OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman today announced that he has made the ChatGPT-4o image generator available to everyone – free, nada, zero, niente. The tool, once reserved for paying users, is now open to all, with a daily limit of three image generations on the free tier. It works directly within the ChatGPT app, so it does not require a separate setup.
You don’t need a subscription or extra credits. You just log into ChatGPT and type what you want. Free-tier users get three image generator queries per day.
I tested it using a specific prompt. I asked for a futuristic night market in Gozo filled with neon lights, robots, and pastizzi stalls. The result took less than 30 seconds. It was far from perfect, but it got the mood right and delivered something I could never have drawn on my own. This really showed the full potential of the ChatGPT image generator, mind you, for free. It took around 30 seconds to render and looked like a sci-fi film set on Triq ir-Repubblika, which I’m sure you have no clue where it is, but that really doesn’t matter for this specific test.
Then I went further. I asked it to generate an AI girlfriend chilling with me on a traditional Maltese luzzu boat, wearing vintage sunglasses and holding a pineapple cocktail. And yes, it actually nailed it. The luzzu was a bit too symmetrical and the sea was glowing pink for some reason, but the vibe was on point.
How the ChatGPT Image Generator Works in Real Time
There’s no interface to learn. No filter sliders. You just describe the scene. The model reads it and outputs an image directly into the chat thread. If the prompt is clear, it responds with surprising speed and quality.
It also offers variations if you ask for more. You can guide it conversationally. For people who hate learning new tools, it’s low-friction and intuitive. However, the limited of three images per day will limit your learning curve, so keep that in mind.
Why OpenAI Made This Move
Sam Altman posted the update on March 31. A few days before that, he said the company’s servers were struggling under the weight of Studio Ghibli-inspired prompts flooding in from users. This is OpenAI’s latest answer to a fast-growing market of AI image tools. Google launched Gemini 2.5. Microsoft is integrating more visual options into Copilot. Dozens of smaller companies are trying to take a slice of the space. ChatGPT is still leading in usage, but the pressure is real.
Giving this tool to all users, even with a limit of three images per day, is a smart move to keep people inside the ChatGPT ecosystem.
What You Get and What’s Next
Free users can generate three images per day. That resets every 24 hours. Users on ChatGPT Plus or Pro can generate without limits. OpenAI’s video tool, Sora, is still reserved for paying users. The quality has gaps. Hands are still tricky. Text in images looks warped. But you can already create decent thumbnails, creative mockups, and visual content without paying a cent.
More importantly, you don’t need to bounce between apps. You can chat, edit, rewrite, and generate images, all while in one place.
Try It Yourself
Head over to their website and type your first prompt, you can start using the ChatGPT free image generator today. Start weird. Ask for something that only makes sense in your part of the world. A luzzu. A festa. A robot DJ at Tigullio. See what it spits out. You might be surprised, however weird your prompt may be.
For the full details behind the rollout, OpenAI breaks it all down in their official blog post announcing the expanded free-tier image generation.
Keep up with the latest ChatGP shenanigans at our Latest AI Chatbot News section, I’m sure there’s already another added feature as we speak.
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