Users Are Not Happy with ChatGPT 5 and Call It Horrible

Users Are Not Happy with ChatGPT 5 and Call It Horrible

Less than 24 hours after OpenAI’s highly anticipated GPT-5 launched, initial feedback from users suggests the rollout has fallen far short of expectations, sparking widespread disappointment.

The Grand Unveiling and Immediate Backlash

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and his team showcased GPT-5 during a one-hour livestream, highlighting its supposed advancements in reasoning, multi-step processing, and enhanced personalization. Positioned as a “PhD-level” upgrade to the GPT-4o series, the model was presented as a significant leap forward in AI capabilities.

However, the excitement quickly turned to frustration. Within hours of the reveal, social media, particularly Reddit, became a hub for critical reactions. A thread aptly titled “GPT-5 is horrible” rapidly amassed nearly 3,000 upvotes and over 1,200 comments, with many users demanding the return of older, more reliable models like GPT-4.

The Complaints Pour In: Slow, Limited, and Less Capable?

Common grievances among early adopters include a perceived decline in response quality, noticeably slower output speeds, and surprising limitations for paying subscribers. GPT-5’s new “Thinking” mode, designed for complex reasoning tasks, is capped at a mere 200 messages per week for ChatGPT Plus users. Furthermore, Plus subscribers now have fewer model choices, as OpenAI has consolidated its offerings under GPT-5, claiming it can automatically adjust its reasoning depth.

Many users are comparing the launch to “shrinkflation,” arguing that while GPT-5 might score higher on internal benchmarks, its practical usability feels significantly diminished. A major point of contention is that the previous, more reliable models were removed entirely rather than being offered alongside the new upgrade, leaving users with no alternative.

Hype Versus Reality: Were Expectations Too High?

This wave of criticism follows a substantial marketing build-up, with Altman himself teasing GPT-5’s debut with a dramatic, Star Wars-inspired post that hinted at a truly game-changing innovation. While GPT-5 may indeed show measurable performance improvements in testing scenarios, many users feel the update is merely incremental rather than revolutionary. For those who remember the seismic impact of ChatGPT’s initial release in 2022, GPT-5 feels like a modest step, not the giant leap they were led to expect.