Low-Cost AI Subscriptions Face Overhaul and Usage Caps as Agent Demand Surges

Generative AI companies initially attracted users with $20-a-month Pro or Plus subscriptions. The near-unlimited model suited human conversations but cannot easily sustain AI agents running tasks autonomously, concurrently and for extended periods. Faced with computing costs and peak-capacity pressures, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and GitHub are beginning to shift from fixed monthly fees to usage-based pricing.

GitHub stopped accepting new Copilot Pro and Pro+ subscribers on April 20, 2026, and said it would reduce individual allowances. A report on April 22 said OpenAI had split Pro into $100- and $200-a-month plans, while Anthropic had also reduced Pro and Max quotas. Tiered access, capacity limits and usage-based billing are becoming the new norm.