Ease of use
8.8
Onboarding, navigation, and day-to-day workflow friction.
AI Coding Assistants
Codex
OpenAI's coding agent with GPT-5.6 model choice, selectable reasoning, and parallel Ultra workflows.
Codex: OpenAI's coding agent with GPT-5.6 model choice, selectable reasoning, and parallel Ultra workflows. Pricing: From $8/mo + usage. Best for Repository-scale implementation, refactoring, debugging, testing, and review with tool use and Developers moving between the ChatGPT desktop app, web, terminal, IDE, and mobile Remote.
Tool score: 8.6 / 10
ChatGPT plan accessFrom $8/moChatGPT Business standard seatFrom $20/seat/moBusiness Codex seatTeam pricing
Free plan available
Tool scorecard
How the tool scores
A standardized tool profile score across usability, pricing value, feature depth, and support quality.
Tool score
8.6
/ 10Value for money
8.0
How much practical capability the product delivers for the price.
Features
9.4
Breadth, polish, and depth across the core product surface.
Support
8.2
Docs, help channels, and how easily issues get resolved.
Overview
Bottom line
Codex is OpenAI's coding agent for planning, editing, running, and reviewing software work across the ChatGPT desktop app, web, terminal, IDE, and cloud-connected workflows. Its current model family is GPT-5.6: Sol for the hardest, most polished work, Terra for everyday tasks, and Luna for faster repeatable jobs. Developers can select reasoning effort, with Max extending one model's thinking and Ultra delegating parallel parts to subagents. It works best for developers and teams that want an agent to complete repository-scale implementations, refactors, debugging, tests, and reviews rather than only suggest the next line of code.
The main caveat is operational and financial complexity. Codex is joining the ChatGPT desktop app, while model choice, included usage, credits, and workspace controls vary by ChatGPT plan. ChatGPT Work shares Codex technology and the same agentic usage pool, but it is a broader work agent, not a replacement name for the coding product. Start with the included ChatGPT route and default reasoning setting, monitor the Usage dashboard, and move to higher effort or Ultra only when the task warrants it. API-key automation is a separate usage-based OpenAI API purchase path.
Pricing
How Codex pricing works
Access routes
Pricing may differ across app subscriptions, API usage, team workspaces, and enterprise contracts. See the pricing guide for current plan and meter details.
App subscriptionPrimary
ChatGPT plan access
From $8/mo
Codex is included across ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, and Pro. Free and Go provide limited GPT-5.6 Terra access, while higher tiers expand model choice and usage; eligible Plus and Pro users can buy credits after included limits.
Team workspace
ChatGPT Business standard seat
From $20/seat/mo
Standard Business seats include ChatGPT and Codex with baseline usage plus optional shared workspace credits. Standard seats require at least two users and use fixed per-user billing.
Team workspace
Business Codex seat
Team pricing
Usage-based Codex-only access for a Business workspace, with no fixed seat fee or minimum. It requires workspace credits and does not include ChatGPT access.
Enterprise sales
Enterprise and Edu access
Custom
Organization access is contract-based, with workspace controls and shared credits governed by the applicable Enterprise or Edu agreement.
Direct API
OpenAI API
Usage-based API
API-key use is billed separately by model and token type. ChatGPT subscriptions and Codex credits do not include OpenAI API usage, and the Responses API multi-agent beta is a separate developer surface.
Capabilities
Input types
text, image, code, file, url
Output types
text, image, code, file
Supported platforms
Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux
Delivery modes
Web app, Mobile app, Desktop app, Chat app, CLI, IDE extension, SDK
Company context
Company
OpenAI
Founded
2015
Headquarters
San Francisco, California, USA
Category
AI Coding Assistants
Evidence boundary
Official sources
Only explicitly official evidence is listed here.
FAQ
Common questions
Which GPT-5.6 models are available in Codex?
Free and Go users receive limited GPT-5.6 Terra access. Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise users can choose Sol, Terra, or Luna, subject to plan and workspace controls.
