OpenAI is reportedly considering steep cuts to the price of its AI services, in a bid to win users back from its fast-rising rival Anthropic. The two companies are battling on every front, from IPO filings to massive funding rounds, and pricing is fast becoming the front line of that competition. Here is what the reported price cuts involve and the broader fight behind them.

The Cuts Center on Token Pricing

According to reports, what OpenAI is looking to revise is the price of the tokens it charges developers and businesses. A token is the smallest unit AI uses to process text, and billing is based on the volume of text fed in and generated. The more heavily a service is used, the higher the bill climbs, so lowering the per-token price directly affects the costs of anyone building apps and services on top of AI.

OpenAI appears ready to move now because it expects Anthropic to cut prices in the same way. By cutting before its rival does, or at the same time, OpenAI is aiming to seize the initiative in the price competition.

How the Consumer Plans Are Priced

The two companies also differ on consumer pricing. OpenAI offers tiered plans at 8 USD (about 1,300 yen), 20 USD (about 3,200 yen), and 100 USD (about 16,000 yen) and above per month, providing access to flagship models such as GPT-5.5.

Anthropic, by contrast, offers Claude Pro at 17 USD (about 2,700 yen) per month on an annual contract, and the higher-tier Claude Max at 100 USD (about 16,000 yen) and above per month. The price bands are close, but the entry plans and the way billing is structured differ, and the tug-of-war over customers continues here too.

※1 USD = 160 JPY

A War of Nerves over IPOs and Valuations

The moves on pricing cannot be separated from the two companies' competition in the capital markets. On June 8, OpenAI filed confidentially for an IPO with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), close on the heels of Anthropic's own IPO filing.

On valuation, Anthropic closed its Series H funding round on May 28 at roughly 965 billion USD (about 154 trillion yen), narrowly edging past OpenAI, which was valued at about 852 billion USD (about 136 trillion yen) in March. Whether in fundraising or IPO preparations, neither side is giving an inch.

One Billion Monthly Users, and Still No Room to Relax

By user count, OpenAI's presence stands out. In May, ChatGPT became the first app to reach 1 billion monthly users, doing so roughly three years after its November 2022 launch, a pace that outstrips the record held by Google Maps, which is said to have taken about five years (per estimates from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower).

Even so, the talk of price cuts arises because a large user base does not automatically mean safety. With Anthropic pulling ahead on valuation and moving first on its IPO, OpenAI has little choice but to go on the offensive on pricing as well. To hold on to users and lock in developers, price is the most obvious weapon.

Summary

OpenAI's consideration of price cuts shows that the battle for leadership in the AI industry has finally reached the territory of pricing. If token prices fall, it will be a tailwind for the companies and individuals building services with AI. At the same time, the fight spanning consumer plans, valuations, and IPOs looks set to continue for a while. Attention is now on each company's next move, including whether the price cuts will be formally decided.