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Codex vs Claude Code in 2026: Price, Limits and Which One to Pick
Codex vs Claude Code in 2026: both start at $20 a month. How usage limits, models and top-tier plans differ, and which coding agent fits your work.
8 min read
Prices checked Oct 19, 2026 on OpenAI’s Codex pricing page and Claude’s pricing page, with Team seat details from Claude’s Team plan help article (all listed under Sources). No affiliate links on this page (how we work).
This page compares Codex and Claude Code as a whole. If you’re already choosing between the top tiers, Codex Pro vs Claude Code Max puts the $100 and $200 plans side by side. At the entry level, both are agent vs agent. Same job: you hand off a coding task and it goes and does the thing. One rides on your ChatGPT plan. The other rides on your Claude plan. Both start at $20 a month. After that the limits, models and top-tier prices part ways hard.
We haven’t tested them head to head, so this page doesn’t crown a smarter agent. It covers what you can check: what each one costs, how the limits work, which models each plan lists, and who should pick which.
If you want IDE-vs-agent instead, that’s Cursor vs Claude Code. Full Claude plan maths live on Claude Code pricing. Plan history for Codex is on the Codex pricing tracker.
TL;DR: pick this one if…
- Light use, a few serious sessions a week: either $20 plan. ChatGPT Plus includes Codex; Claude Pro includes Claude Code. Pick the stack you already live in.
- Heavy daily use: Claude Max at $100 or $200, or ChatGPT Pro at $100 / $200 / $500. OpenAI currently says Pro has “no five-hour limit” on Codex; Anthropic sells 5x Pro (Max) or 10x Pro weekly (Ultra) usage plus API credits.
- Teams of two or more: ChatGPT Business and Claude Team Standard both list $25 per user monthly or $20 annual. Claude also sells Premium seats at $125 / $100.
- You already pay for ChatGPT: stay on Plus or Pro and use Codex. Don’t buy a second $20 just to try Claude Code unless you’re switching stacks.
- You already pay for Claude: stay on Pro or Max and use Claude Code. Free Claude still doesn’t include it.
- $0 budget: Codex has a Free (and Go $8) path with limited models. Claude Free does not include Claude Code.
Those verdicts come from what each pricing page includes, not from a quality test.
Price by plan
Short labels so the table still reads on a phone. Full plan lists sit on each vendor’s page; this is the agent-relevant strip.
| Plan | Codex | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 (Luna, desktop) | $0, no Claude Code |
| Cheap paid | Go $8/mo | — (Pro is entry) |
| Entry | Plus $20/mo | Pro $20/mo, or $17/mo annual ($200 up front) |
| Heavy | Pro $100 / $200 / $500 | Max 5x $100, Ultra $200 |
| Team | Business $25/user mo, $20 annual | Standard $25/$20; Premium $125/$100 |
| Annual on entry? | Plus: not offered | Pro: yes ($200 up front) |
USD web prices. Codex column from developers.openai.com/codex/pricing, checked Oct 19, 2026. Claude column from claude.com/pricing and the Team plan help article, checked Oct 19, 2026. Claude Code is included on all paid Claude plans (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise) and shares the chat usage pool.
The $20 seats match. The year doesn’t. Twelve months of Plus is $240. A prepaid year of Claude Pro is $200. That’s $40 for picking Anthropic’s annual button. OpenAI’s FAQ on the Codex and ChatGPT side: Go, Plus and Pro are monthly only; annual billing shows up for Business (and Enterprise by agreement), not for Plus.
At the top, Claude Ultra (formerly Max 20x) stops at $200. ChatGPT Pro keeps climbing to $500 for Ultrafast. Same fridge, taller minibar.
Usage limits
This is the part you’ll feel at 11 PM, not the sticker price.
Codex (Plus and Standard Business). OpenAI publishes estimated local messages per five-hour window. On GPT-6.1 Sol the range is 15–160. On GPT-6 Luna it’s 350–3,000. Other listed estimates: GPT-6 Astra 5–45, GPT-6 Sol 15–150. OpenAI says these are estimates, not fixed caps, and weekly limits may also apply. Fast mode burns included limits 2.5x faster; Ultrafast 8x (on Astra / 6.1 Sol). Source: Codex pricing, checked Oct 19, 2026.
Codex (Pro). OpenAI’s wording, exactly: Pro plans currently have no five-hour limit. “Currently” is doing real work in that sentence. Weekly limits can still apply. Ultrafast access is called out on the $500 Pro tier.
Claude Code. Limits reset on a rolling 5-hour window, paid plans also have weekly limits, and chat + Claude Code share one pool. Anthropic does not publish a fixed message count. Pro is at least 5x Free per session; Max is 5x Pro; Ultra (formerly Max 20x) is 10x Pro weekly with no five-hour limit (claude.com/pricing, verified Nov 1, 2026); Team Standard is 1.25x Pro per session and Premium is 6.25x Pro (Help Center also describes Premium as 5x Standard). Sources: claude.com/pricing and the Team plan article, checked Oct 19, 2026.
So: Codex Plus gives you OpenAI’s estimate ranges and a five-hour window. Claude Pro gives you a shared meter with chat and no official message count. Codex Pro currently drops the five-hour wall. Claude Max multiplies the Pro pool and throws in API credits ($100 on Max 5x, $200 on Ultra, no rollover).
We haven’t measured how many of your prompts fit in either window. If a blog invents “you get 47 messages,” it’s guessing. We won’t.
Models each one runs
Only what the pricing pages state. No vibes, no third-party scorecards.
