OpenAI Merges ChatGPT and Codex with Unified Token Budgets
OpenAI announced that starting in December, it will merge ChatGPT's chat interface with Codex's agentic work features, implementing a unified token budget across Plus, Pro, and Business plans. This shift signals the end of unlimited prompting models, requiring users to manage usage limits based on remaining credits for complex tasks.
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OpenAI's upcoming chat-and-work merger in ChatGPT signals the end of all-you-can-prompt pricing
[Matthias Bastian](https://the-decoder.com/author/matthias-bastian/) [View the LinkedIn Profile of Matthias Bastian](https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthias-bastian-128b71b1/) Nov 1, 2026 ChatGPT is merging Chat and Work, changing how usage limits work. Starting in December, Plus, Pro, and Business plans will share a single token budget across ChatGPT and Codex, according to an updated OpenAI support page, as OpenAI folds Work's agentic features into the main interface. OpenAI had already announced plans to merge Chat and Work.
Tokens measure the information a model processes and generates, so more complex models and tasks eat through the budget faster. Users can check their remaining balance and reset times in Settings, and once they hit the limit, they can wait for a reset, upgrade, or buy extra credits.
Chats with Instant models won't count toward the budget, so on paper ChatGPT stays a flat-rate service, but heavy usage on cheaper plans will likely mean lower-quality results. OpenAI recently doubled usage limits for higher-priced plans, presumably to prepare for the merger, which itself is likely a response to criticism of ChatGPT's growing complexity. Users currently choose between two operating modes and 11 model settings, differences even experienced users can barely keep straight. Anthropic already combined Chat and "Cowork" in Claude.