What to know first
As of November 8, 2026: Images 2.6 is available in ChatGPT and Codex on every subscription tier. GIF creation is rolling out in ChatGPT, and you can save a reference photo to reuse later with @name. The official blog says image generation is 50% faster than before; Flare can generate images in as little as six seconds when quality is set to low, and Sunburst is positioned for higher-quality work when quality is medium or high. Official API rates are $5 per million text-input tokens ($1.25 cached), $8 per million image-input tokens ($2 cached), and $30 per million image-output tokens; changing complexity has no separate fee. OpenAI has not published ChatGPT image counts by plan, so API rates cannot be used to estimate how many images a subscription includes. Eligible Pro and Business API credits can cover Images usage in one linked API organization, but they do not increase ChatGPT or signed-in Codex allowances.
What changed on November 4?
OpenAI’s blog post “Introducing Images 2.6” is dated November 4, 2026 and says you can generate images faster, with more control over editing rounds. The ChatGPT release notes entry from the same day is titled “Introducing ChatGPT Images 2.6” and adds two product features: GIF creation is rolling out in ChatGPT, and you can save a photo as a reference to reuse in later chats with @name instead of uploading it again.
The official blog says Images 2.6 is available globally that day in ChatGPT and Codex across all subscription tiers, on desktop, mobile, and web. OpenAI’s official X account posted at 23:35 UTC on November 4, 2026 (07:35 on November 5, Singapore time) that Images 2.6 is available that day in ChatGPT and Codex across all tiers on web, desktop, and mobile, and that GPT-Image-2.6 Flare and Sunburst are available in the API. The November 4 announcement does not change Plus, Go, or Pro monthly prices, and it should not be described as a price increase.
| Item | What OpenAI says |
|---|---|
| Announcement date | November 4, 2026 (blog post and ChatGPT release notes) |
| Availability | ChatGPT and Codex, all subscription tiers; desktop, mobile, and web |
| Speed | The official blog says image generation is 50% faster than before |
| New in ChatGPT | GIF creation is rolling out; saved reference images can be reused |
| API models | gpt-image-2.6-flare and gpt-image-2.6-sunburst |
| Subscription prices | The November 4 announcement does not state a plan price change |
Sources: OpenAI: Introducing Images 2.6OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT release notes (November 4, 2026)OpenAI on X: Images 2.6 availability (2026-11-04 23:35 UTC)
What does each plan actually include?
The help article “Images in ChatGPT” says ChatGPT Images is available on all tiers. You can ask ChatGPT to create an image in a conversation, or select More and then Images. The same article says you can also generate and edit images in Codex. The official blog lists Codex alongside ChatGPT and says the update covers all subscription tiers.
Images with thinking is a separate line. The help center says it is available on Plus, Pro, and Business, and is coming to Enterprise and Edu soon. The current page does not list Free or Go for that feature. So a Go subscriber can use ChatGPT Images under the “all tiers” rule, but should not infer Images with thinking from this help article. When comparing Go and Plus, see ChatGPT Go vs Plus and check visible quotes on the ChatGPT regional prices page.
| Feature | Official availability |
|---|---|
| ChatGPT Images, including 2.6 | All tiers |
| Images with thinking | Plus, Pro, and Business; coming to Enterprise and Edu soon |
| Surfaces | Web, iOS, and Android; you can also generate and edit images in Codex |
| GIF creation | Rolling out in ChatGPT |
| Editing a GIF ChatGPT created | Describe the edit in the conversation; open the GIF to adjust playback speed, save it, or share it |
| Editing an animated GIF you upload | The help center says ChatGPT cannot edit an animated GIF you upload |
Sources: OpenAI Help Center: Images in ChatGPTOpenAI: Introducing Images 2.6OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT release notes (November 4, 2026)
What do official API pages charge for Flare and Sunburst?
The developer docs give separate pricing tables for the two models: GPT-Image-2.6 Flare uses model ID gpt-image-2.6-flare, and GPT-Image-2.6 Sunburst uses gpt-image-2.6-sunburst. The official rates are the same. Both are billed by token and support the image generation and image edit endpoints. The official blog positions Flare for faster iteration and Sunburst for higher-quality generation and greater consistency across edits when quality is set to medium or high. It also says Flare can generate images in as little as six seconds when quality is set to low. Choosing one model over the other does not change the official unit prices below.
The image generation guide adds that complexity controls how much the model plans before rendering. Supported values are low, medium, and high; if you omit complexity, both models use high. The guide states: “Adjusting complexity has no separate fee.” Quality is a separate setting that controls rendering quality. Official pages do not publish how many tokens a 2.6 image uses at a given size or quality, so this article does not estimate a price per image.
| Billing item | Official rate | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Text input | $5 | Per 1 million tokens |
| Cached text input | $1.25 | Per 1 million tokens |
| Image input | $8 | Per 1 million tokens |
| Cached image input | $2 | Per 1 million tokens |
| Image output | $30 | Per 1 million tokens |
| complexity parameter | No separate fee | Official guide wording |
Sources: OpenAI Developers: GPT-Image-2.6 FlareOpenAI Developers: GPT-Image-2.6 SunburstOpenAI Developers: Image generationOpenAI: Introducing Images 2.6
Did ChatGPT publish image counts, or change them?
