OpenAI Codex review
★ 4.4/5AI coding agent
OpenAI's agentic coding tool that runs as a terminal CLI, an IDE extension, a cloud agent, and inside ChatGPT, all sharing the same account. It is not sold on its own: access is bundled into ChatGPT subscriptions (Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise) and is also available pay-as-you-go through the OpenAI API with an API key. It runs OpenAI's GPT-5.x and GPT-5.x-Codex models to read, write, run, and refactor code across local and cloud environments.
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Best for ChatGPT subscribers who code. OpenAI Codex starts ~$20/mo (via ChatGPT Plus); also free tier and pay-as-you-go API on a Bundled into ChatGPT subscriptions (per-user/mo) with usage limits, plus pay-as-you-go API token pricing for heavier or programmatic use. No standalone Codex subscription. model. If you already pay $20/mo for ChatGPT Plus, Codex adds $0; heavier or programmatic use via the API runs about $1.75 per 1M input tokens and $14.00 per 1M output tokens on GPT-5.3-Codex.
Spec
The gotcha
There is no flat "Codex plan" and the included usage is metered. Since April 2026 ChatGPT-plan Codex usage is governed by token-based credits and 5-hour rate-limit windows (e.g. roughly 15-80 GPT-5.5 local messages per window on Plus), so power users hit caps and must upgrade tiers or pay API token rates on top.
Decode the real cost →Best for
- You want an agentic coding tool that comes free with a ChatGPT plan you may already pay for, working in the terminal, your IDE, and the cloud.
source: openai.com/pricing →
OpenAI Codex pricing tiers
Prices move. Cells flagged verify link to the live vendor page.
| tier | monthly | annual | included | unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | n/a | Codex on web, CLI, IDE and iOS with limited usage for basic exploration | per user/mo |
| Go | $8verify | n/a | Lightweight coding tasks with higher limits than Free | per user/mo |
| Plus | $20 | n/a | Latest models (GPT-5.5 / GPT-5.4 / GPT-5.3-Codex) across web, CLI, IDE extension and iOS; ~15-80 GPT-5.5 local messages per 5-hour window | per user/mo |
| Pro | $100verify | n/a | 5x or 20x higher rate limits than Plus plus access to GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark (a $200/mo Pro tier with 20x limits also exists) | per user/mo |
| Business | $25verify | $20 | Codex plus admin controls, token-based credit usage, priority access; minimum 2 seats | per user/mo |
| Enterprise | Custom (contact sales)verify | n/a | Priority processing, enterprise security, SCIM, audit logs, data residency, token-based credits | custom |
| API (pay-as-you-go) | Usage-basedverify | n/a | GPT-5.3-Codex $1.75 / $14.00 per 1M input/output tokens; GPT-5.4 $2.50 / $15.00; GPT-5.4-mini $0.75 / $4.50 | per 1M tokens |
// pools and per-unit rates are volatile · cells flagged verify link to the live vendor page
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Questions
How much does OpenAI Codex cost?
OpenAI Codex starts from ~$20/mo (via ChatGPT Plus); also free tier and pay-as-you-go API. If you already pay $20/mo for ChatGPT Plus, Codex adds $0; heavier or programmatic use via the API runs about $1.75 per 1M input tokens and $14.00 per 1M output tokens on GPT-5.3-Codex.
Can you self-host OpenAI Codex?
No, OpenAI Codex is cloud-only.
Does OpenAI Codex support MCP?
OpenAI Codex supports MCP as both client and server, so it works with assistants like Claude and ChatGPT.
What's the catch with OpenAI Codex's pricing?
There is no flat "Codex plan" and the included usage is metered. Since April 2026 ChatGPT-plan Codex usage is governed by token-based credits and 5-hour rate-limit windows (e.g. roughly 15-80 GPT-5.5 local messages per window on Plus), so power users hit caps and must upgrade tiers or pay API token rates on top.