Why Google and OpenAI are reducing free access to Nano, Banana Pro, and Sora

OpenAI and Google are scaling back free access to Nano, Banana Pro, and Sora as rising demand stretches their GPU capacity to the limit. 

The move highlights how OpenAI and Google balance innovation with the skyrocketing compute requirements behind tools like Sora and Gemini, which have become central to users’ creative workflows.

OpenAI confirmed that free users will now receive just six Sora generations per day, citing overwhelming strain on its infrastructure. 

Bill Peebles, head of Sora, said the company’s “GPUs are melting,” noting that video generation demands far more power than text. 

ChatGPT Plus and Pro users will see no change in limits, while additional generations can be purchased.

Google is making similar adjustments. The company has removed the previous five-prompt guarantee on Gemini 3 Pro and has reduced Nano Banana Pro image generation to two images per day. 

The company now refers to the free tier as offering “basic access,” with daily limits subject to frequent changes. Paid Google AI plans remain untouched, offering up to 500 prompts depending on the subscription level.

As OpenAI and Google tighten access to Nano, Banana Pro, and Sora, the companies signal a broader shift: free AI use is becoming more restricted as compute costs soar.