Artificial intelligence firm OpenAI has projected that at least 220 million of ChatGPT’s weekly users will subscribe to its paid plans by the year 2030.
According to a report by Reuters and The Information on Tuesday, citing a source familiar with the development, the company expects 8.5% of an estimated 2.6 billion weekly users roughly 220 million people to pay for ChatGPT. The projection positions the chatbot to become one of the world’s largest subscription-based businesses.
As of July, about 35 million users, or 5% of ChatGPT’s active weekly base, were already subscribed to its Plus or Pro tiers, priced at $20 and $200 per month, respectively.
While Reuters noted that it could not immediately verify the report, OpenAI has yet to respond to requests for comment.
Despite strong revenue growth, the report highlights that OpenAI’s losses are also deepening. The Information earlier reported that the company generated $4.3 billion in revenue in the first half of 2025, representing a 16% increase from the whole of 2024. However, it also burned $2.5 billion, largely due to heavy spending on research, development, and operating costs associated with ChatGPT.
OpenAI’s annualised revenue run rate is expected to hit $20 billion by year-end, reflecting strong demand for AI tools. The company also anticipates generating about 20% of future revenue from new product lines, including shopping and advertising-driven features.
This week, the firm introduced a personal shopping assistant for ChatGPT, a feature analysts believe could open up new monetisation avenues through advertising or commission-based sales.
