AI Tools
OpenAI Codex Pricing and Plans (2026)
OpenAI Codex is included with ChatGPT plans: Free at $0, Go at $8 a month, Plus at $20 a month and Pro from $100 a month. Business is $20 per user a month on annual billing. Codex can also run on an API key at usage-based prices, but without the cloud features. You do not strictly need a ChatGPT subscription, though most people start with one.
Prices and features checked on 7 November 2026.
This guide is for owners and marketers of local businesses who want to know what Codex is, what each plan gives and whether it is worth paying for. All numbers come from OpenAI's own pages, listed in Sources.
Codex plan prices
$0→
Free plan per month
OpenAI pricing page
$8→
Go plan per month
OpenAI pricing page
$20→
Plus plan per month
OpenAI pricing page
$100→
Pro plan, starting price per month
Pro also at $200 and $500
Source: OpenAI Codex and ChatGPT pricing page, opened 7 November 2026
How Much Does Codex Cost?
OpenAI's pricing page lists these plans:
| Plan | Price | What the page says about Codex |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 a month | Quick coding tasks. Includes GPT-6 Luna at Standard speed in the desktop app, "subject to rollout" |
| Go | $8 a month | Lightweight coding tasks, same GPT-6 Luna access as Free |
| Plus | $20 a month | Codex on the web, CLI, IDE extension and iOS, with GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-6 Luna, plus automatic code review and Slack |
| Pro | From $100 a month | Plans at $100, $200 or $500 a month. Ultrafast mode is available on the $500 plan |
| Business | $20 per user a month billed annually (2+ users), $25 monthly | Team plan |
| Enterprise and Edu | Contact sales | Priority processing, security controls, Compliance API logs |
| API key | Usage-based | Codex in the CLI, SDK or IDE extension. No cloud features. Billed at API pricing |
Model names change often. The page itself notes that GPT-5.5 retires from Codex with ChatGPT sign-in on 14 October 2026, so check the current list when you sign up.
What Are the Usage Limits?
For Plus and standard Business, OpenAI publishes estimated local messages per five-hour period. The figures depend on the model.
| Model | Estimated 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 |
350-3,000
Estimated messages every five hours on the Plus plan with the lightest model, GPT-6 Luna, compared with 5 to 45 on the heaviest
OpenAI calls these estimates and says to check the usage dashboard. Cloud tasks may use more allowance than local messages.
OpenAI Codex pricing page, opened 7 November 2026
Other limits stated on the page: Pro plans currently have no five-hour limit, though weekly limits may apply. Fast mode uses 2.5x included usage. Image generation uses limits about 3 to 5 times faster on average and is not available on Free.
What Are Credits?
When the included limit runs out, Plus and Pro users can buy extra credits. Business, Edu and Enterprise use flexible pricing. Rates are listed per million tokens, as input, cached input and output credits. For example, GPT-6 Luna is 2.5, 0.25 and 12.5 credits, and GPT-6.1 Sol is 50, 2.5 and 250.
The page adds that a typical Sol task "may use 2-15 credits", and that fast mode uses 2x the standard credit rate on purchased credits. It does not state a dollar value per credit in the text opened, so a dollar cost per task is not confirmed here.
What Is Codex and How Does It Work?
OpenAI's documentation lists Codex surfaces: the ChatGPT desktop app, the ChatGPT mobile app, ChatGPT on the web, the Codex CLI, the Codex IDE extension and Codex Cloud. You describe a task, and Codex reads the project files, edits them and runs commands.
Sign-in is with a ChatGPT account, or with an API key for the CLI, SDK and IDE extension. The pricing page says API-key use has no cloud features and is billed at standard API rates. API prices are separate from subscription usage, so they cannot be used to estimate how many tasks a plan includes.
Does Codex Need ChatGPT?
Not strictly. The pricing page lists "API Key" as a way to use Codex in the CLI, SDK or IDE extension, available on individual and Enterprise/Edu plans. The trade-off is stated: no cloud features, and billing by usage. For a non-technical owner, a ChatGPT plan is the simpler path because there is one monthly price.
What Can a Small Business Use It For?
These are possibilities, not results. A coding agent works on files, so the tasks involve files:
- Updating copy, opening hours and prices on a landing page.
- Writing a short script that sums a month of exported sales into a table.
- Tidying a spreadsheet of client records: duplicates, phone formats, blank cells.
- Checking a site for missing page titles or broken links.
- Preparing small automations that other tools then run, as in the AI automation guide for local businesses.
A person still has to review the output. If the aim is a calendar or booking connection, this MCP walkthrough shows the idea with another tool.
