Claude Code vs Codex vs Cursor vs MiniMax vs GLM: Complete Comparison (2026)

Claude Code vs Codex vs Cursor vs MiniMax Plan vs GLM Plan: Complete Comparison (2026)

The AI coding tool landscape has expanded dramatically in 2026. Beyond the established Western players like Claude Code and Cursor, new entrants from China -- MiniMax Plan and GLM Plan (from Zhipu AI) -- are offering competitive alternatives at aggressive price points. Meanwhile, OpenAI's Codex has matured into a full agentic coding system.

This comparison covers pricing, features, performance, and ideal use cases for each tool so you can choose the right one for your workflow.

Quick Overview

Tool	Developer	Type	Base Model	Price
Claude Code	Anthropic	CLI agent	Claude 3.5/4 Sonnet	$100-200/mo (Max) or API
Codex	OpenAI	Cloud agent	GPT-4o / o3	$20/mo (Pro) or API
Cursor	Anysphere	IDE (VS Code fork)	Multiple (Claude, GPT, Gemini)	$0-40/mo
MiniMax Plan	MiniMax	Cloud agent	MiniMax-Text-01	Free tier + pay-as-you-go
GLM Plan	Zhipu AI	Cloud agent	GLM-4 / CogAgent	Free tier + pay-as-you-go

Feature Comparison

Editing and Code Generation

Feature	Claude Code	Codex	Cursor	MiniMax Plan	GLM Plan
Inline code editing	Yes (CLI)	Yes (cloud)	Yes (IDE)	Yes (cloud)	Yes (cloud)
Multi-file editing	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Codebase awareness	Full repo	Full repo	Full repo	Repository-level	Repository-level
Auto-completion	No	No	Yes (Cursor Tab)	No	No
Git integration	Full	Full	Full	Basic	Basic
Terminal commands	Yes	Sandboxed	Yes	Sandboxed	Sandboxed
Browser automation	Via MCP	No	Yes (built-in)	No	Yes (CogAgent)
Image understanding	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes (CogVLM)

Development Environment

Feature	Claude Code	Codex	Cursor	MiniMax Plan	GLM Plan
Interface	Terminal CLI	Web + CLI	VS Code IDE	Web dashboard	Web dashboard
Local execution	Yes	Cloud sandbox	Yes	Cloud sandbox	Cloud sandbox
Offline support	No	No	Partial (local models)	No	No
VS Code integration	Via terminal	Via extension	Native (is VS Code)	No	No
JetBrains support	Via terminal	No	No	No	No
Mobile access	SSH	Web	No	Web	Web

Agentic Capabilities

Capability	Claude Code	Codex	Cursor	MiniMax Plan	GLM Plan
Autonomous task execution	Strong	Strong	Strong (Agent mode)	Moderate	Moderate
Self-correction on errors	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Test writing and running	Yes	Yes	Yes	Limited	Limited
Deployment automation	Yes (via CLI)	Sandboxed	Limited	No	No
Multi-step planning	Strong	Strong	Strong	Moderate	Moderate
Tool use (MCP)	Yes (extensive)	Limited	Yes (MCP support)	No	No

Pricing Deep Dive

Claude Code

Plan	Price	What You Get
API (pay-as-you-go)	~$3/15 per 1M tokens (in/out)	Unlimited use, pay per token
Max (standard)	$100/month	Generous usage included
Max (scaled)	$200/month	Very high usage limits

Claude Code on the API plan is the most flexible option. Heavy users typically spend $50-200/month on tokens. The Max plans provide predictable billing with high usage ceilings.

Estimated monthly cost by usage:

Usage Level	API Cost	Max Plan
Light (5-10 tasks/day)	$30-60	$100 (overkill)
Medium (15-30 tasks/day)	$80-150	$100
Heavy (30+ tasks/day)	$150-400	$200

OpenAI Codex

Plan	Price	What You Get
ChatGPT Pro	$200/month	Unlimited Codex access
ChatGPT Plus	$20/month	Limited Codex access
API	Variable	Pay per token (o3/GPT-4o rates)

Codex is included with ChatGPT subscriptions. The Pro plan at $200/month gives unlimited access, while Plus at $20/month has limited usage.

Cursor

Plan	Price	What You Get
Hobby	Free	50 fast requests, 2,000 slow
Pro	$20/month	500 fast requests, unlimited slow
Business	$40/month	500 fast + admin controls

Cursor is the most affordable entry point. The free tier is genuinely useful, and Pro at $20/month covers most individual developers.

MiniMax Plan

Plan	Price	What You Get
Free tier	$0	Limited daily tasks
Standard	~$0.50-1.00 per task	Pay per coding task
Enterprise	Custom	Volume pricing

MiniMax Plan is priced per task rather than per token or per month. For light usage, it can be extremely affordable. Pricing may vary by region.

GLM Plan

Plan	Price	What You Get
Free tier	$0	Limited daily usage
Standard	~$0.30-0.80 per task	Pay per coding task
Enterprise	Custom	Custom deployment

GLM Plan from Zhipu AI is among the cheapest options, though availability and support outside China may be limited.

