Why isn't GPT-6.1 Sol in ChatGPT's chat, and where can you use it?
GPT-6.1 Sol runs only in ChatGPT Work and Codex for now. Which model each ChatGPT plan gets in Chat, whether Astra is free, and where 6.1 Sol works.
Which ChatGPT plan lets you use GPT-6.1 Sol in an ordinary chat? As of 2 October 2026, none of them: OpenAI has put its newest model only in ChatGPT's Work and Codex sections, and the answers below cover what that means on each plan and where else you can use it.
Is GPT-6.1 Sol actually out?
Yes. OpenAI released it on 29 September 2026 as an upgrade to GPT-6 Sol, which had itself arrived only a week earlier, on 22 September.
The announcement says it is available "to all Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu users in ChatGPT Work and Codex", then adds the line behind most of the confusion: "GPT-6.1 Sol is not yet available in Chat." ChatGPT's release notes describe a rollout that starts with Pro and then reaches Plus, so a paying user who still can't see it may simply be early. OpenAI's help page says as much: "it may not be available for your account yet."
What is the difference between Chat, Work and Codex?
They are three sections of the same ChatGPT app, and each has its own set of models. OpenAI's help centre puts it in two sentences: "Chat is for fast, conversational assistance and everyday questions. Work is an agent designed for longer, multi-step work and finished deliverables." Chat is the back-and-forth conversation most people know. Work is where you hand over a task, such as researching a topic or producing a report, spreadsheet or presentation, and ChatGPT carries it out in steps. Codex is OpenAI's section for software development. In the phone app you switch between Chat and Work from the menu at the top of the screen.
Which model am I talking to in ChatGPT's chat today?
A GPT-5.6 model, unless you are on Pro and have picked GPT-6 Pro. According to OpenAI's help page GPT-5.6 and GPT-6 Pro in ChatGPT, checked on 2 October 2026:
Free and Go: GPT-5.6 Luna, which also powers the Think option. These plans do not get GPT-5.6 Sol.
Plus: GPT-5.6 Sol for Instant and for the Medium and High thinking levels. Extra High and the Pro option are not included.
Pro: GPT-5.6 Sol at every thinking level including Extra High, and the Pro option, which offers GPT-5.6 Sol Pro and GPT-6 Pro. GPT-6 Pro is GPT-6 Astra under another name.
So a Plus subscriber chatting normally is on GPT-5.6 Sol, two Sol upgrades behind the newest one.
Why does the ChatGPT pricing page say Plus includes GPT-6.1 Sol?
Because its model table doesn't say which part of ChatGPT each model runs in. On 2 October 2026, ChatGPT's pricing page showed "Yes" for Plus next to GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-6 Astra, GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna. Plus does include all four, in Work and Codex. OpenAI's help centre says GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna "are not available in regular ChatGPT conversations", and it lists Astra for Plus in Work and Codex only.
The same page listed these monthly prices in US dollars that day: Free $0, Go $8, Plus $20 and Pro from $100. Pro now comes in three tiers, at $100, $200 and $500 a month.
Can I use GPT-6.1 Sol inside ChatGPT at all?
Yes, on Plus or above, once the rollout reaches your account: switch from Chat to Work and choose it in the model menu there.
Two things are worth knowing before you do. Work is designed for longer, multi-step jobs, which makes it a roundabout place for a quick question. Its usage is also counted on its own: OpenAI says "Usage and credit rules in Work and Codex are separate from Chat."
Free and Go accounts can't reach GPT-6.1 Sol anywhere in ChatGPT. The pricing page marks it "No" for both plans, and none of OpenAI's announcements list them.
Is GPT-6 Astra free?
No. ChatGPT's pricing page marks Astra "No" for Free and Go, and the paid plans that do include it ration it.
In Chat, Astra appears under a different name, GPT-6 Pro. OpenAI's help page lists it for Pro $100 and Pro $200, along with Business and Enterprise, and adds a warning: "A Pro subscription does not include unlimited use of the GPT-6 Pro model." Plus subscribers get Astra only in Work and Codex, where OpenAI says Plus seats "include limited Astra usage, with optional credits for additional usage afterward."
Astra is the model OpenAI says GPT-6.1 Sol "nearly matches" on professional work. We do not carry Astra in MultiChats. Our explainer GPT-6 Sol vs GPT-6 Astra vs GPT-5.6 Sol sets out how OpenAI's Sol, Astra and Luna names fit together.
Why has OpenAI kept GPT-6.1 Sol out of Chat?
OpenAI hasn't said, and it has given no date beyond "not yet". It does describe the two line-ups as separate: when GPT-6 Sol and GPT-6 Luna arrived on 22 September, the release notes stated, "These models are separate from the models available in Chat."
Where can I use GPT-6.1 Sol in an ordinary chat?
In MultiChats, where it sits in the normal model picker on the Pro and Pro+ plans, on the website and in the iOS and Android apps. We added it within hours of OpenAI's release on 29 September, and it is not part of our free plan.
A few details, so nothing surprises you:
It does not search the web in MultiChats. For news, prices or anything else that depends on today, pick a model that searches.
It always thinks before it answers. There is no Off setting for its reasoning.
It reads what you attach. Images and PDFs both work.
Older chats move up. Conversations you started on GPT-6 Sol or GPT-5.6 Sol with us continue on GPT-6.1 Sol when you reply.
You can switch models partway through a conversation, so a question that needs a search can go to another model before you switch back. Like every model, GPT-6.1 Sol uses credits for each reply, and the picker shows how many.
How do I check whether this has changed?
Watch two OpenAI pages. The ChatGPT release notes announce when a model reaches Chat, and GPT-5.6 and GPT-6 Pro in ChatGPT lists which model each plan gets. Today the second one says GPT-6.1 Sol "is separate from the GPT-5.6 and GPT-6 Pro options described here for Chat". If that sentence changes, or the release notes put GPT-6.1 Sol in Chat, the answers above are out of date.