OpenAI temporarily halts Pro plan sign-ups amid Astra demand
OpenAI has temporarily paused new subscriptions to its $200-per-month Pro plan after demand for Astra, its newest and most powerful model, placed strain on the company’s infrastructure. Thibault “Tibo” Sottiaux, OpenAI’s product leader for core products including Codex and ChatGPT, announced the measure on X.
Sottiaux said the Pro tier imposes the greatest load on OpenAI’s systems. The company chose to disable new Pro sign-ups while keeping its API and lower-priced Go and Plus plans available. Existing users remain a priority as OpenAI works to sustain demand.
Capacity pressure follows Astra rollout
OpenAI had signalled on Wednesday that a restriction could be necessary. Sottiaux described demand for Astra as unprecedented, saying the company was using every available lever to support it while maintaining service quality for current users.
The company has not disclosed how many users are attempting to subscribe each day, how long the pause may last, or the precise level of infrastructure pressure involved. That leaves prospective Pro customers without a timetable for when new subscriptions may reopen.
Astra launched on September 3 and is being rolled out across Pro, Plus, Enterprise and Business accounts, as well as OpenAI’s AI offering. OpenAI presents the model as a major advance in reasoning, coding and computer use, three areas where competition among AI providers is intense.
What the pause says about product access
The timing suggests that demand pressure has emerged recently. OpenAI raised usage limits for Codex users as recently as last month, while Astra’s launch and broad availability have increased demand for the company’s computing capacity.
Commercial execution is also central to the company’s ability to manage premium AI services, as OpenAI's new chief revenue officer reflects OpenAI’s effort to strengthen revenue leadership while its product portfolio expands. The Pro pause does not affect the availability of the API, Go or Plus plans, but it distinguishes access to the highest-priced tier from the wider rollout.
For businesses planning work around Astra, the practical implication is to confirm the plan and access path available to their teams before committing to delivery schedules. Organisations that need immediate access can assess the plans that remain open, while treating a new Pro subscription as unavailable until OpenAI announces otherwise.