SCANNING● LIVE DATAUTC 2026-06-29 00:00:00
VENDORS 23RECEIPTS 32CRITICAL 57D 0 NEWv0.9.4-rc1
gotnerfedgotnerfed
gotnerfed · index of recordfiled · · receipt #openai-2026-04-codex-token-credits
RECEIPT#CHAT-2026-04-BMSwarn
ChatGPT·General chat + reasoning + code·scored47nerf/ 100

OpenAI moves Codex pricing to token-based credits across Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise

On April 2, 2026 OpenAI shifted Codex usage from a flat-tier model to token-based credits across most paid tiers, plus dropped Business from $25 to $20/seat the same day.

Filed
2026-04-02
Observed
2026-04-02
Response window
UNCONTESTED · DAY 30
Jurisdiction
MIT · public
CHATGPTNERFED47APR 2, 2026INDEX · OF · RECORD
§ 01THE CHANGEBEFORE → AFTER · GENERAL CHAT + REASONING + CODE
− BEFORE · REMOVED2026-04-02
Codex usage included in flat tier
$20.00/mo·PLUS · CODEX INCLUDED·active since 2024-02-01
+ AFTER · CURRENT2026-04-02
Codex usage drawn from token credits across Plus/Pro/Business/Enterprise
$20.00/mo·PLUS · CODEX CREDIT-METERED·billing change from 2026-04-02
WAS$20 / mo · Codex included in tier
NOW
$20 / mo · Codex drawn from token credits
varUSAGE-DEPENDENT IMPACT
PREDICTED IMPACT · EST.MED CONFIDENCE
USER IMPACT10-40%of paid users
12-MO FINANCIAL DAMAGE$0 - $20 per userminor disruption
CHURN PRESSURE · 30Dmoderatevalue reduction vs switching cost
Estimate based on the receipt's Nerf Index (47 / 100), the severity flag, and the kind of change (billing model shift). How we estimate ↗
§ 02PANEL VERDICT2 OF 3 HARMFUL
PANEL RULING · INDEX OF RECORD
FOUNDMIXED◇ SPLIT
VOTES2 / 3·AVG55 / 100·SPREAD±6·RUBRICsealed
0158
0252
0355
01claude-haiku-4-5HARMFUL· sealed rubric
Token-credit conversion at the same nominal price typically reduces effective Codex throughput for heavy users; the simultaneous Business price cut partially offsets but does not eliminate the harm.
58/ 100
benignsevere
02gpt-5-nanoMIXED· sealed rubric
Net effect depends heavily on individual usage profile; the bundled Business price cut is genuine value, but token-credit metering creates new tail-risk for power users.
52/ 100
benignsevere
03gemini-2-5-flashHARMFUL· sealed rubric
Bundling a price cut with a billing-model shift obscures the impact of each change individually, making it hard for customers to evaluate the actual delta.
55/ 100
benignsevere
Each model graded independently behind a sealed rubric. Verdicts are immutable and Brier-scored against subsequent reality - a public model-accuracy leaderboard, on us. Read the rubric ↗
§ 03VENDOR RESPONSE WINDOWCLOSED · UNCONTESTED
ChatGPT · response window UNCONTESTEDUNCONTESTED
FILED2026-04-02
MARKED UNCONTESTED2026-05-02
NOW · DAY 88

ChatGPT did not respond inside the 30-day window. This receipt now reads as uncontested in the public record.

§ 04EVIDENCE TRAIL1 SOURCES
CONTEXT · NARRATIVEfiled by gotnerfed · 2026-04-02

OpenAI silently changed Codex billing to a token-credit model on most paid plans on April 2, 2026, while simultaneously cutting Business per-seat pricing from $25 to $20.

OpenAI silently changed Codex billing to a token-credit model on most paid plans on April 2, 2026, while simultaneously cutting Business per-seat pricing from $25 to $20. The net effect for heavy Codex users was unclear at announcement and pushed many to recalculate effective per-completion cost. The $100 Pro tier had launched only days earlier on April 9.

DETECTED2026-04-02KINDBILLING MODEL SHIFTSEVERITYMAJORSOURCES1VENDOR REPLYNONE
PRIMARY SOURCES · CHRONOLOGICAL01 / 01
§ 05NEXT STEP · ESCAPE POD4 RANKED ALTS
◆ FREE / OPEN-SOURCE ALTERNATIVES4 ranked replacements for ChatGPT.avg score 90 / 100
OllamaFREE / OSS
MIT·130k

Easiest way to run a local LLM. Pair with Open WebUI for full ChatGPT replacement.

Open WebUIFREE / OSS
MIT·95k

The default ChatGPT-replacement self-host. Massive ecosystem.

MIT

Permissive (MIT) open-weight model targeting ChatGPT/Claude-class chat and agentic coding without API lock-in - the strongest open option for a self-hosted stack.

MIT

Drop-in open-weight replacement for the OpenAI/Anthropic chat APIs. Flash is the locally-runnable variant; serve it behind Open WebUI.

List manually curated · last reviewed 2026-05-13Open full picker
Filed by gotnerfed · public open-source watchdog · MIT licensed · no vendor moneyINDEX · OF · RECORD