The help article “Images in ChatGPT” explains how to create, edit, save, and share images, and says generation may take a few minutes depending on the complexity of your request. That article, the November 4 blog post, and the same-day release notes do not list how many images Free, Go, Plus, or Pro can create each month or every five hours, and they do not say that Images 2.6 raised or lowered image quotas.
So you should not convert API rates, a plan’s monthly price, or the “50% faster than before” claim into a number of subscription images. Those conversions are not official figures. Image generation may still be subject to account usage limits, but any specific count should come from what your account page shows. This article does not invent unpublished quotas.
| Question | What official pages show |
|---|---|
| Fixed image counts by plan | Not published in the help article, November 4 blog post, or release notes |
| Whether 2.6 changed image quotas | Those pages do not state a quota change |
| How long generation takes | The help center says it may take a few minutes, depending on request complexity |
| Whether the API bills per image | No; official billing is per token, with no published fixed price per image |
Sources: OpenAI Help Center: Images in ChatGPTOpenAI: Introducing Images 2.6OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT release notes (November 4, 2026)
Are in-app images and API images the same bill?
No. Generating images in ChatGPT, or in Codex while signed in with your ChatGPT account, is part of the subscription product. Calling gpt-image-2.6-flare or gpt-image-2.6-sunburst through the API is billed to an API organization by token usage. The two are not one shared balance. For a fuller boundary, see ChatGPT subscription vs API.
Eligible paid Pro and Business subscriptions can claim promotional API credits for one linked API organization. The help center says those credits apply only to the linked API organization; they do not increase ChatGPT or signed-in Codex allowances, and they do not cover Codex usage through API keys. The same article says the free credits cover eligible paid API Platform usage billed to that organization, including Images. Eligibility, claiming steps, and expiration rules are in the Pro and Business API credits guide.
| Path | Where you use it | How it is billed |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT / signed-in Codex Images | Generate or edit directly in chat or Codex | A subscription feature; OpenAI has not published a per-image price or fixed count |
| API Flare / Sunburst | gpt-image-2.6-flare or gpt-image-2.6-sunburst | Official token rates on the API organization bill |
| Promotional API credits | One API organization linked to eligible Pro or Business plans | Can cover eligible API usage, including Images; do not increase ChatGPT or signed-in Codex allowances |
Sources: OpenAI Help Center: API credits benefit for eligible ChatGPT subscriptionsOpenAI Help Center: Images in ChatGPTOpenAI: Introducing Images 2.6
Frequently asked questions
Can Free or Plus use ChatGPT Images 2.6?
Yes. OpenAI’s blog post, release notes, and official X account say Images 2.6 is available in ChatGPT and Codex across all subscription tiers. The help center also says ChatGPT Images is available on all tiers. GIF creation is still rolling out, so not every account will see it immediately.
Sources: OpenAI: Introducing Images 2.6OpenAI Help Center: Images in ChatGPTOpenAI on X: Images 2.6 availability (2026-11-04 23:35 UTC)
Do Free or Go include Images with thinking?
The help center currently says Images with thinking is available on Plus, Pro, and Business, and is coming to Enterprise and Edu soon. The page does not list Free or Go for that feature. Use the help center and the options shown in your account; do not add access for plans that are not listed.
What is the official API price for one image?
OpenAI has not published a fixed price per image. Flare and Sunburst share the same official rates: $5 per million text-input tokens ($1.25 cached), $8 per million image-input tokens ($2 cached), and $30 per million image-output tokens. The actual cost depends on the tokens used in that request. Official docs do not publish a 2.6 token table by size or quality.
Sources: OpenAI Developers: GPT-Image-2.6 FlareOpenAI Developers: GPT-Image-2.6 Sunburst
Did Images 2.6 raise or lower ChatGPT image quotas?
The November 4 blog post, release notes, and “Images in ChatGPT” help article do not publish fixed image counts by plan, and they do not say this update changed image quotas. API rates should not be used to estimate how many images a subscription includes.
Sources: OpenAI: Introducing Images 2.6OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT release notes (November 4, 2026)OpenAI Help Center: Images in ChatGPT
Can Pro API credits pay for images created inside ChatGPT?
They cannot increase your ChatGPT or signed-in Codex allowance. The help center says these promotional credits apply only to the linked API organization and can cover eligible API Platform usage, including Images, but they do not cover Codex usage through API keys. In-app ChatGPT images and API images are billed separately.
Sources: OpenAI Help Center: API credits benefit for eligible ChatGPT subscriptions
Official sources and review notes
Sources checked on November 8, 2026. Rates and eligibility rules can change; confirm the latest official guidance and your own agreement.
- OpenAI: Introducing Images 2.6
- OpenAI Help Center: ChatGPT release notes (November 4, 2026)
- OpenAI Help Center: Images in ChatGPT
- OpenAI Developers: GPT-Image-2.6 Flare
- OpenAI Developers: GPT-Image-2.6 Sunburst
- OpenAI Developers: Image generation
- OpenAI Help Center: API credits benefit for eligible ChatGPT subscriptions
- OpenAI on X: Images 2.6 availability (2026-11-04 23:35 UTC)
This guide draws on the public sources listed below. Examples illustrate the calculation methods. AISub is an independent price index and is not affiliated with the product providers discussed.