Claude Code vs Codex cost: per task, per month and per token (2026)
Updated 2026-10-25. Plan prices checked on claude.com/pricing and developers.openai.com/codex/pricing on Oct 24, 2026.
Subscription prices
| Tier | Claude (Claude Code) | ChatGPT (Codex) |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, no Claude Code | $0, GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app |
| Entry | - | Go $8/month (GPT-6 Luna) |
| Standard | Pro $20/month ($17 annual) | Plus $20/month (GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-6 Luna) |
| Power user | Max from $100/month (5x or 20x Pro usage) | Pro $100, $200 or $500/month |
Sources: claude.com/pricing, developers.openai.com/codex/pricing. Both use usage limits rather than fixed task counts. OpenAI says API token prices shouldn't be used to estimate how many tasks a subscription includes.
Per token and per task on the API
With an API key, Claude Code bills at Anthropic API rates and Codex at OpenAI API rates. USD per 1M tokens:
| Model | Tool | Input | Cached | Output | Per task | Light/month | Medium/month | Heavy/month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Sonnet 5.5 | Claude Code | $2 | $0.1 | $10 | $0.11 | $11.99 | $47.96 | $143.88 |
| Claude Opus 5.5 | Claude Code | $4 | $0.2 | $20 | $0.22 | $23.98 | $95.92 | $287.76 |
| GPT-6.1 Sol | Codex | $2 | $0.1 | $10 | $0.11 | $11.99 | $47.96 | $143.88 |
| GPT-6 Astra | Codex | $10 | $1 | $50 | $0.59 | $64.90 | $259.60 | $778.80 |
| GPT-6 Luna | Codex | $0.1 | $0.01 | $0.5 | $0.01 | $0.65 | $2.60 | $7.79 |
Same assumed task for every model. Real models use different token counts for the same job, so treat this as a price comparison, not a benchmark.
Usage assumptions
These are our assumptions, not measurements. Change them in the calculator to match your own usage.
- One task = one coding request with 100,000 input tokens (file context, tool results and history summed over all the agent's calls) and 8,000 output tokens.
- 90% of input tokens are cache hits, billed at the cached-input price. Cache-write fees are left out, so real API costs can be a little higher.
- Light = 5 tasks a day, medium = 20, heavy = 60, over 22 working days a month.
- API prices are standard tier, short context, from models.json (last updated 2026-10-25).
Run your own numbers
Open the TokenTab calculator Claude Code cost per month
Measured task costs: coding agent cost per task.
Interactive: Subscription vs API calculator for your own usage, model and tool overhead.