Claude Code vs Codex vs Cursor: pricing compared
The three most-compared AI coding tools all start at $20 a month, but they bundle different models and scale up differently. Here is every plan side by side, from official pricing pages.
US prices verified October 3, 2026.
Plans by tier
| Tier | Claude Code | OpenAI Codex | Cursor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | — | ChatGPT Free Free | Hobby Free |
| Budget | — | ChatGPT Go $8/mo | — |
| Standard | Claude Pro $20/mo ($17/mo billed yearly) | ChatGPT Plus $20/mo | Pro $20/mo |
| Power user | Claude Max 5x $100/mo | ChatGPT Pro From $100/mo | Pro+ $60/mo |
| Top tier | Claude Max 20x $200/mo | — | Ultra $200/mo |
| Teams | Claude Team (premium seat) $125/mo per user ($100/mo billed yearly) | ChatGPT Business $25/mo per user ($20/mo billed yearly) | — |
Claude Code
Anthropic’s agentic coding tool, included with paid Claude plans.
Models: Claude Opus 5.5, Claude Sonnet 5.5
- Claude Pro: Claude Code included with the Pro subscription
- Claude Max 5x: 5x Pro’s usage per five-hour session
- Claude Max 20x: 20x Pro’s usage per five-hour session
- Claude Team (premium seat): Premium seats include Claude Code and Claude Cowork
- Also available pay-as-you-go through the Claude API at standard token prices.
OpenAI Codex
OpenAI’s coding agent, included with ChatGPT plans.
Models: GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-6 Sol, GPT-6 Luna
- ChatGPT Go: Codex for lightweight coding tasks
- ChatGPT Plus: Codex on the web, CLI, IDE extension and iOS
- ChatGPT Pro: Plans at $100, $200 or $500 a month
- ChatGPT Business: Codex across desktop and mobile apps
- Also usable with an OpenAI API key, billed at API token prices.
Cursor
AI code editor with agents, cloud agents and access to frontier models.
- Pro: Extended limits on Agent
- Pro+: 3x Pro limits on Agent
- Ultra: 20x Pro limits on Agent
- Save 20% with yearly billing.
- Every plan includes a set amount of model usage; extra usage is billed on demand.
Which should you pick?
- Already pay for Claude or ChatGPT? Claude Code comes with Claude Pro and Max, and Codex with ChatGPT Plus and Pro — the coding tool costs nothing extra.
- Want one editor with every provider’s models? Cursor bundles frontier models from several labs in a VS Code–based editor.
- Hitting limits every day? Compare the $100–$200 tiers above, or pay per token with the subscription vs API calculator to see which is cheaper.
Head to head: Claude Code vs Cursor, Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex, OpenAI Codex vs Cursor. All tools: AI coding tools pricing.
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheapest: Claude Code, Codex or Cursor?
- All three start at $20 a month for their main individual plan: Claude Code through Claude Pro, OpenAI Codex through ChatGPT Plus, Cursor through Pro. Codex and Cursor also have free tiers; Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan or API credits.
- What do the power-user plans cost?
- Claude Code: Claude Max 5x, $100 a month; OpenAI Codex: ChatGPT Pro, from $100 a month; Cursor: Pro+, $60 a month. Each multiplies the usage of the $20 plan. At the top end, Claude Code offers Claude Max 20x at $200 and Cursor offers Ultra at $200.
- Which models does each tool use?
- Claude Code runs Anthropic’s models (Claude Opus 5.5, Claude Sonnet 5.5), OpenAI Codex runs OpenAI’s (GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-6 Sol, GPT-6 Luna), and Cursor offers frontier models from several providers.
- Can I pay per token instead?
- Yes. Claude Code and Codex can run on API keys billed at standard token prices, which is cheaper for light use and has no session limits. The subscription vs API calculator shows where the break-even is.