Are Max and Ultra the same Codex setting?
No. Max gives the selected model more time to reason about one task. Ultra uses subagents to work on separate parts in parallel and is available in Codex on Plus and higher plans.
Is Codex the same as ChatGPT Work?
No. ChatGPT Work is a broader agent for research, apps, files, and finished business materials. It uses Codex technology and shares the agentic usage pool, while Codex remains the developer-focused coding experience.
What happened to the standalone Codex desktop app?
Codex joined the ChatGPT desktop app on macOS and Windows. Existing users can update normally and keep their projects, settings, and workflows, with Codex remaining a dedicated view.
Does Codex have a published 400K context window?
Current Codex product documentation does not publish a Codex-specific 400K context limit. OpenAI API model context specifications should not be treated as Codex app limits.
How is Codex billed?
Codex starts with access and included usage through eligible ChatGPT plans. Extra usage may draw from credits where eligible, while API-key use is billed separately under OpenAI API pricing.
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Visit Official Site
Last verified July 9, 2026
- Pricing
- From $8/mo + usage
- Platforms
- Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux
- Access
- Web app, Mobile app, Desktop app, Chat app, CLI, IDE extension, SDK
- Best for
- Repository-scale implementation, refactoring, debugging, testing, and review with tool use and Developers moving between the ChatGPT desktop app, web, terminal, IDE, and mobile Remote and Teams coordinating parallel worktrees, Ultra subagents, automations, and approval-aware workflows and OpenAI-centered teams that can keep ChatGPT access, Codex credits, and API spend separate
- Category
- AI Coding Assistants
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Navigation
Tool cluster
Related pages
Open related pages for pricing, reviews, and adjacent coverage.
Review: Codex Review: Is GPT-5.6 Worth It for Developers?Codex pairs GPT-5.6 model choice with selectable reasoning and Ultra subagents, but its value depends on managing plan limits, credits, surfaces, and separate API billing.Pricing: Codex Pricing 2026: GPT-5.6 Plans, Credits, and API CostsCodex is included with ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Edu, and Enterprise. ChatGPT Work shares Codex usage, while API-key workflows use separate token billing.Alternatives: Best Codex Alternatives in 2026Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and Windsurf are the clearest Codex alternatives if you want a more editor-first workflow, cheaper seat pricing, or a different balance between agent power and IDE convenience.
Head-to-head
Open direct comparison pages involving this tool.
VSCodex vs Claude CodeThis comparison is a real tie: Claude Code is stronger for local-first coding workflows and deployment flexibility, while Codex is stronger for cloud orchestration and supervisory multi-agent work.VSCodex vs CursorCursor is the better default for most developers because it combines an AI-native editor, broader model choice, and stronger day-to-day workflow tooling. Codex is stronger for multi-agent delegation, cross-tool reach, and direct OpenAI API usage.VSCodex vs GitHub CopilotCodex should be the default when the team is buying for deeper agentic coding work: repository understanding, task execution, command-running, tests, code review preparation, and reviewable diffs. GitHub Copilot should lead when the team values GitHub-native IDE assistance, pull request workflow, seat administration, and organization policy more than standalone agent depth.VSCodex vs Devin Desktop (Windsurf)Codex is the preferred default when the buyer wants an autonomous coding agent that can handle repo-level tasks, run commands, produce diffs, support cloud delegation, and plug into review workflows. Windsurf is the better switch when the real purchase is an AI-native IDE with autocomplete, Cascade, previews, local context awareness, model routing, and a tighter in-editor flow.
Same category
Nearby tools in the same lane.
ToolCursorAI code editor with agents, context-aware completion, Bugbot, and cloud workflows.ToolClaude CodeAnthropic's agentic coding assistant for terminal, IDE, browser, and automation workflows.ToolGitHub CopilotGitHub-native AI coding assistant for chat, code review, and agent workflows.ToolDevin Desktop (Windsurf)Windsurf is now Devin Desktop: an agentic IDE for local and cloud coding workflows.
Reference links