Pick Claude Code if
- You or your team prefer Claude models
- You want documented GitLab CI support and scheduled cloud tasks alongside GitHub Actions
- You'll build your own agents on the same loop with the Agent SDK
Pick Codex if
- You already pay for ChatGPT Plus, Pro or Business
- You want published per-model limits and per-token credit prices
- You want an open-source CLI and automatic PR review in the same plan
Short answer: Claude Code and Codex are the same kind of tool: an agent that works in your repository from the terminal, an IDE, a desktop app and the cloud, sold inside a $20 chat subscription. Choose by models and by the subscription you already have. If your team writes with Claude, Claude Code; if it lives in ChatGPT, Codex. The differences after that are smaller than the marketing suggests: Claude Code documents more CI and scheduled-automation options (GitLab CI and scheduled cloud tasks as well as GitHub Actions), and Codex publishes clearer limits and has the open-source CLI. A disclosure: this site was built with Claude Code and Mahmoud uses it regularly; we haven't used Codex as much, so Codex's side comes from OpenAI's published plans and docs, checked November 1, 2026. Full detail is in our Claude Code and OpenAI Codex reviews.
Side by side
| Feature | Claude Code | OpenAI Codex |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Coding agent | Coding agent |
| Cheapest paid plan | $20/mo (Pro) | $20/mo (ChatGPT Plus) |
| Free tier | Not included on the Free plan | Free and Go ($8) plans: the desktop app with a small model only, subject to rollout |
| Billed in | Flat subscription with usage limits that reset every 5 hours and weekly | ChatGPT subscription with per-model limits per 5 hours (weekly limits may apply); extra credits priced per 1M tokens |
| Works in | Terminal, VS Code, JetBrains, desktop app, web and mobile, Slack, GitHub Actions and GitLab CI | Terminal (open-source CLI), VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf and JetBrains IDEs, desktop app, web, iOS, GitHub (incl. Actions) and Slack |
| Models | Claude models only | OpenAI models only |
| Backend | None: it works on whatever stack your repo uses | None: it works on whatever stack your repo uses |
| Ownership | Your repository, your machine or a cloud session on a repo you choose | Your repository; the CLI is Apache-2.0 and reads AGENTS.md |
| Rubric score | 3.7/5 | 3.8/5 |
Sources: claude.com/pricing, OpenAI: Codex pricing, and the docs linked in each review. Prices checked Nov 1, 2026, USD before tax.
Scores
- SpeedEven
- DepthEven
- BackendEven
- ExitEven
- PricingOpenAI Codex
- TeamEven
Scores out of 5 on our published rubric. The reasons for each score are in the Claude Code and OpenAI Codex reviews.
They tie on speed, depth, backend and exit. Codex leads on pricing predictability because OpenAI publishes per-model message ranges and credit rates; Claude Code and Codex both score 4 on team readiness, for different reasons (Claude Code's CI integrations and Premium seats, Codex's managed configuration on a $20-25 Business seat).
The differences that matter
How the limits work
Both reset usage on a five-hour window with a weekly ceiling, and both sell bigger plans to loosen it. Anthropic describes its tiers as multiples of Pro: Max is 5x Pro in both windows, Ultra 10x Pro weekly with no five-hour window for verified accounts. OpenAI gives Plus users a message range per five hours for each model, wide because a message's cost depends on how much code it touches, and says Pro currently has no five-hour limit at all. When you run out, Codex sells credits priced per million tokens per model; Claude Code points you to a bigger plan or an API key.
What this means in practice: on Codex, choosing a smaller model for routine work stretches a Plus plan a long way. On Claude Code, the plan multiple is what you buy, so the question is just whether Pro, Max or Ultra fits your heaviest week.
Models
Claude Code runs Claude models only, through Anthropic or through Amazon Bedrock and Google Vertex AI. Codex runs OpenAI models only. Neither lets you switch vendors per task; if that matters, an editor like Cursor does.
Where each one runs
Both cover the terminal, VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, a desktop app, the web, mobile, Slack and GitHub Actions (Codex through OpenAI's codex-action). Claude Code also documents GitLab CI and scheduled cloud tasks that run while your computer is off. Codex includes automatic GitHub pull request review on Plus and above, and its CLI is open source (Apache-2.0). For headless automation, OpenAI recommends an API key; so does Anthropic, in effect, by billing Enterprise usage at API rates.
Configuration
The two have converged. Both read project instructions from a markdown file (CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md for Claude Code, AGENTS.md for Codex), and both support MCP servers, skills, hooks and subagents. A repo set up well for one is most of the way there for the other, which lowers the cost of switching or of keeping both.
Teams
The standard seats cost the same and both include SSO: ChatGPT Business is $20 a user a month annually ($25 monthly) with SAML SSO and managed config, with RBAC, SCIM and audit logs on Enterprise. Claude Team Standard is also $20-25 a seat with SSO (SCIM and audit logs are Enterprise features there too), and Premium seats ($100-125) give 5x Standard usage; Claude Enterprise is $20 a seat annually plus usage at API rates, with a 20-seat minimum. Check what each seat's usage allowance is before you compare the prices.
Which to pick
| Situation | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Your team already pays for ChatGPT Business | Codex | Included, with SSO |
| Your team already pays for Claude Team | Claude Code | Included, same reasoning |
| Long multi-file refactors and migrations | Either; try both on one task | Both run subagents and tests; model preference decides |
| Agents in GitLab CI or on a schedule | Claude Code | Documented GitLab CI and scheduled cloud tasks; both run in GitHub Actions |
| Automatic AI review on every PR | Codex, or Claude Code's GitHub review | Codex includes it on Plus |
| You want to budget a month in advance | Codex | Published per-model ranges and credit prices |
| Building your own agent product | Claude Code (Agent SDK) or OpenAI Agents SDK | See agent frameworks compared |
If you aren't sure you need a coding agent at all, because there's no codebase yet, start with the AI app builders comparison or the decision tool.
Questions people ask
Is Claude Code or Codex cheaper?
They start at the same price. Claude Code comes with Claude Pro at $20 a month ($17 annually) and Codex with ChatGPT Plus at $20. The heavy-use tiers are Claude Max at $100 and Ultra at $200, against ChatGPT Pro at $100, $200 or $500. For teams, the standard seats cost the same (ChatGPT Business and Claude Team Standard are both $20 a user annually or $25 monthly, and both include SSO); Claude also sells Premium seats at $100-125 with 5x Standard usage. Compare the usage each seat includes, not just the price. Checked November 1, 2026.
Can I use both?
Yes, and many developers do. Both read an AGENTS.md file (Claude Code can use one in place of CLAUDE.md), both support MCP servers and skills, and both run in VS Code and the terminal, so one repository can be set up for both and you can pick per task.
Which has better usage limits?
Neither publishes token counts. OpenAI publishes ranges of messages per five hours for each model on ChatGPT Plus and currently no five-hour limit on Pro; Anthropic publishes its plans as multiples of Pro, with Ultra removing the five-hour window for verified accounts. Codex's figures are easier to plan around; Claude Code's are simpler to read.