Claude Code
AnthropicA command-line agent that works inside your repository: it reads files, plans a change, edits, and runs commands while showing the tool…
Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex
A command-line agent that works inside your repository: it reads files, plans a change, edits, and runs commands while showing the tool calls it makes. The design assumption is that a developer is watching the diff, so approval is per…
Entry price
Included with Claude Pro/Max plans; API billing for programmatic use
Included in paid ChatGPT plans; usage limits vary by tier
Free tier
Paid
Paid
Deciding factor
You want to iterate on a change locally, interrupt…
versus: The task is describable in a ticket and can…
Bottom line
Claude Code is a terminal agent you watch; Codex is a cloud agent you hand a ticket.
The short answer
Both take a task in natural language and change code. Claude Code runs in your terminal against your files, which makes it good for exploratory work where you want to see the changes as they happen. Codex runs in an isolated environment and returns a patch or a pull request, which makes it good for well-scoped tickets. The difference is supervision, not capability.
Facts
| Option | Pricing | Free tier |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code |
Included with Claude Pro/Max plans; API billing for programmatic use
Check pricing ↗
|
Paid |
| OpenAI Codex |
Included in paid ChatGPT plans; usage limits vary by tier
Check pricing ↗
|
Paid |
Pick Claude Code if
You want to iterate on a change locally, interrupt it, and keep the edits in your working tree.
Pick OpenAI Codex if
The task is describable in a ticket and can be reviewed as a diff afterwards.
What would change our mind
A pricing change or a free-tier removal flips this comparison faster than any feature release. Both pages are re-checked weekly, and the date above tells you how much to trust the numbers.
Read the full entries
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