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OpenAI API rate limits and usage tiers (Build, Launch, Grow)
Summary
On 2026-10-06 OpenAI simplified its API usage tiers from five to three paid tiers: Build, Launch, and Grow. An organisation moves up automatically when its total credit purchases reach each tier's minimum. The rate-limits guide gives the thresholds and the monthly usage limits for each tier.
Key points
- Free (allowed geographies only): $100 / month usage limit.
- Build: after $5 in total credit purchases; $500 / month.
- Launch: after $100; $5,000 / month.
- Grow: after $500; $200,000 / month.
- Monthly usage limits are separate from the spend limits an organisation configures,
and from the special rate limits for the
ultrafastservice tier. - Figures as of 2026-10-07.
Why it matters
New projects reach high usage limits after a much smaller spend than under the old five-tier scheme. That lowers the barrier for teams scaling up on the OpenAI API.