OpenAI hails 1 million Codex downloads, but warns limits may be coming - but ChatGPT Deep Research users get a whole load of upgrades to boost their work
Codex will remain free, and Deep Research just got better
· TechRadarNews By Craig Hale published 11 February 2026
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- Codex has been downloaded over a million times, users are up 60% in a week
- It'll stay free to all users, but Free/Go plans may face limits
- Deep Research gets new viewer and better controls
It's barely been more than a week since OpenAI launched its dedicated Codex Mac app, and it's already gained more than one million downloads.
Overall Codex users also grew 60% in one week following the release of GPT-5.3-Codex, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is so pleased with the initial uptake that Free and Go users will continue to get free access to Codex after its launch promotion.
"We'll keep Codex available to Free/Go users after this promotion," Altman confirmed in an X post.
Codex will stay free, Deep Research gets a makeover
As anticipated, Free and Go subscribers will likely face tighter limits than higher-paying subscribers. "We may have to reduce limits there but we want everyone to be able to try Codex and start building," Altman added.
Separately, OpenAI also shared a new video showing Deep Research's makeover on YouTube.
Visually, Deep Research now includes a full-screen report viewer so that users can open reports in separate windows from the chat interface. Much like a well-formatted official report, it includes a table of contents on the left panel for easier navigation, with hyperlinks and anchor tags, and a source list on the right panel for better verification and fact-checking.
Users can also download their report as a PDF or Word document to view and edit offline.
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