Codex vs Claude Code in 2026

• Codex

  Codex is OpenAI's coding agent. It reads a repository, edits files, runs commands and tests, and reviews code, in the ChatGPT desktop app, a terminal (the Codex CLI), an extension for VS Code, Cursor and Windsurf, on the web and on iOS, and in Xcode and JetBrains through their own integrations. Cloud tasks run from your GitHub repositories, each in its own workspace, and keep going while your computer sleeps, then hand back changes to commit or a pull request. It reads AGENTS.md, connects to other tools through MCP, runs subagents and scheduled tasks, and comes with ChatGPT's plans, on OpenAI's GPT models. The CLI and its SDK are open source.

  Choose it if

  • You already pay for ChatGPT, or want to try a coding agent on its free plan first
  • You want OpenAI's GPT models, such as GPT-6.1 Sol
  • You want a CLI you can read and build on: the Codex CLI and SDK are open source
  • You want to host what you build with it, through Sites on an eligible ChatGPT plan
  • You code all day and want no five-hour limit, which Pro offers for now

• Claude Code

  Claude Code is Anthropic's coding agent. It reads your codebase, edits files, runs commands and works with your other tools, and it runs in the terminal, in VS Code and JetBrains, in a desktop app and in the browser, including on a phone. It works with git itself: it stages changes, writes commit messages, creates branches and opens pull requests. It reads a CLAUDE.md file (or an AGENTS.md) at the start of every session, connects to other tools through MCP, and can split a job across several agents. It comes with Claude's paid plans and runs Claude's models.

  Choose it if

  • Claude is the model you want, without paying API prices on top of a subscription
  • You already pay for Claude Pro or Max, which include Claude Code
  • Your team is on Claude Team, where every seat includes Claude Code
  • You build on the Claude API too: Max comes with $100 or $200 a month of API credits

• Codex

  Free

  Codex in the ChatGPT desktop app for quick coding tasks, on GPT-6 Luna, as it rolls out.

  Go, $8 a month

  The same, for lightweight coding tasks.

  Plus, $20 a month

  The CLI, your editor, the web and iOS, cloud tasks and GitHub code review, on GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-6 Luna. ChatGPT credits extend it past the limits.

  Pro, $100 a month

  Also $200 or $500 a month, with no five-hour limit for now, and Ultrafast mode on Pro $500.

  Business, $25 a user a month

  $20 a user billed yearly, from 2 users, with single sign-on and larger cloud machines.

• Claude Code

  Free

  No Claude Code: it needs a paid Claude plan.

  Pro, $20 a month

  $17 a month billed yearly ($200 a year). Claude Code included, sharing usage limits with chat.

  Max 5x, $100 a month

  5x Pro's usage per five-hour session, and $100 a month of API credits.

  Max 20x, $200 a month

  20x Pro's usage per five-hour session, and $200 a month of API credits.

  Team and Enterprise

  Team seats, and Enterprise at $20 a seat a month plus usage at API rates, billed yearly.

At $20 a month they cost the same: ChatGPT Plus brings Codex's CLI, editor extension and cloud tasks, and Claude Pro brings Claude Code, or costs $17 a month billed yearly. Below that, only Codex has a way in, in ChatGPT's desktop app on Free and on Go at $8, as it rolls out. Above it, Claude's Max costs $100 or $200 a month and ChatGPT's Pro $100, $200 or $500, with no five-hour limit for now. Neither prices by the request: both count use against five-hour and weekly limits, and both let you keep going past them, Codex with ChatGPT credits and Claude Code with usage credits at API rates. Through the API, GPT-6.1 Sol and Claude Sonnet 5.5 both cost $2 per million tokens in and $10 out.