Claude Code starts at $20/mo, Codex at $8/mo. Only Codex has a free plan. Every plan from both vendors, the limits each one actually publishes, and what changed recently, with a source on every line.
Pick Codex if you want the lowest monthly bill and you need to start at $0. Beyond price and free access, the deciding factor is which models and features you need; we track the money, not the model quality.
| Fact | Claude Code | Codex |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No free tier | Free tier |
| Cheapest plan | Via Claude Pro · $20/mo | Go · $8/mo |
| Top plan | Via Claude Max 20x · $200/mo | Pro ($100/$200/$500) · from $100/mo |
| Plans tracked | 4 | 4 |
| Yearly discount | up to 15% | None shown |
| Allowance periods | 5-hourWeekly | 5-hourWeekly |
| Latest change | None logged | None logged |
| Last checked |
| Tool | Plan | Price | Limits as stated & source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | Via Claude Pro | $20/mo | Five-hour session limit and weekly limit, shared with Claude chat (web/desktop/mobile). Usage credits can be enabled to continue past limits. Counts not published. Source: support.claude.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Claude Code | Via Claude Max 5x | $100/mo | 5x Pro per-session allowance; five-hour session + general weekly limit + separate weekly Fable limit, shared with Claude. Source: support.claude.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Claude Code | Via Claude Max 20x | $200/mo | 20x Pro per-session allowance; same limit structure as Max 5x. Source: support.claude.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Claude Code | API (pay-as-you-go) | Usage billed at API token rates | No subscription limit; pay per token. Source: claude.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Codex | Go | $8/mo | GPT-6 Luna at Standard speed in the desktop app (lightweight tasks). Caps not published. Source: developers.openai.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Codex | Plus | $20/mo | Estimated local messages per 5 hours: GPT-6 Astra 5-45; GPT-6.1 Sol 15-160; GPT-6 Sol 15-150; GPT-6 Luna 350-3,000. Weekly limits may also apply. Shared with ChatGPT Work. Source: developers.openai.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Codex | Pro ($100/$200/$500) | $100/mo | 'Pro plans currently have no five-hour limit'; weekly allowances vary by tier (not published). Ultrafast mode on Pro $500 only. Source: developers.openai.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Codex | API key | API token pricing | Pay per token; no cloud features (GitHub code review, Slack). Source: developers.openai.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Tool | Free? | What you get for $0 & source |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | No free tier | Not included in the Free Claude plan (pricing table: Claude Code 'No' on Free). Can alternatively be used pay-as-you-go with API credits via a Console account. Source: claude.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
| Codex | Free tier | Free $0: GPT-6 Luna at Standard speed in the desktop app, 'subject to rollout'. No image generation on Free. Source: developers.openai.com · checked 2026-10-16 |
No price, limit or free-tier change logged for Claude Code or Codex yet. We check both vendors' pages daily.
Codex is cheaper to start: ChatGPT Go (Codex) costs $8/mo, against $20/mo for Claude Code via Claude Pro. At the top end, Claude Code via Claude Max 20x is $200/mo and ChatGPT Pro (Codex) is from $100/mo.
Claude Code: No. Not included in the Free Claude plan (pricing table: Claude Code 'No' on Free). Can alternatively be used pay-as-you-go with API credits via a Console account. Codex: Yes. Free $0: GPT-6 Luna at Standard speed in the desktop app, 'subject to rollout'. No image generation on Free.
Claude Code via Claude Pro ($20/mo): Five-hour session limit and weekly limit, shared with Claude chat (web/desktop/mobile). Usage credits can be enabled to continue past limits. Counts not published. ChatGPT Plus (Codex) ($20/mo): Estimated local messages per 5 hours: GPT-6 Astra 5-45; GPT-6.1 Sol 15-160; GPT-6 Sol 15-150; GPT-6 Luna 350-3,000. Weekly limits may also apply. Shared with ChatGPT Work.
Claude Code: up to 15% off when billed yearly (Claude Pro: $17/mo instead of $20). Codex: no yearly discount on the plans we track.
No change is logged for either since we started tracking. Prices were last checked 2026-10-16.