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It’s official: GPT-4 is being retired from ChatGPT. OpenAI recently announced that starting April 30, 2025, GPT-4 will no longer be available to ChatGPT users, with GPT-4o stepping in as the new default model.
If you’ve been using ChatGPT lately, you’ve probably already tried GPT-4o. The “o” in the name stands for “omni,” and this model is a powerhouse — capable of handling text, image, and audio inputs natively.
Why OpenAI is sunsetting GPT-4
Introduced in March 2023, GPT-4 was a landmark model that helped push ChatGPT to new heights. It powered smarter chat interactions, more complex reasoning, and even creative writing. Its retirement marks the end of an era — but it also signals what’s next.
OpenAI says GPT-4o outperforms GPT-4 in everything from writing and coding to STEM problem-solving and instruction-following.
Since launching GPT-4o in May 2024, the company has been gradually rolling it out to ChatGPT Plus users, but now it’s the standard.
GPT-4o does more than replace GPT-4 — it builds on it, making it better for conversational flow, more consistent outputs, and a multimodal boost that GPT-4 simply cannot match.
While GPT-4 will no longer be accessible in the ChatGPT interface, developers and enterprise users can still use it via OpenAI’s API.
So, if you’re building with GPT-4, you won’t lose access — but ChatGPT users (Plus and free tier) will be fully on GPT-4o going forward.
Looking ahead
OpenAI’s shift to GPT-4o reflects its broader focus on faster, more intuitive AI with multimodal superpowers.
The company is paving the way for its next major AI evolution, confirming the development of GPT-5, a model the company says is designed to unify and streamline its increasingly complex lineup of AI offerings. The company is also working on future models, including additional “o” series upgrades.
This strategic shift aims to create a more powerful, multimodal, and accessible AI experience for all users. As a sort of stepping stone, the company introduced GPT-4.5 as a research preview on February 27, 2025, internally codenamed "Orion."
For ChatGPT users, the bottom line is this: GPT-4o is here to stay, and it's already live. You don’t need to make any changes, but expect an even more powerful and responsive AI experience going forward.
Stay tuned, because this likely won’t be the last time OpenAI shakes things up.
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