Is Codex or Claude Code free?

Codex has a limited free tier inside ChatGPT Free (per OpenAI's Codex pricing page, 2026-10-16). Claude Code is not in Claude's free plan; it starts with Claude Pro.

Which is rated higher, Codex or Claude Code?

They are tied at 8.5/10 in our initial editorial ratings. These are not benchmark results; testing is in progress.

How much does Codex cost?

Included in ChatGPT plans per OpenAI's Codex pricing page (checked 2026-10-16): Free $0, Go $8/month, Plus $20/month, Pro from $100/month (tiers at $100, $200, $500); Business $25/user/month billed monthly; or pay API rates with an API key.

How much does Claude Code cost?

Included with Claude Pro: $17/month with annual billing ($200 up front) or $20 billed monthly; Max from $100/month with 5x or 20x Pro usage. Usage limits apply.

When was pricing checked?

On 2026-10-15, on each tool's official pricing page. Prices change often, so confirm on the vendor's site before you buy.

TaskRank / Compare / Coding assistants

Comparison · Coding assistants

Codex vs Claude Code

Initial editorial ratings, testing in progress. Scores are editorial judgments, not benchmark results, and will be replaced by hands-on test scores. Sponsors never affect scores.

Codex and Claude Code both appear in our coding assistants ranking. This page puts them side by side: our current ratings, what each costs and includes according to its own pricing page (checked 2026-10-15), and which one to pick for which job. Where we could not verify something on the official site, we say so instead of guessing.

At a glance

	Codex	Claude Code
Our rating	8.5/10	8.5/10
Why it ranks	Coding agent bundled with ChatGPT plans	Strong terminal agent
Pricing	Included in ChatGPT plans per OpenAI's Codex pricing page (checked 2026-10-16): Free $0, Go $8/month, Plus $20/month, Pro from $100/month (tiers at $100, $200, $500); Business $25/user/month billed monthly; or pay API rates with an API key.	Included with Claude Pro: $17/month with annual billing ($200 up front) or $20 billed monthly; Max from $100/month with 5x or 20x Pro usage. Usage limits apply.
Free tier	Free plan includes Codex for quick tasks: GPT-6 Luna at Standard speed in the desktop app, subject to rollout. Limits vary by task.	Not included in the free Claude plan according to the pricing page, which lists Claude Code under Pro.
Best for	People who already pay for ChatGPT and want a coding agent in the terminal, IDE and cloud without another subscription.	Developers who live in the terminal and already pay for Claude.
Source	Checked 2026-10-16 on the official site	Checked 2026-10-16 on the official site

Scores by criterion

Our methodology weights five criteria. Per-criterion scores come from hands-on testing, which hasn't been done yet for this category, so we show the weights and leave the scores blank instead of making numbers up. The overall ratings above are editorial.

Criterion	Weight	Codex	Claude Code
Output quality	40%	Not yet tested	Not yet tested
Speed & reliability	20%	Not yet tested	Not yet tested
Ease of use	15%	Not yet tested	Not yet tested
Value	15%	Not yet tested	Not yet tested
Privacy & trust	10%	Not yet tested	Not yet tested

Key differences

Both are terminal-first coding agents that come bundled with a chat subscription rather than sold alone. The money difference is the entry point: Codex has a free tier (limited, desktop app, GPT-6 Luna) and an $8 Go plan, while Claude Code starts at Claude Pro ($20 monthly or $17/month billed annually) and is not in Claude's free plan. At the top end both have $100+ tiers: Claude Max from $100 with 5x or 20x Pro usage, ChatGPT Pro at $100, $200 or $500. Codex's Plus plan adds cloud features like automatic GitHub PR review and Slack/Linear hand-off; Claude Code shares one usage pool with your Claude chats.

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Codex in brief

Codex is OpenAI's coding agent, and like Claude Code it doesn't have its own price tag: it comes with ChatGPT plans, including a limited free tier. Plus at $20 unlocks the CLI, IDE extension and cloud code review. We rate it 8.5/10 editorially: same tier as Claude Code, and the free entry point is a real advantage.

Codex on web, CLI, IDE extension and iOS (Plus and up)
Cloud features: automatic GitHub code review, Slack and Linear integrations (not with API key)
Usage shared with ChatGPT Work; 5-hour windows plus weekly limits
Extra usage via ChatGPT credits
API-key mode for CI and automation

Claude Code in brief

Claude Code is Anthropic's terminal agent. There's no separate price: it's part of a Claude Pro or Max subscription, so if you already use Claude for writing, you get it in the same plan. We rate it 8.5/10 as a strong terminal agent.

Terminal-based coding agent
Comes with a Claude subscription rather than a separate product price
Max adds higher usage and output limits and priority access
Max includes $100–$200/month in API credits for the Claude Platform
Enterprise option listed separately

Which should you pick?

Verdict: Pick Codex if you want to try a coding agent for free or already pay for ChatGPT Plus; pick Claude Code if you already pay for Claude and prefer its terminal workflow. Editorially we rate them level at 8.5; we have not run them through our coding task set yet.

How that maps to our criteria:

Output quality (40%): until testing is done, our editorial ratings are the best guide: Codex 8.5/10, Claude Code 8.5/10. They are tied, so decide on the other criteria.
Value (15%): compare the free tiers in the table. Codex: Free plan includes Codex for quick tasks: GPT-6 Luna at Standard speed in the desktop app, subject to rollout. Limits vary by task. Claude Code: Not included in the free Claude plan according to the pricing page, which lists Claude Code under Pro.
Ease of use (15%): Codex is best for people who already pay for ChatGPT and want a coding agent in the terminal, IDE and cloud without another subscription. Claude Code is best for developers who live in the terminal and already pay for Claude.
Speed & reliability (20%) and Privacy & trust (10%): not yet tested. Before you commit, read each vendor's data-retention and training settings on its own site.

Frequently asked questions

Is Codex or Claude Code free?: Codex has a limited free tier inside ChatGPT Free (per OpenAI's Codex pricing page, 2026-10-16). Claude Code is not in Claude's free plan; it starts with Claude Pro.
Which is rated higher, Codex or Claude Code?: They are tied at 8.5/10 in our initial editorial ratings. These are not benchmark results; testing is in progress.
How much does Codex cost?: Included in ChatGPT plans per OpenAI's Codex pricing page (checked 2026-10-16): Free $0, Go $8/month, Plus $20/month, Pro from $100/month (tiers at $100, $200, $500); Business $25/user/month billed monthly; or pay API rates with an API key.
How much does Claude Code cost?: Included with Claude Pro: $17/month with annual billing ($200 up front) or $20 billed monthly; Max from $100/month with 5x or 20x Pro usage. Usage limits apply.
When was pricing checked?: On 2026-10-15, on each tool's official pricing page. Prices change often, so confirm on the vendor's site before you buy.

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