OpenAI has taken a step back and limited access to ChatGPT's latest image generation tool to paid users. During the launch, the company stated that the new GPT-4o-powered image generator would also be available for free users. On Monday, CEO Sam Altman posted on X, saying, "Images in ChatGPT are wayyyy more popular than we expected (and we had pretty high expectations). Rollout to our free tier is unfortunately going to be delayed for a while." images in chatgpt are wayyyy more popular than we expected (and we had pretty high expectations). rollout to our free tier is unfortunately going to be delayed for awhile. — Sam Altman (@sama) March 26, 2025 Currently, to access the GPT-4o-powered image generator—capable of producing beautiful and detailed images, such as those in a Ghibli style—users need a Plus or Pro subscription, costing $20 and $200, respectively. This isn't the first time a company has locked a popular feature behind a paywall. As of now, there is no information on when OpenAI will make its image generator available to free-tier ChatGPT users. However, free-tier ChatGPT users can still generate images within the chatbox. These images will be created using DALL·E instead of GPT-4o, meaning they may not be as high quality or as realistic as those produced by the new tool.
