Fed up with monthly payments? ChatGPT may soon provide a lifetime subscription option.

      ChatGPT is seeing increased usage, and its current model presents a monthly subscription option of $20 for ChatGPT Plus or a notably high $200 per month for ChatGPT Pro. Currently, no other subscription plans are available, but an APK teardown has hinted that annual and lifetime subscription models may be introduced soon.

      User @M1Astra on X discovered code strings in the latest version indicating the potential for new subscription tiers. While pricing for these is not specified, one code string implies a discount might be available for annual subscribers. There is also a reference to a possible weekly subscription, allowing users to access advanced features as needed, instead of committing to a full monthly payment.

      At present, annual subscription options are limited to Team or Enterprise plans, which are primarily designed for business rather than everyday users. For frequent ChatGPT users, an annual subscription could provide a convenient way to save money and ease budgeting, although the specific cost remains uncertain. If prices remain unchanged, an annual subscription could total $240 without a discount, though ChatGPT might offer it for $200, translating to a slight discount of over 15%.

      Estimating the cost of a lifetime subscription proves more challenging and is likely to be quite high. The team will need to consider future growth and new features, alongside various other factors. Given the service's rapid expansion in recent years, its potential for development in the future is considerable.

      Typically, a "lifetime" subscription is considered to cover about ten years. ChatGPT might charge between $2,000 and $3,000 for a lifetime subscription to the Plus plan, but for the $200 per month Pro tier, the cost could range between $20,000 and $30,000 based on similar calculations.

      However, all of this remains purely speculative. ChatGPT has not yet officially announced any additional subscription options, so actual pricing remains uncertain. Regardless of the cost of the annual plan, the lifetime subscription is expected to be notably expensive.

      In related news, Kagi’s AI search assistant now allows access to multiple large language models (LLMs) through its "Assistant" feature, which was previously exclusive to Ultimate subscribers. This feature is now available across all subscription tiers, including the free trial, enabling various chatting and web-search functionalities. Kagi, a paid search engine named after the Japanese word for "key," offers a private and ad-free experience in contrast to platforms like Google, where users pay through data collection and ads.

      In another update, ChatGPT has improved its memory capabilities, recently rolled out globally to Plus and Pro users. The latest models can recall significant details and themes from past conversations, enhancing personalized interactions. While this can feel somewhat unsettling, it enables more tailored tasks and assists with extended conversations, making it intriguing to see the responses generated from previous chat logs.

      Lastly, ChatGPT's image generation capabilities have elevated expectations for AI-generated media. The newly unveiled GPT-4o model showcases remarkable proficiency in interpreting images and recreating them with notable effects, such as those resembling Studio Ghibli's style. It excels in understanding text within AI-generated images, a task previously challenging for AI. OpenAI has introduced two new models designed to enhance image analysis, improving reasoning abilities across multiple domains, including coding, math, and visual perception, while also releasing o4-mini, a smaller model aimed at cost-efficient reasoning. This follows OpenAI’s recent launch of the GPT-4.1 model series, which emphasizes faster processing and richer context.