OpenAI just made GPT-5 free for everyone: After months of rumors and a lot of online talk, OpenAI has finally released GPT-5, which is the biggest improvement to ChatGPT so far. The new model promises to be faster, more flexible, and smarter, and it's free for everyone in the world to use.
Sam Altman, the CEO, says it's a "major upgrade" because it works faster, can handle more than one type of task, and is smarter about how it does them. Paid users get higher limits, but everyone can enjoy the faster speeds, more flexibility, and better conversation quality.
Sam Altman says it's a "significant step" toward AGI, and he says that going back to older models feels "miserable" after trying it.
AlSO READ: iPhone 17 vs iPhone 16: Upgrades and surprises - here's what’s new, what’s better and what might shock you
OpenAI says that GPT-5 is the fastest model it has ever made. It can handle more complicated requests more quickly, and it will choose the best "mode" for each task on its own, so users don't have to switch between models. It can also handle multiple types of data at once, like text, images, and other types of data, as per a report by Business Insider.
Altman said he told the team to make this model "way, way faster," and early users say the conversation flows much more smoothly and naturally. GPT-5 is also better at "vibe coding," which is a trend in Silicon Valley where AI helps create code in a certain style or look, as per a report by Business Insider.
GPT-5 is more than just a small update from GPT-4.5, which came out in February. It makes you better at reasoning, adapting, and being aware of your surroundings. GPT-5 does all the thinking behind the scenes, so you don't have to switch to a different version for certain tasks like you had to with other models.
OpenAI will sell GPT-5 in three different sizes: standard, mini, and nano. Free users can use all of them, but there are limits on how much they can use them. Subscribers, on the other hand, can use them more.
Sam Altman has been very open about how important the release is. He said that the development of GPT-5 was like the Manhattan Project, which was the World War II effort to build the atomic bomb. He and the team felt both excited and nervous at times, as per a report by Business Insider.
Altman said in one conversation that GPT-5 gave him a clear answer to a question he didn't fully understand, which made him "feel useless" compared to the AI.
There were some delays on the way to GPT-5. People thought it would come out in the middle of 2024, but it was pushed back a few times and didn't come out until August 2025. During that time, ChatGPT's user base grew from 500 million to an estimated 700 million people who used it every week, as per a report by Business Insider.
GPT-5 is more than just the next step for OpenAI; it could change the way people interact with AI in the future. GPT-5 is meant to feel more human, intuitive, and powerful than anything else. You can use it for work, creative projects, coding, or just to explore ideas, as per a report by Business Insider.
Yes. OpenAI has made GPT-5 available for free to all users, with paid subscribers receiving higher usage limits.
How does GPT-5 differ from GPT-4?
It's faster, smarter, multimodal, and can automatically switch between task modes without requiring manual model selection.
Sam Altman, the CEO, says it's a "major upgrade" because it works faster, can handle more than one type of task, and is smarter about how it does them. Paid users get higher limits, but everyone can enjoy the faster speeds, more flexibility, and better conversation quality.
Sam Altman says it's a "significant step" toward AGI, and he says that going back to older models feels "miserable" after trying it.
AlSO READ: iPhone 17 vs iPhone 16: Upgrades and surprises - here's what’s new, what’s better and what might shock you
What makes the GPT-5 better and faster?
OpenAI says that GPT-5 is the fastest model it has ever made. It can handle more complicated requests more quickly, and it will choose the best "mode" for each task on its own, so users don't have to switch between models. It can also handle multiple types of data at once, like text, images, and other types of data, as per a report by Business Insider.
Altman said he told the team to make this model "way, way faster," and early users say the conversation flows much more smoothly and naturally. GPT-5 is also better at "vibe coding," which is a trend in Silicon Valley where AI helps create code in a certain style or look, as per a report by Business Insider.
What makes GPT-5 different from the other versions?
GPT-5 is more than just a small update from GPT-4.5, which came out in February. It makes you better at reasoning, adapting, and being aware of your surroundings. GPT-5 does all the thinking behind the scenes, so you don't have to switch to a different version for certain tasks like you had to with other models.
OpenAI will sell GPT-5 in three different sizes: standard, mini, and nano. Free users can use all of them, but there are limits on how much they can use them. Subscribers, on the other hand, can use them more.
Why are people comparing GPT-5 to other big scientific discoveries?
Sam Altman has been very open about how important the release is. He said that the development of GPT-5 was like the Manhattan Project, which was the World War II effort to build the atomic bomb. He and the team felt both excited and nervous at times, as per a report by Business Insider.
Altman said in one conversation that GPT-5 gave him a clear answer to a question he didn't fully understand, which made him "feel useless" compared to the AI.
There were some delays on the way to GPT-5. People thought it would come out in the middle of 2024, but it was pushed back a few times and didn't come out until August 2025. During that time, ChatGPT's user base grew from 500 million to an estimated 700 million people who used it every week, as per a report by Business Insider.
GPT-5 is more than just the next step for OpenAI; it could change the way people interact with AI in the future. GPT-5 is meant to feel more human, intuitive, and powerful than anything else. You can use it for work, creative projects, coding, or just to explore ideas, as per a report by Business Insider.
FAQs
Is GPT-5 free for all?Yes. OpenAI has made GPT-5 available for free to all users, with paid subscribers receiving higher usage limits.
How does GPT-5 differ from GPT-4?
It's faster, smarter, multimodal, and can automatically switch between task modes without requiring manual model selection.
