OpenAI begins gradual rollout of GPT-6 Astra — here's who has access
OpenAI started rolling out its new GPT-6 Astra model on September 3, but availability varies by subscription tier and platform. Users should also watch out for usage limits that can deplete faster than before.
OpenAI began a gradual rollout of its new GPT-6 Astra model on September 3, though access is neither immediate nor uniform across accounts. In standard ChatGPT, the model appears under the name GPT-6 Pro and is being made available to subscribers on the $100 and $200 Pro plans, as well as Business and Enterprise accounts. Free and Go tier users are currently excluded.
Plus subscribers will not get Astra in the regular Chat interface at all — instead, it arrives through ChatGPT Work and Codex. Availability can differ between Chat, Work and Codex, and OpenAI has not committed to a specific timeline for when every eligible account will receive access.
Where to find Astra
Pro, Business and Enterprise users should open the model picker in a standard conversation and look for GPT-6 Pro under the "Pro" section — that is the Astra-powered model despite the different name. Enterprise accounts may face an additional hurdle, since access also depends on workspace-level model permissions set by an administrator. Plus users need to open Work on web or mobile and select Astra once it becomes available there; on desktop, that means switching from Chat to Work within the ChatGPT app. Codex users need CLI version 0.153.0 or newer.
A privacy note applies to Work: even when running locally, messages and task context may still be stored in the cloud.
Usage limits to watch
OpenAI warns that Astra can consume a user's message allowance faster than the previous GPT-5.6 Sol model, particularly for complex tasks involving heavy context or reasoning. Plus users are estimated to get roughly five to 45 local Astra messages per five-hour window. The $100 Pro plan allows an estimated 25 to 225 messages, while the $200 tier allows 100 to 900. Chat has its own separate limits: on the $100 plan, GPT-6 Pro shares a 50-message weekly cap with the previous model, while the $200 plan permits 200 GPT-6 Pro messages per week.
Developers can access Astra via the API at $10 per million input tokens and $50 per million output tokens, with higher rates applying to unusually large requests.
