OpenAI just made ChatGPT’s latest model more accessible to non-paying users

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ChatGPT’s latest 5.6 model lineup made its official debut early in July. Less than a month later, the AI giant is already giving the state-of-the-art models a brain and accessibility boost.

As you may recall, the 5.6 series consists of three models: Sol, Terra, and Luna. There’s no update to Terra, but GPT-5.6 Sol and GPT-5.6 Luna are getting meaningful upgrades . These range from making the models more reliable, accurate, and focused, to expanding access for users who don’t want to pay for top-tier AI.

The biggest change is that GPT-5.6 Luna will soon be the default ChatGPT model for all non-paying users. This change is set to kick in sometime this week, making the speed-focused lightweight model more accessible globally.

Elsewhere, starting next week, non-paying users will also gain access to unlimited text chats with GPT-5.6 Luna, complete with a new “Think” button for more mentally demanding queries. This will prompt the model to take more time to work through your query and generate an answer.

Essentially, free users will go from GPT-5.5 Instant to the more capable GPT-5.6 Luna with unlimited chats and an option for deeper thinking and reasoning as an added bonus.

Within the same update, OpenAI also gives GPT‑5.6 Sol, the heavy hitter of the 5.6 lineup, a series of refinements. Limited to Plus and Pro users, the model now “delivers more focused answers, adapts its level of detail to the question, avoids unnecessary formatting, and offers a helpful correction when simply agreeing wouldn’t be useful.”

For reference, a prompt like “Can I bike from the Mission to Ocean Beach after work today without getting soaked?” will attempt to address the main answer first, followed by key details that actually matter. The model provides a direct answer while avoiding extra detail when it does not help.