ChatGPT Images 2.6: GIFs, reference images, Flare vs Sunburst, and API pricing
On November 4, 2026, OpenAI released ChatGPT Images 2.6. The headline feature is animated GIFs: turn a prompt or a photo into a GIF, then change its playback speed or edit individual frames. You can also save reference images of yourself, your pets or a character and reuse them without uploading again. It's available in ChatGPT and Codex on every plan, on web, desktop and mobile. For developers, the API gets two new models, GPT-Image-2.6 Flare for speed and Sunburst for quality and consistency across edits, with image generation about 50% faster. Here's what changed, how Free differs from Plus, and what the API costs.
What's new in ChatGPT Images 2.6
OpenAI says more than 4 billion images are now created each week across ChatGPT and the API, up from over 3 billion when Images 2.5 launched in September.
Images 2.5, released September 8, improved detail, lighting and consistency across edits. Version 2.6 builds on it with GIFs and reference images.
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Animated GIFs | Make a GIF from a prompt or a photo, adjust its speed, edit individual frames, and share it on loop |
| Reference images | Save images of yourself, pets or characters and reuse them without re-uploading, so the same subject stays consistent across a set |
| Speed | The new API models generate images about 50% faster; Flare can return an image in as little as six seconds at low quality |
| Markup and SVG | Mark up the area you want changed, and export SVG vector images that stay sharp at any size, useful for icons and logos |
Which ChatGPT plans get Images 2.6
OpenAI says Images 2.6 is rolling out globally from November 4 to every ChatGPT and Codex plan, including Free. What differs is how much you can make: OpenAI's plans page lists Free as “limited image creation”, Go as “more image creation”, Plus as “more complex and accurate image creation” with image generation with thinking, and Pro as “unlimited and faster image creation”.
GIFs and repeated edits use up generations quickly, so Free hits its cap after a few tries. OpenAI hasn't published a daily number per plan or a maximum GIF length.
| Plan | Images 2.6 | Image creation | Image generation with thinking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Yes | Limited | No |
| Go | Yes | More than Free | No |
| Plus | Yes | More complex and accurate | Yes |
| Pro | Yes | Unlimited and faster | Yes |
How to make a GIF in ChatGPT
If you don't see GIF options yet, the rollout hasn't reached your account. Check back later.
- Open ChatGPT or Codex and start a new conversation.
- Describe the GIF you want, such as “an orange cat dancing to music”, or upload a photo and ask for it as a GIF.
- Adjust the playback speed, or ask for a specific frame to be redrawn until it looks right.
- To keep the same person or pet across images, save the photo as a reference image first and use it in later prompts.
Flare or Sunburst
Both cost the same, so the choice is speed against quality. A simple approach: draft with Flare, then finish with Sunburst.
| Model | Best for |
|---|---|
| GPT-Image-2.6 Flare (gpt-image-2.6-flare) | Speed: live previews, instant images in chat, drafts in volume; as little as six seconds per image at low quality |
| GPT-Image-2.6 Sunburst (gpt-image-2.6-sunburst) | Quality: detailed compositions, product shots, and keeping people and style consistent across edits |
API pricing and new parameters
Both models are billed per token at the same rates and work only with the Image API's generation (v1/images/generations) and edit (v1/images/edits) endpoints, not Responses, Chat Completions or Batch.
| Type | Input | Cached input | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Text | $5.00 | $1.25 | — |
| Image | $8.00 | $2.00 | $30.00 |
- A new complexity parameter takes low, medium or high, defaults to high, is set separately from quality, and costs nothing extra.
- Edits take a new markup parameter: a transparent PNG the same size as the source image that marks what to change. It replaces mask and can't be combined with it.
- Both models can output animated GIFs and SVG vector images through the Image API.
- A developer on the OpenAI community forum found 2.6 used noticeably more output tokens than 2.5 for the same prompt, so test your real cost per image on a small batch first.
Getting Plus without a foreign card
Free is enough to try Images 2.6, but making more GIFs and using image generation with thinking takes Plus. If you can't pay OpenAI directly because your card isn't accepted or keeps getting declined, Pay2GPT can activate Plus on your own ChatGPT account, paid by card, Alipay or crypto such as USDT. Pay2GPT is an independent service, not affiliated with OpenAI.
No password or verification code is needed. If activation fails, you get a full refund to the original payment method. Plus is $23.90 a month here.
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FAQ
Is ChatGPT Images 2.6 free? Free can use it with a limited number of images and no image generation with thinking. Plus gets more, and Pro is unlimited.
Can Free users make GIFs? Yes. Images 2.6 is on every plan, but Free runs out after a few.
How many reference images can I save? OpenAI hasn't published a limit.
What are the API model names? gpt-image-2.6-flare and gpt-image-2.6-sunburst, at the same price.
Do I need Pro? No. Plus already gives more images and image generation with thinking. Consider Pro only if you need unlimited images every day.
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- No passwordWe never ask for your password or verification code. You paste the Session only on your own order page.
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- Full refund if it can't be activatedIf we can't activate your plan, the full amount goes back to the way you paid.
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Plus $23.90/month · More images and image generation with thinking · On your own account · Full refund if activation fails