Codex vs Claude Code: Pricing and Usage Limits Compared (Nov 2026)
Updated 2026-11-03
Short answer: Both start at $20/month. Codex shares usage with ChatGPT; Pro tiers ($100/$200/$500) currently have no 5-hour limit. Claude Code shares 5-hour and weekly limits with Claude chat. If you already pay for ChatGPT, start with Codex; for long multi-file agent runs many developers prefer Claude Code.
Comparison table
| Codex (ChatGPT) | Claude Code (Claude) | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | Plus $20/mo | Pro $20/mo ($17 annual) |
| Higher plans | Pro $100 / $200 / $500 | Max $100 / Ultra $200 |
| 5-hour limit | Plus yes; Pro none currently | Yes, shared with chat |
| Overage | ChatGPT credits or API key | Upgrade or API |
| Plus 5h local messages (est.) | GPT-6.1 Sol 15–160; GPT-6 Luna 350–3,000 | Not published as counts |
Prices exclude tax, checked 2026-11-03.
FAQ
Is Codex billed separately?
No, it is included in ChatGPT plans; extra usage can be bought with credits.
What changes in December?
OpenAI says Plus, Pro and Business usage will be token-based and shared between ChatGPT and Codex.
Which is cheaper in practice?
Depends on workload; our measurements are TBD.
Related
- Claude Code vs DeepSeek for Developers in China (Nov 2026)
- Free LLM API Tiers Compared: Groq, Cloudflare Workers AI, OpenRouter, Gemini (Nov 2026)
- AI 编程与大模型工具对比总表（2026-11 核对）
Sources
- ChatGPT Learn：Codex 定价与用量 (checked 2026-11-03)
- OpenAI Help：ChatGPT Pro tiers (checked 2026-11-03)
- OpenAI Help：ChatGPT 与 Codex 用量 (checked 2026-11-03)
- Claude 官方定价页 (checked 2026-11-03)