Summary of Key Points
OpenAI has recently quietly tightened the free usage policy for its Codex tool: The reset cycle for Free and ChatGPT Go accounts has been changed from once a week to once a month. The minimum quota, which used to cost $4-8 per week, may now only be around $2 per month; however, paid accounts such as Plus and Pro are not affected by this change. This adjustment is primarily aimed at addressing issues like bulk registration and the resale of tokens, as well as the surge in Codex user activity (with over 5 million active users per week, of which 20% are non-developers and growing even faster). Additionally, Codex is being gradually integrated into the ChatGPT ecosystem (it will be included in the ChatGPT app, which serves a user base of one billion people), marking the official end of the free subsidy period.
Detailed Analysis
#### 1. Change in Free Quota for Codex Accounts
Previously, Free and Go account users received a new free quota every week, providing them with $4-8 worth of usage credits to write code and complete tasks. Now, the quota can only be reset after 30 days, and it amounts to only about $2 per month—meaning what used to cover a week’s usage now has to last for an entire month. For example, if you could previously write 1,000 lines of code with Codex per week, you might only be able to write 200-300 lines now, and you would need to pay for additional credits if you need more. Paid users (like those on Plus) continue to have their quotas reset weekly without any change.
#### 2. The Trigger for the Change: Excessive Abuse by Users
The direct reason for this adjustment is the severe misuse within the community. OpenAI officials posted that:
- Some people registered dozens or even hundreds of free accounts and used them in rotation;
- Others sold the tokens they earned from using the quota to others for profit;
- Some took advantage of lower-cost subscription options in foreign regions to access premium services, or pretended to be model developers to offer fake services.
These practices significantly increased OpenAI’s costs. Continuing to provide free quotas weekly, combined with bulk registration, was essentially giving away money to those who were taking advantage of the system.
#### 3. Codex is No Longer Exclusive to Developers
Codex was originally designed for programmers, but its user base has expanded dramatically:
- The number of active users per week has exceeded 5 million, six times the amount since the desktop version was launched in February this year;
- Non-developers now make up 20% of the user base, and their growth rate is three times that of developers (for example, ordinary office workers using it to create spreadsheets and process documents);
- OpenAI plans to integrate Codex into the ChatGPT app, which already has a global monthly active user base of one billion—meaning Codex will be targeting a much broader audience.
With more users, the free quota that was previously allocated to developers cannot be sustained as generously.
#### 4. Impact on Regular Users
Users in the community have reacted uniformly:
- Frequent users of Codex say their accounts are practically useless now, as the previous method of using multiple free accounts in rotation is no longer feasible;
- Occasional users may still manage, but those who need to use it frequently (e.g., writing code or handling work daily) will need to consider upgrading to a Plus or Pro account, which costs around $12 per month.
In short, OpenAI no longer wants free users to take advantage of the service for free and aims to encourage them to pay, considering that running Codex is resource-intensive (it requires significant computational power).
#### 5. OpenAI’s Strategic Shift
The changes in Codex reflect a broader shift in OpenAI’s overall strategy:
- Initially, free quotas were used as a means to attract new users and foster usage habits;
- Now, Codex is intended to become a core component of the ChatGPT ecosystem, serving as a tool for tasks such as automating work. With a user base of one billion, it needs to start generating revenue.
Therefore, this adjustment is not a temporary measure but part of OpenAI’s transition from relying on subsidies to generate sustainable income.
In summary, this change represents OpenAI’s effort to balance costs, manage misuse, and achieve commercial profitability. For regular users, this means either accepting fewer free quotas or paying for additional access—after all, the “free lunch” in the world of AI tools is not forever.