Automate Basics

Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex

Pick up to 4 tools and see their free plans, entry prices, platforms and limits in one table. Every fact comes from each vendor's own pages, checked 23 September 2026.

Written head to head: Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex, with when to choose each side.

Compared on
Claude Code

From $17/mo

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OpenAI Codex

Free plan · from $8/mo

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What it isAnthropic's agentic coding tool for the terminal, IDEs, desktop and webOpenAI's coding agent for the terminal, IDEs, desktop app and cloud
Free planNoChatGPT Free includes limited Codex use for quick coding tasks; Free and Go use GPT-6 Luna at standard speed in the desktop app, subject to rollout
Cheapest paid plan$17/mo billed annually (Claude Pro)Claude Code pricing$8/mo (ChatGPT Go)OpenAI Codex pricing
What it coversClaude Code is included in Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise and shares usage limits with the subscription. Annual Pro billing is $200 up front. Console accounts pay standard API rates instead.Codex comes with ChatGPT plans; Plus ($20/month) expands Codex usage. Codex can also be used with an API key at standard API rates.
Free trialNone statedNone stated
PlatformsmacOS, Windows, Linux, Web, iOS, Android, APImacOS, Windows, Linux, Web, API
Integrations (vendor's figure)Not statedNot stated
Open sourceNoYes
Good for
  • Fixing a bug by pasting in the error message
  • Writing tests and updating dependencies across a project
  • Automating code review on GitHub
  • Building a small feature from a plain-language description
  • Reviewing code changes before merging
  • Investigating and fixing failing builds
Watch out for
  • Not included in the free Claude plan
  • Usage counts against the same limits as the Claude subscription
  • The desktop app requires a paid subscription
  • Usage limits depend on the ChatGPT plan, the model and task size, measured per five-hour window
  • Free and Go include only limited Codex access
  • API-key use is billed separately at API rates
Made byAnthropicOpenAI

Entry prices are the cheapest paid plan, as each vendor publishes it; “What it covers” says what that price is per (a user, a channel, a brand, a number of contacts). The sources are listed on each tool's page.

Every tool in AI coding assistants is on its category page, with the written head-to-heads on Compare.