Compare · Prices checked October 21, 2026
Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex (2026)
Published starting prices: Claude Code, from $20/mo. OpenAI Codex, Free; Plus $20/mo. Side-by-side public pricing, what each does, real use cases and who each suits, all from our listings with sources. We haven't tested either hands-on.
-
Coding
Claude Code
Anthropic's coding agent for the terminal, editor and web. It reads your codebase, makes changes and runs commands.
Subscription · 4 use casesfrom $20/mo
-
CodingFree tier
OpenAI Codex
OpenAI's coding agent, in a desktop app, CLI, IDE extension and on the web; included with ChatGPT plans.
Subscription · 3 use casesFree; Plus $20/mo
Quick answer
- Cheaper: Comparing the lowest listed monthly plans: Claude Code Pro: $20/mo ($17 billed annually; Claude Code included), and OpenAI Codex Go: $8/mo (lightweight tasks). OpenAI Codex lists the lower one. OpenAI Codex also has a free plan. Plans differ in what they include, and some are per seat or billed yearly, so compare the plan details. Checked October 21, 2026.
- Free plans: Claude Code: no $0 plan on its pricing page (checked October 21, 2026). OpenAI Codex: yes. Its Free plan is $0 (quick tasks), checked October 21, 2026.
Pricing side by side
| Item |  Claude Code |  OpenAI Codex |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | from $20/mo | Free; Plus $20/mo |
| Pricing model | Subscription | Subscription |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Plans |
|
|
| Pricing note | Also available pay-as-you-go through the Anthropic API. | Or use your own API key and pay API prices. |
| Checked | October 21, 2026 | October 21, 2026 |
| Source | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| Made by | Anthropic | OpenAI |
| Listed under | Coding agents | Coding agents |
| Jobs it fits |
|
|
| Verified public use cases | 4 | 3 |
Use cases
Claude Code
-
Use caseCoding
A developer explains his routine of having Claude Code write a plan first, reviewing it, and only then letting it implement, keeping planning and execution separate.
-
Use caseCoding
A data-recovery hobbyist used Claude Code to update the 25-year-old Linux ftape driver so his 1990s QIC-80 tape drive can work with a modern kernel instead of an ancient CentOS install.
Sep 2025Dmitry Brant
-
Use caseCoding
A staff engineer at Sanity describes expecting Claude Code's first attempt to be mostly wrong, and how iterating with context turned it into an everyday tool.
Sep 2025Sanity blog
-
Use caseCoding
Semgrep's security researchers had Claude Code and OpenAI Codex hunt for vulnerabilities in real Python web apps: both found real bugs (about 20 high-severity), but more than 80% of what they flagged were false positives.
Sep 2025Semgrep blog
OpenAI Codex
-
Use caseCoding
A developer ran Google's open Gemma 4 model locally inside Codex CLI and wrote up how a coding agent performs without a cloud model.
-
Use caseCoding
Simon Willison used Codex CLI to port the JustHTML HTML5 parser from Python to JavaScript in about 4.5 hours, using the existing html5lib test suite to check the agent's work.
Dec 2025Simon Willison's Weblog
-
Use caseCoding
Semgrep's security researchers had Claude Code and OpenAI Codex hunt for vulnerabilities in real Python web apps: both found real bugs (about 20 high-severity), but more than 80% of what they flagged were false positives.
Sep 2025Semgrep blog
Use cases are summarised in our own words from the linked public post; vendor case studies are labelled. All use cases.
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 from $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).
From our listing data (jobs, public pricing); not a hands-on test. Full details: Claude Code · OpenAI Codex.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Claude Code or OpenAI Codex?
Comparing the lowest listed monthly plans: Claude Code Pro: $20/mo ($17 billed annually; Claude Code included), and OpenAI Codex Go: $8/mo (lightweight tasks). OpenAI Codex lists the lower one. OpenAI Codex also has a free plan. Plans differ in what they include, and some are per seat or billed yearly, so compare the plan details. Checked October 21, 2026.
Is Claude Code free? Is OpenAI Codex free?
Claude Code: no $0 plan on its pricing page (checked October 21, 2026). OpenAI Codex: yes. Its Free plan is $0 (quick tasks), checked October 21, 2026.
How much does Claude Code cost?
Claude Code lists Pro: $20/mo ($17 billed annually; Claude Code included); Max 5x: $100/mo; Max 20x: $200/mo. Its lowest listed monthly plan is Pro: $20/mo ($17 billed annually; Claude Code included). Also available pay-as-you-go through the Anthropic API. Checked October 21, 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; 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 21, 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.
Related guides
All comparisons →- Best AI coding agents 202614 compared by price
- Cheapest AI coding assistants14 sorted by price
- Cursor vs Claude CodeSide-by-side pricing
- Devin vs Claude CodeSide-by-side pricing
- Devin vs OpenAI CodexSide-by-side pricing
- Augment Code vs Claude CodeSide-by-side pricing
- Augment Code vs OpenAI CodexSide-by-side pricing
- Factory AI vs Claude CodeSide-by-side pricing
- Claude Code alternatives13 compared by price
More comparisons
- Cursor vs GitHub CopilotSide-by-side pricing
- Lovable vs Bolt.newSide-by-side pricing
- Kiro vs CursorSide-by-side pricing
- Bolt.new vs v0Side-by-side pricing
- Devin vs CursorSide-by-side pricing
- Augment Code vs CursorSide-by-side pricing
- Augment Code vs GitHub CopilotSide-by-side pricing
- Factory AI vs DevinSide-by-side pricing
- Factory AI vs CursorSide-by-side pricing
Work at Claude Code or OpenAI Codex? 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.
Comparing Claude Code and OpenAI Codex? Get the weekly AITeamGuide
One email a week: the best new AI agents, real prices and price changes (Claude Code and OpenAI Codex included), real-world use cases and new Hub tools. Free; unsubscribe anytime.