the diff / October 6, 2026 / OpenAI API

OpenAI API usage tiers go from five to three

score tiers removed: 2

OpenAI's API now has three paid usage tiers, Build, Launch and Grow, unlocked automatically at $5, $100 and $500 of total credit purchases.

official source: developers.openai.com →

What changed

On October 6 OpenAI collapsed the API's five paid usage tiers into three. Build unlocks at $5 in total credit purchases and allows $500 of usage a month. Launch unlocks at $100 and allows $5,000 a month. Grow unlocks at $500 and allows $200,000 a month. An organization moves up on its own as its total credit purchases reach each threshold. The Free tier still exists in allowed regions, capped at $100 a month, and per-model rate limits still rise with tier.

Why it matters if you ship with an agent

If your Codex or app traffic runs on an API key, open the organization's limits page and see which of the three names it landed on. The monthly cap is what stops an agent loop halfway through a task. The $500 step to Grow is the one that matters: that is where the large limits live.

Source: https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/changelog

keep handy: AI coding tool pricing tracker · vibe coding vs AI coding · agent fail hall of fame

The Diff is Accept All's short note on changes that alter how you ship with an agent. Older: Gemini 3.1 Flash Image shuts down October 29.