OpenAI has announced it is piloting ChatGPT Plus, a $20 monthly subscription plan that prioritises “faster response times and reliability”, especially during peak time when there are a lot of users. The free version of the AI chatbot is still available, but the paid subscription offers extra perks and gives “priority access to new features and improvements.”

The $20 monthly tier is available to customers in the United States, and the company says it will send invites to customers on its waiting list in the coming weeks. OpenAI says access to ChatGPT Plus will be expanded to more countries and regions “soon.”

“We love our free users and will continue to offer free access to ChatGPT. By offering this subscription pricing, we will be able to help support free access availability to as many people as possible,” the company shared in a blog post.

The $20 monthly subscription plan seems reasonable and affordable for businesses and people who use the AI chatbot heavily. Since it was launched last November, there have been a lot of concerns about the tool and its disadvantages. OpenAI released a free tool to detect AI-generated text due to concerns students could use it to do assignments or write academic papers.