Compare · Prices checked October 28, 2026
Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex vs Cursor (2026)
Published starting prices: Claude Code, from $20/mo. OpenAI Codex, Free; Plus $20/mo. Cursor, Free; Plus $8/mo. All three side by side: public pricing, what each does, real use cases and who each suits, from our listings with sources. We haven't tested them hands-on.
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Coding
Claude Code
Anthropic's coding agent for the terminal, editor and web. It reads your codebase, makes changes and runs commands.
Subscription · 8 use casesfrom $20/mo
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CodingFree tier
OpenAI Codex
OpenAI's coding agent, in a desktop app, CLI, IDE extension and on the web; included with ChatGPT plans.
Subscription · 5 use casesFree; Plus $20/mo
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CodingFree tier
Cursor
An AI code editor with agents that plan and make multi-file changes, plus cloud agents and code review.
Subscription · 2 use casesFree; Plus $8/mo
Short answer: Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex vs Cursor pricing
Lowest listed monthly plans: Claude Code Pro: $20/mo ($17/mo billed annually, $200 up front; Claude Code included); OpenAI Codex Go: $8/mo (lightweight tasks); Cursor Plus: $8/mo (Grok models only; or $80/yr billed annually). Of the plans listed in US dollars per month, OpenAI Codex and Cursor list the same lowest price. OpenAI Codex and Cursor have a free plan. Plans differ in what they include (credits, usage limits and models) and some are billed yearly, so compare the plan details. Checked October 28, 2026. Claude Code: no $0 plan on its pricing page (checked October 28, 2026). OpenAI Codex: yes. Its Free plan is $0 (quick tasks), checked October 28, 2026. Cursor: yes. Its Free plan is $0 (limited AI use), checked October 28, 2026.
Pricing side by side · FAQ · Just two of them? Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex · Cursor vs Claude Code · OpenAI Codex vs Cursor
Pricing side by side
| Item |  Claude Code |  OpenAI Codex |  Cursor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | from $20/mo | Free; Plus $20/mo | Free; Plus $8/mo |
| Pricing model | Subscription | Subscription | Subscription |
| Free plan | No | Yes | Yes |
| Plans |
|
|
|
| Pricing note | Also available pay-as-you-go through the Anthropic API. | Or use your own API key and pay API prices. | Cursor's plans are now bundled with X/Grok features. Third-party models (Claude, GPT and others) are billed separately by usage. Annual billing: Plus $80/yr, Premium $300/yr, Super $1,000/yr, Ultra $2,000/yr (cursor.com/docs/models-and-pricing, checked October 28, 2026). |
| Checked | October 28, 2026 | October 28, 2026 | October 28, 2026 |
| Source | Vendor pricing page | Vendor pricing page | Vendor pricing page |
Copied from each vendor's public pricing page on the date shown. "not published" means the vendor doesn't publish it; we don't guess. Prices change; confirm with the vendor.
Features and details from our listings
| Item | Claude Code | OpenAI Codex | Cursor |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Anthropic's coding agent for the terminal, editor and web. It reads your codebase, makes changes and runs commands. | OpenAI's coding agent, in a desktop app, CLI, IDE extension and on the web; included with ChatGPT plans. | An AI code editor with agents that plan and make multi-file changes, plus cloud agents and code review. |
| Made by | Anthropic | OpenAI | Cursor |
| Listed under | Coding agents | Coding agents | Coding agents |
| Jobs it fits |
|
|
|
| Verified public use cases | 8 | 5 | 2 |
Who each is best for
- Subscription
Claude Code is best for
- Teams that need to: Make larger changes in an existing codebase; Update old code to run on modern systems; Security and code review passes.
- Budget: starts at $20/mo (subscription).
- Watch out: In April 2026 a heavily upvoted GitHub issue said Claude Code had become unusable for complex engineering tasks after updates; quality can shift between releases. Source
- SubscriptionFree plan
OpenAI Codex is best for
- Teams that need to: Port or rewrite code against a test suite; Delegate coding tasks to run in the cloud.
- Budget: starts at Free; Plus $20/mo (subscription, free plan available).
- SubscriptionFree plan
Cursor is best for
- Teams that need to: Build or change an app with an agent in the editor; Refactor and fix bugs across files.
- Budget: starts at Free; Plus $8/mo (subscription, free plan available).
From our listing data (jobs and public pricing); not a hands-on test. Full details: Claude Code · OpenAI Codex · Cursor.
FAQ
Which is cheapest: Claude Code, OpenAI Codex or Cursor?
Lowest listed monthly plans: Claude Code Pro: $20/mo ($17/mo billed annually, $200 up front; Claude Code included); OpenAI Codex Go: $8/mo (lightweight tasks); Cursor Plus: $8/mo (Grok models only; or $80/yr billed annually). Of the plans listed in US dollars per month, OpenAI Codex and Cursor list the same lowest price. OpenAI Codex and Cursor have a free plan. Plans differ in what they include (credits, usage limits and models) and some are billed yearly, so compare the plan details. Checked October 28, 2026.
Are Claude Code, OpenAI Codex and Cursor free?
Claude Code: no $0 plan on its pricing page (checked October 28, 2026). OpenAI Codex: yes. Its Free plan is $0 (quick tasks), checked October 28, 2026. Cursor: yes. Its Free plan is $0 (limited AI use), checked October 28, 2026.
How much does Claude Code cost?
Claude Code lists Pro: $20/mo ($17/mo billed annually, $200 up front; Claude Code included); Max 5x: $100/mo (5x Pro usage); Max 20x: $200/mo (20x Pro usage). Its lowest listed monthly plan is Pro: $20/mo ($17/mo billed annually, $200 up front; Claude Code included). Also available pay-as-you-go through the Anthropic API. Checked October 28, 2026 on the vendor's pricing page.
How much does OpenAI Codex cost?
OpenAI Codex lists Free: $0 (quick tasks); Go: $8/mo (lightweight tasks); Plus: $20/mo (Codex on web, CLI, IDE); Pro: from $100/mo (plans at $100, $200 or $500/mo); Business: $25/user/mo ($20 billed annually). Its lowest listed monthly plan is Go: $8/mo (lightweight tasks). Or use your own API key and pay API prices. Checked October 28, 2026 on the vendor's pricing page.
How much does Cursor cost?
Cursor lists Free: $0 (limited AI use); Plus: $8/mo (Grok models only; or $80/yr billed annually); Premium: $30/mo (latest models, cloud agents; or $300/yr billed annually); Super: $100/mo (15x Plus usage; or $1,000/yr billed annually); Ultra: $200/mo (50x Plus usage; or $2,000/yr billed annually); Teams: from $30/user/mo. Its lowest listed monthly plan is Plus: $8/mo (Grok models only; or $80/yr billed annually). Cursor's plans are now bundled with X/Grok features. Third-party models (Claude, GPT and others) are billed separately by usage. Annual billing: Plus $80/yr, Premium $300/yr, Super $1,000/yr, Ultra $2,000/yr (cursor.com/docs/models-and-pricing, checked October 28, 2026). Checked October 28, 2026 on the vendor's pricing page.
Did AITeamGuide test them?
Not hands-on. This comparison is built from each vendor's public pricing page (with the date we checked it), published product information and credited public use cases.
Can a vendor pay to win this comparison?
No. Nothing here is paid. Paid placements on AITeamGuide are always labelled "Sponsored" or "Featured" and never change a comparison or ranking.
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Work at Claude Code or OpenAI Codex or Cursor? Vendors can claim their listing for free or feature it with a label that says "Sponsored"; paid status never changes the order on this page. Building a different agent? List it here.
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