OpenAI released ChatGPT-5 on Thursday, but the launch has met immediate criticism from users who report restrictive rate limits and reduced access to previous AI models. Cointelegraph reports that users on Reddit criticized the company's ChatGPT-5 model, saying it had more restrictive rate limits and lacked the ability to switch to previous AI models, with some threatening to switch to competing AI platforms.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded to the complaints in a post on X, promising to double GPT-5 rate limits for ChatGPT Plus users and allow Plus users to continue using 4o. The company will watch usage patterns to determine how long legacy models remain available. Altman had called GPT-5 "a major upgrade over GPT-4" and a "significant step" toward artificial general intelligence during Thursday's official rollout.

Why This Matters for ChatGPT Users

The user backlash represents a significant challenge for OpenAI as it attempts to transition users to its latest model. According to Washington Post, ChatGPT has more than 700 million users every week, making user satisfaction essential for the platform's continued dominance. All ChatGPT users get access to GPT-5, even those using the free version, but only those with a $200-a-month "Pro" subscription get unlimited access to the newly released system.

The restrictions have particularly affected Plus subscribers, who previously had access to a wide variety of AI models. The new GPT-5 Thinking model is limited to 200 messages per week, and Plus subscribers no longer have access to reliable older models like o4-mini and o4-mini-high. Users not paying for ChatGPT can only ask a certain number of questions answered by GPT-5 before the chatbot switches back to using an older version of OpenAI's technology.

Industry Implications Amid Growing Competition

The timing of the user complaints comes as OpenAI faces increased competition from open-source and less capital-intensive AI platforms. CMSWire reports that ChatGPT recorded 3.8 billion visits in January 2025, more than double Bing's traffic and far ahead of Google's Gemini, Anthropic's Claude, and Perplexity. However, DeepSeek's rapid growth shows that challengers can quickly capture market share.

Chinese AI company DeepSeek released its R1 model earlier this year, which functions on par with leading AI models including OpenAI-o3, according to company benchmarks. The DeepSeek app has been downloaded more than 75 million times since its release in January. This competition demonstrates the risk of commoditization in the chatbot space, where users can easily switch between platforms if they become dissatisfied with service quality or access restrictions.

The user criticism also reflects broader industry tensions around AI model development costs and accessibility. DeepSeek developed its competitive model at a fraction of the cost of rival systems, raising questions about whether the industry's astronomical funding rounds and billion-dollar valuations are necessary for creating effective AI systems.

Further Reading

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