Codex vs Claude Code (2026): pricing, limits and models compared

Codex compared with Claude Code
	Codex	Claude Code
What it is	OpenAI's coding agent, included in ChatGPT plans.	Anthropic's coding agent, included in paid Claude plans.
Where it runs	ChatGPT desktop app, open-source CLI, IDE extension (VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf), Codex Cloud, iOS, GitHub review, Slack, Linear.	Terminal, VS Code and JetBrains extensions, desktop app, web and Slack.
Cheapest way in	Free ($0) or Go ($8/month): GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app only.	Claude Pro, $20/month ($17/month billed annually).
Full experience from	Plus, $20/month: all surfaces, GPT-6.1 Sol and Terra.	Pro, $20/month: Claude Code with Opus, Sonnet and Haiku.
Heavy-use plans	Pro at $100, $200 or $500/month, with no five-hour limit.	Max $100/month (5x Pro); Ultra $200/month (10x Pro weekly, no five-hour limit for verified accounts).
How usage is counted	Five-hour and weekly limits that vary by model. Shared with ChatGPT Work; press reports one ChatGPT + Codex allowance from December 2026.	One pool shared with Claude chat, with five-hour and weekly limits.
Models	GPT-6 Astra, GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-6.1 Terra and GPT-6 Luna. Ultrafast on Pro $500.	Opus 5.5 by default, plus Sonnet 5.5 and Haiku 5.5; Fable 5.2 on Max and Ultra (up to half the weekly limit) or via usage credits on Pro.
When you hit the limit	Buy credits (Plus, Pro, flexible-pricing workspaces) or keep going with an API key.	Wait for the reset, move up a plan, or turn on usage credits at API rates.
Teams	Business $20/user/month annual ($25 monthly); Enterprise and Edu via sales.	Team $20/seat annual ($25 monthly), Premium seats $100 ($125); Enterprise $20/seat plus usage at API rates.
Open source	The CLI is open source (Apache 2.0).	Not stated on the pages we checked.

Codex

Claude Code

What it is

OpenAI's coding agent, included in ChatGPT plans.

Anthropic's coding agent, included in paid Claude plans.

Where it runs

ChatGPT desktop app, open-source CLI, IDE extension (VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf), Codex Cloud, iOS, GitHub review, Slack, Linear.

Terminal, VS Code and JetBrains extensions, desktop app, web and Slack.

Cheapest way in

Free ($0) or Go ($8/month): GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app only.

Claude Pro, $20/month ($17/month billed annually).

Full experience from

Plus, $20/month: all surfaces, GPT-6.1 Sol and Terra.

Pro, $20/month: Claude Code with Opus, Sonnet and Haiku.

Heavy-use plans

Pro at $100, $200 or $500/month, with no five-hour limit.

Max $100/month (5x Pro); Ultra $200/month (10x Pro weekly, no five-hour limit for verified accounts).

How usage is counted

Five-hour and weekly limits that vary by model. Shared with ChatGPT Work; press reports one ChatGPT + Codex allowance from December 2026.

One pool shared with Claude chat, with five-hour and weekly limits.

Models

GPT-6 Astra, GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-6.1 Terra and GPT-6 Luna. Ultrafast on Pro $500.

Opus 5.5 by default, plus Sonnet 5.5 and Haiku 5.5; Fable 5.2 on Max and Ultra (up to half the weekly limit) or via usage credits on Pro.

When you hit the limit

Buy credits (Plus, Pro, flexible-pricing workspaces) or keep going with an API key.

Wait for the reset, move up a plan, or turn on usage credits at API rates.

Teams

Business $20/user/month annual ($25 monthly); Enterprise and Edu via sales.

Team $20/seat annual ($25 monthly), Premium seats $100 ($125); Enterprise $20/seat plus usage at API rates.

Open source

The CLI is open source (Apache 2.0).

Not stated on the pages we checked.

Verdict

On price they’re level at the entry point. Both full experiences start at $20 a month (Claude Pro is $17 billed annually), and both put coding and chat in one subscription. Codex also has a free and an $8 way in, but those only give you GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app.

For heavy use, the plan ladders differ. Codex Pro comes in $100, $200 and $500 tiers and has no five-hour limit at any of them. On Claude, the five-hour window goes away only on the $200 Ultra plan, for verified accounts. Max at $100 gives 5x Pro but keeps the five-hour window.

Pick Codex if you want the widest set of surfaces (desktop app, cloud, iOS, GitHub review, Slack and Linear), a no-cost way to try it, or an open-source CLI you can inspect.

Pick Claude Code if you work mostly in the terminal or JetBrains and want Anthropic’s models: Opus 5.5 by default, and Fable on Max and Ultra.

Watch for December: press reports citing an OpenAI help article say ChatGPT and Codex will share one allowance on Plus, Pro and Business, so heavy ChatGPT use would start eating into your Codex budget.

Frequently asked questions

Is Codex or Claude Code cheaper?

Both full experiences start at $20 a month (Claude Pro is $17 billed annually). Codex also has free and $8 options, but those only give GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app.

Which has higher usage limits?

For heavy use, Codex Pro has no five-hour limit at $100, $200 or $500 a month. On Claude, only the $200 Ultra plan removes the five-hour window, for verified accounts.

Can I use both?

Yes. Both run in the terminal and in VS Code, and Zed can host either agent inside the editor through ACP.

Codex × Claude Code

Verdict

Frequently asked questions

Sources