What Would It Cost? A Worked Example
This is an assumption using only published prices. Assume a café owner wants help for three months to edit a menu page and clean a mailing list.
| Option | Assumption | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Try first, light tasks | $0 |
| Go plan | 3 months at $8 | $24 |
| Plus plan | 3 months at $20 | $60 |
| Plus then Pro $100 for one month | If limits are hit | $60 plus $100 = $160 |
Whether the Free or Go plan is enough depends on usage, and the page gives no message numbers for those plans. Starting at Free is the zero-cost way to find out. For a sense of overall spending, compare with what a coffee shop can afford to spend on ads.
What Are the Risks and Limits?
- Sandbox and approvals. OpenAI's security page says Codex runs under an OS-enforced sandbox, typically limited to the current workspace, and an approval policy controls when it stops to ask. Network access is off by default.
- Bypass mode. The
--yoloflag runs with no sandbox and no approvals. The page marks it as elevated risk and not recommended. - Prompt injection. The page advises caution with network access and web search, because prompt injection can make the agent follow untrusted instructions.
- Review. The page advises working on a feature branch and reviewing diffs "like any other pull request".
- Transcripts. Codex saves session transcripts under
CODEX_HOME. - Estimates. Usage figures are estimates and can change.
This guide did not open OpenAI's data-training terms for each plan, so the data-sharing rules per plan are not stated here. Read them before uploading customer data.
How Do the Six AI Coding Agents Compare?
Only facts confirmed on each vendor's own page on 7 November 2026 are shown. "Not confirmed" means the page did not open or did not state it.
| Tool | Free option | Lowest paid price confirmed | Where it runs | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | Not included on Free plan | Pro $20 a month ($17 on annual billing) | Terminal, VS Code, JetBrains, desktop app, web | Claude Code guide |
| OpenAI Codex | Free plan with quick coding tasks | Go $8 a month, Plus $20 a month | Desktop app, web, CLI, IDE extension, Codex Cloud | Codex guide |
| Meta Muse Code | None listed on the pages opened | Everyday Usage $5 a month | Terminal and CI, macOS, Windows (Linux per docs) | Muse Code guide |
| Grok Build | Not confirmed | Not confirmed (x.ai pricing page returned an error) | Terminal; web, iOS and Android per xAI post | Grok Build guide |
| Google Antigravity | Individuals plan at $0 | Google AI Pro, $19.99 a month per Google's plan page calculator | Desktop on macOS, Windows, Linux, Googlebook | Antigravity guide |
| Cursor | Free, limited usage | Plus $8 a month | See the Cursor guide | Cursor guide |
Codex Go at $8 a month matches Cursor Plus at $8, and Muse Code lists a $5 entry plan. For the others, see the guides for Claude Code, Muse Code, Grok Build, Antigravity and Cursor.
FAQ
Is OpenAI Codex free?
There is a Free plan at $0 a month for quick coding tasks. OpenAI's page says it includes GPT-6 Luna at Standard speed in the desktop app, subject to rollout. Limits for Free are not stated numerically.
Does Codex need ChatGPT?
Not always. Codex can be used with an API key in the CLI, SDK or IDE extension, billed at API rates and without cloud features. Most plans, from Free to Pro, are ChatGPT plans.
How much is Codex per month?
Go is $8, Plus is $20, and Pro starts at $100 (with $200 and $500 options). Business is $20 per user a month on annual billing, or $25 billed monthly.
What are Codex usage limits?
On Plus and standard Business, OpenAI estimates 5 to 45 messages per five hours for GPT-6 Astra up to 350 to 3,000 for GPT-6 Luna. Pro plans currently have no five-hour limit, though weekly limits may apply.
Is Codex worth it for a small business?
That depends on the tasks. The Free plan costs nothing to test. A paid plan makes sense only if the owner has recurring file-based jobs, such as page edits or spreadsheet scripts, and someone to review the output.
Sources
Opened on 7 November 2026:
- Codex and ChatGPT pricing, learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing (redirected from developers.openai.com/codex/pricing)
- Codex overview, learn.chatgpt.com/docs
- Agent approvals and security, learn.chatgpt.com
- Cursor pricing, cursor.com/pricing (comparison row)
Third-party pricing summaries and forum threads were used only as leads and are not cited. Vendor pages for the other tools in the table are listed in their own guides. The cost example is an assumption.
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Nataliia Rumiantsewa
Local marketing strategist with 10+ years at global agencies — OMD, Dentsu, GroupM, and BBDO. Now helping small businesses get the same data-driven edge. Based in Europe, working with clients in the US, UK, Australia, and beyond.
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