Codex, by plan (Codex pricing, checked Oct 19, 2026):
| Plan | Models / surfaces called out |
|---|---|
| Free / Go | GPT-6 Luna at Standard speed in the desktop app (subject to rollout) |
| Plus | Web, CLI, IDE, iOS; GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-6 Luna; cloud integrations |
| Pro | Everything in Plus; Ultrafast on Pro $500 |
| Business | Workspace features; same model class as Plus for the usage estimates |
| API key path | Pay API rates in CLI/SDK/IDE; no cloud GitHub/Slack features |
GPT-5.5 left ChatGPT and Codex on Oct 14, 2026. Plan prices didn’t move. We covered that change in GPT-5.5 retired from ChatGPT and Codex — this page won’t rehash it.
Claude Code. It runs Claude models from your paid Claude plan. Free doesn’t include Claude Code at all. There is no GPT or Grok menu inside it, and no surprise third-party model bill for picking a model either. Max’s $100 / $200 API credits are the separate Console meter, not a different coding agent.
Practical read: Codex is OpenAI’s model ladder inside one ChatGPT seat. Claude Code is Anthropic’s set menu. Pick the kitchen, not a fantasy buffet.
Team plans
| ChatGPT Business (Codex) | Claude Team (Claude Code) | |
|---|---|---|
| Standard seat | $25/user/mo monthly · $20/user/mo annual (2+ users) | Standard $25/member/mo · $20 annual |
| Higher seat | — (Enterprise is contact / agreement) | Premium $125/mo · $100 annual |
| Seat range | 2+ users on Business | Min 2, max 150 on Team |
| Coding agent | Same model class as Plus for usage estimates | Claude Code included; Standard 1.25x Pro, Premium 6.25x Pro per session |
Sources: Codex pricing and Claude pricing / Team help, checked Oct 19, 2026.
On the cheap seat, it’s a wash: $25 monthly or $20 annual on both sides. Claude’s Premium seat is the dial for two power users without upgrading the whole room. ChatGPT’s next step after Business is Enterprise by agreement, not a printed Premium SKU on the Codex page.
Your team will pick the agent it already argues about in code review. Trial that one first.
Here’s what I’d do
- If you already pay for ChatGPT Plus or Pro, use Codex. Don’t stack a Claude Pro “just to compare” until you’ve burned a real week in Codex.
- If you already pay for Claude Pro or Max, use Claude Code. Free Claude still won’t give it to you.
- Starting from zero at $20: pick by stack. Want OpenAI chat + coding in one seat? Plus. Want Anthropic chat + coding, and you’ll prepay a year? Claude Pro annual at $200.
- Hitting limits every afternoon: Claude Max 5x ($100) if you want 5x Pro plus $100 API credits. ChatGPT Pro from $100 if you want OpenAI’s “no five-hour limit” wording and, at $500, Ultrafast.
- Team of two to ~150: price the Standard seats first ($20 annual either way). Add Claude Premium seats only for the people who live in the agent all day.
Weighing a wider field? Claude Code alternatives lists the neighbors. IDE angle is still Cursor vs Claude Code. Dated Claude maths: Claude Code pricing. Codex history: Codex pricing tracker.
For the pay-as-you-go side of each: Codex credits explained and Is Claude Code free?.
Already sure you need a top plan? Codex Pro vs Claude Code Max puts the $100 and $200 tiers side by side.
Troubleshooting either tool? Codex “stream disconnected” error and Claude Code 529 overloaded cover the two errors people hit most.
Deciding between the two entry plans? Codex Plus vs Claude Code Pro puts usage limits and reset windows side by side.
FAQ
Is Codex cheaper than Claude Code? At the $20 entry seat they’re the same monthly; Claude Pro can be cheaper over a year at $200 prepaid ($17/mo), while Plus has no annual plan.
Which has higher limits? OpenAI publishes Plus estimate ranges (e.g. 15–160 local msgs / 5h on GPT-6.1 Sol) and says Pro currently has no five-hour limit; Claude uses a shared 5-hour + weekly pool with Max at 5x Pro and Ultra at 10x Pro weekly — neither publishes one fixed message count for every task.
Is Codex included in ChatGPT Plus? Yes. Plus at $20/mo includes Codex on web, CLI, IDE and iOS with GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-6 Luna, per OpenAI’s Codex pricing page.
Can I use both? Yes, if you pay for both seats. There’s no combo discount on either pricing page; most people should pick one stack and stay there until limits force an upgrade.
Does Claude Free include Claude Code? No. Claude Code comes with paid plans only (Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise).
Does ChatGPT Free include Codex? OpenAI lists Free and Go with GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app (subject to rollout). Plus is the plan that lists full web/CLI/IDE/iOS Codex with Sol and Luna.
Sources
- OpenAI Codex pricing (plans, models per plan, Plus message estimates, Pro “no five-hour limit”, Business seats, Fast/Ultrafast multipliers, GPT-5.5 retirement note): https://developers.openai.com/codex/pricing (checked 2026-10-19)
- Claude pricing (Pro, Max, Team seats, Claude Code on paid plans, shared usage pool, Max API credits): https://claude.com/pricing (checked 2026-10-19)
- Claude Help Center, “What is the Team plan?” (Standard/Premium multiples, seat min/max): https://support.claude.com/en/articles/9266767-what-is-the-team-plan (checked 2026-10-19)
- Engineer Foodie, GPT-5.5 retirement note (link only; not rehashed here): /blog/gpt-5-5-retired-chatgpt-codex/