First screen, captured 12 days ago. Open the video.

ChatGPT and Codex usage limits merging

What HN thinks

The all-you-can-chat buffet just learned how to count, and the regulars are eyeing the exits.

Merging kills the main selling point
Many users kept ChatGPT precisely because chat was effectively unlimited and separate from Codex; sharing one allowance means burning Codex quota can lock them out of simple queries, so they are considering switching.
Reserve or partition the quota
Several suggest a small reserved slice for chat, a user-configurable split, or a cheaper $50 tier so agentic use doesn't shut off everyday chat.
Inevitable given loophole abuse
Others say heavy users routed coding work through the chat UI via MCP tunnels and plugins, so merging was unavoidable as subsidies end, though token-based plans remain opaque 'mystery boxes'.

Consensus: Most see this as an unwelcome but unsurprising downgrade signaling the end of subsidized AI subscriptions, and many say it lowers their loyalty to OpenAI.

Recommended in the comments

OpenRouter (service): Loading a few dollars and using cheap models like DeepSeek goes a long way.
DeepSeek (product): Very cheap for chat and small tasks, though some found it weak for full workloads.
Kagi (service): Users shift conversational, non-dev AI use to their Kagi subscription.
Grok (product): One user found it verbose but effective for sustained coding work on a base Cursor plan.