Cost Comparison Table

Monthly Usage	Claude Code (API)	Codex (Plus)	Cursor Pro	MiniMax Plan	GLM Plan
Light	~$40	$20	$20	~$15	~$10
Medium	~$120	$20	$20	~$40	~$25
Heavy	~$250	$200 (Pro)	$20 + slow queue	~$80	~$50

Performance Benchmarks

While direct apples-to-apples benchmarks are difficult (each tool tests differently), here is how the underlying models perform on coding tasks:

SWE-bench Lite (Resolved %)

Tool / Model	Score	Notes
Claude Code (Sonnet)	~49%	Strong on real-world bug fixes
Codex (o3)	~48%	Strong reasoning for complex bugs
Cursor (best model)	~45%	Depends on selected model
MiniMax-Text-01	~35%	Competitive for the price
GLM-4	~33%	Good for Chinese codebases

HumanEval (Pass@1)

Model	Score
Claude 3.5 Sonnet	92.0%
GPT-4o	90.2%
Gemini 2.5 Pro	89.5%
MiniMax-Text-01	82.1%
GLM-4	79.8%

Practical Coding Quality (Subjective)

Based on community feedback and independent testing:

Aspect	Claude Code	Codex	Cursor	MiniMax Plan	GLM Plan
Code quality	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Good	Good
Following instructions	Excellent	Very good	Very good	Good	Good
Complex refactoring	Excellent	Very good	Very good	Moderate	Moderate
Test generation	Very good	Good	Good	Moderate	Moderate
Documentation	Excellent	Good	Good	Good	Good
Multi-language support	Broad	Broad	Broad	Moderate	Strong (CJK)

Strengths and Weaknesses

Claude Code

Strengths:

• Best-in-class code understanding and generation quality
• Full terminal access with no sandboxing restrictions
• Extensive MCP tool ecosystem
• Works with any editor (runs in terminal)
• Strong multi-file refactoring

Weaknesses:

• CLI-only interface (no GUI)
• No built-in autocomplete
• Can be expensive for heavy API usage
• Requires comfort with terminal workflows

Codex (OpenAI)

Strengths:

• Included with ChatGPT subscriptions (low entry cost)
• Strong reasoning with o3 model
• Sandboxed execution (safe for untrusted repos)
• Web interface accessible from anywhere
• Good integration with ChatGPT ecosystem

Weaknesses:

• Cloud-only execution (cannot run local commands)
• Sandboxed environment limits some operations
• Less flexible than local tools
• Limited MCP/tool support

Cursor

Strengths:

• Best overall UX with full VS Code IDE integration
• Cursor Tab autocomplete is industry-leading
• Multiple model support (Claude, GPT, Gemini)
• Affordable pricing with usable free tier
• Inline editing, chat, and composer modes

Weaknesses:

• Rate limits on all plans
• Cannot use with other IDEs (VS Code fork only)
• Agent mode less powerful than dedicated agents
• Business plan still has same request limits as Pro

MiniMax Plan

Strengths:

• Very affordable pricing
• Good performance for the cost
• Growing model capabilities
• Strong for Chinese-language projects

Weaknesses:

• Smaller model compared to frontier Western models
• Limited English documentation
• No local execution
• Limited tool/integration ecosystem
• Availability outside China may be inconsistent

GLM Plan

Strengths:

• Lowest cost entry point
• CogAgent for visual/browser tasks
• Strong Chinese language coding support
• Active development and frequent updates

Weaknesses:

• Weakest coding benchmarks of the group
• Limited availability outside China
• Sparse English-language community
• No IDE integration
• Limited agentic capabilities compared to Claude Code/Codex

Which Should You Choose?

Decision Matrix

If You Need...	Choose
Best code quality, no compromises	Claude Code
Best IDE experience with autocomplete	Cursor
Cheapest entry point with good quality	Cursor Free or Codex (Plus)
Full agentic terminal automation	Claude Code
Cloud-only, sandboxed execution	Codex
Budget-conscious with moderate quality	MiniMax Plan or GLM Plan
Chinese language codebases	GLM Plan
Visual/browser automation	Cursor or GLM Plan (CogAgent)
Team/enterprise management	Cursor Business

Recommended Combinations

Many developers use multiple tools together:

Combination	Use Case
Cursor + Claude Code	Cursor for day-to-day editing, Claude Code for complex refactoring
Cursor + Codex	Cursor for local work, Codex for reviewing and exploring
Claude Code + Cline	Claude Code for main tasks, Cline with free Gemini for overflow
Cursor Free + MiniMax Plan	Minimize costs while covering all needs

For Individual Developers

Start with Cursor Pro ($20/mo) for the best balance of cost, UX, and capability. Add Claude Code on the API plan when you need heavy-duty agentic coding that Cursor's agent mode cannot handle.

For Teams

Cursor Business ($40/mo/seat) is the most practical choice for teams that want a managed solution with admin controls. Supplement with Claude Code for senior engineers who need maximum flexibility.

For Budget-Conscious Developers

Use Cursor Free for daily editing, Cline + free Gemini 2.5 Pro for agentic tasks, and MiniMax Plan or GLM Plan when you need additional capacity at minimal cost.

Wrapping Up

The AI coding tool market in 2026 offers genuine choices at every price point. Claude Code leads on raw capability and flexibility. Cursor leads on UX and affordability. Codex offers strong quality bundled with ChatGPT. MiniMax Plan and GLM Plan bring competitive pricing from the Chinese AI ecosystem. The best choice depends on your budget, workflow preferences, and whether you prioritize quality, cost, or convenience.

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