Settings. When they reach the limit, they can wait for a reset, upgrade, or buy extra credits.
Chats with Instant models will not count toward the budget. The source says this keeps ChatGPT a flat-rate service on paper, but it also says heavy use on cheaper plans will likely produce lower-quality results.
The source reports that OpenAI recently doubled usage limits for higher-priced plans, which it presumes was done to prepare for the merger. It describes the merger as likely a response to criticism of ChatGPT's growing complexity. Users currently choose between two operating modes and 11 model settings. The source notes that Anthropic has already combined Chat and "Cowork" in Claude.