OpenAI Codex Pricing in 2026: Which ChatGPT Plan You Need, Credits and API Costs
OpenAI Codex pricing in November 2026: included in ChatGPT Free, Go at $8, Plus at $20, Pro from $100 and Business from $20 a seat, plus credits and API.
Codex Pricing: The Short Answer
OpenAI Codex comes with ChatGPT, so you pay for a ChatGPT plan rather than for Codex itself. It is included, with different usage, in Free ($0), Go ($8 a month), Plus ($20), Pro (from $100) and Business ($20 to $25 a seat). You can also run Codex with an API key and pay API rates. Plus is the sensible start for a few coding sessions a week; Pro removes the five-hour limit.
Quick answer: How much does Codex cost? $0 for quick tasks on ChatGPT Free, $8 a month on Go, $20 on Plus, $100, $200 or $500 on Pro, and $20 a user a month (billed yearly) on Business, according to OpenAI's Codex pricing page in November 2026.
Codex Pricing by ChatGPT Plan
| Plan | Price | What OpenAI says Codex is for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Exploring Codex on quick coding tasks |
| Go | $8 a month | Lightweight coding tasks |
| Plus | $20 a month | A few focused coding sessions each week |
| Pro | $100, $200 or $500 a month | Heavy use; no five-hour limit; Ultrafast mode on Pro $500 |
| Business | $20 a user a month yearly, $25 monthly, 2+ users | Teams, with credit-based billing for extra usage |
| Enterprise and Edu | Contact sales | Priority processing, data retention and residency controls |
How Much Codex Usage Do You Get?
OpenAI publishes estimated local messages per five-hour window for Plus and Standard Business seats. These are ranges, not fixed limits, because each task uses a different amount of compute.
| Model | Plus and Standard Business, messages per 5 hours |
|---|---|
| GPT-6 Astra | 5 to 45 |
| GPT-6.1 Sol | 15 to 160 |
| GPT-6.1 Terra | 35 to 285 |
| GPT-6 Sol | 15 to 150 |
| GPT-6 Luna | 350 to 3,000 |
Pro plans currently have no five-hour limit, according to the same page. Plus and Pro users who reach their limit can buy credits.
Codex Credits and API Pricing
Credits pay for usage beyond your plan. OpenAI's Codex pricing page lists credits per million tokens:
| Model | Input | Cached input | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-6.1 Sol | 50 credits | 2.5 credits | 250 credits |
| GPT-6 Luna | 2.5 credits | 0.25 credits | 12.5 credits |
| GPT-6 Astra | 250 credits | 25 credits | 1,250 credits |
Fast mode uses twice the standard rate and Ultrafast six times. You can also run Codex in the CLI, SDK or IDE extension with an API key, billed at API rates; cloud features such as GitHub code review and Slack are not included with API key use.
Which Plan Should You Pick for Codex?
| You... | Pick |
|---|---|
| Want to try Codex | Free |
| Fix small scripts now and then | Go |
| Code with Codex a few times a week | Plus |
| Code with Codex daily for hours | Pro $100 |
| Run many parallel agents or need Ultrafast | Pro $200 or $500 |
| Need shared billing for a team | Business |
| Run Codex in CI or your own tools | API key |
Codex vs Claude Code Pricing
| Codex | Claude Code | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes, limited | No |
| Cheapest paid | $8 (Go) | $20 (Claude Pro) |
| $100 tier | ChatGPT Pro | Claude Max |
| $200 tier | ChatGPT Pro | Claude Ultra |
| Top tier | $500 Pro | $200 Ultra |
| Five-hour limit on heavy tiers | None on Pro | None on Ultra for verified accounts |
Claude figures are from Claude's pricing page. See our Claude Code pricing guide for details.
Do You Need Codex to Build an App?
Codex is a coding agent for people working in a codebase, from a terminal, an IDE or ChatGPT. If you want a finished iPhone app rather than a repository to manage, an app builder may suit you better. As a disclosure, Superapp is our product, so weigh this accordingly. Superapp generates native Swift apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac, plus websites and web apps, from a plain-English description and prepares the App Store submission. It does not build Android apps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Codex free? Yes, in a limited way. OpenAI says ChatGPT Free users can explore Codex on quick coding tasks.
How much does Codex cost per month? It comes with ChatGPT: $8 on Go, $20 on Plus, $100, $200 or $500 on Pro, and $20 to $25 a user on Business.
Is Codex included in ChatGPT Plus? Yes. OpenAI describes Plus as enough for a few focused coding sessions each week.
What are the Codex usage limits? On Plus, OpenAI estimates 15 to 160 GPT-6.1 Sol messages per five-hour window, depending on the task. Pro has no five-hour limit.
Can I use Codex with an API key? Yes, in the CLI, SDK and IDE extension, billed at API rates. Cloud features such as GitHub code review and Slack are not included.
What are Codex credits? Credits pay for usage beyond your plan's limits. Plus and Pro users can buy them, and Business uses credit-based billing for extra usage.
Is Codex cheaper than Claude Code? At $20 they match. Codex is also available on Free and the $8 Go plan, while Claude Code starts at Claude Pro.
Which ChatGPT plan is best for Codex? Plus for occasional coding, Pro $100 for daily heavy use, Business for teams.