The biggest pushback after OpenAI announced its new GPT-5 model for ChatGPT came from devotees of older models who felt the new generative AI chatbot lacked the panache of its predecessors.
Now you have more choices of pre-GPT-5 models (although you’ll have to hunt for some of them) and better control over which components of GPT-5 handle your questions.
OpenAI is still sorting through a somewhat rocky launch of GPT-5, led by complaints about the lack of model choices. The model has been anticipated for more than two years and comes as competitors like Anthropic and Google have released powerful new versions of their AI models this year. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)
OpenAI planned for one model that could handle everything: GPT-5 includes two different modes, one fast and lean for simple tasks and one aimed at reasoning for complicated ones. A routing program would decide which model handled a given prompt. That’s still the default in ChatGPT, but it’s not your only option. Here’s a look at the menu:
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Choices of GPT-5 models
There are a few different modes of GPT-5 you can select between if you want to use OpenAI’s newest technology. Here’s a quick rundown:
- Auto: This mode allows the switching program built into GPT-5 to decide whether your query is handled by a lighter, faster large language model or a bigger, slower reasoning model. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted on X that this will be the best fit for most people.
- Fast: Your query will go straight to the fastest, lightest model. Expect quick, basic answers, but not the in-depth research you’d get from a reasoning model.
- Thinking: This is a reasoning model, meaning it’ll try to answer your question over several steps. It might use web searches and other tools, or it might go back and redo its past steps to try to get the right answer. There are some limits on how much you can use this model (3,000 messages per week right now).
- Thinking mini: This is a lighter, faster version of the Thinking model. If you hit the usage limit on Thinking, you’ll be stuck with Thinking mini. You can access it on your own if you enable more model options (more on that below).
- Pro: The most powerful reasoning model in the fleet, this is only available at the moment for Pro users, who pay $200 per month. (Although Altman did tease giving Plus users, who pay $20 a month, a very limited number of queries as a taste.)
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This is what your choices will look like if you don’t enable legacy models in settings.
Again, sticking with Auto is probably easiest for most users. Think of it like driving a car with an automatic transmission instead of having to change gears manually. Sure, people who are really into cars might prefer the stick shift, but most people should probably just let the machine handle it.
How to get the older OpenAI models
Everyone with a paid ChatGPT subscription can access the older GPT-4o model directly in the same menu where you can choose your flavor of GPT-5. This model received the most clamor from users after it was removed, and Altman said if OpenAI ever decides to take it away permanently, “we will give plenty of notice.”
But 4o isn’t your only choice (if you’re a paid user). You just have to know where to look. To access GPT-4.1, 4o-mini and 3o, along with GPT-5 Thinking mini, you’ll have to go into your Settings and toggle on “Show additional models.”
