OpenAI Codex Pricing: Complete Guide (2026)

OpenAI Codex is a cloud-based AI coding agent that can write, refactor, debug, and test code autonomously in a sandboxed environment. Unlike simple code completion tools, Codex operates as an agentic system -- you give it a task, and it works through it step by step, reading files, writing code, running tests, and iterating until the task is done.

Understanding Codex pricing is essential before you commit. This guide breaks down every cost, compares plans, and helps you choose the most cost-effective option.

Codex Pricing Plans

Codex is available through ChatGPT's subscription plans. Here is the full pricing breakdown as of early 2026.

Plan	Monthly Price	Codex Access	Task Limit	Model
Free	$0	Not included	N/A	N/A
Plus	$20/mo	Limited	~25 tasks/day	codex-mini
Pro	$200/mo	Full	~250 tasks/day	codex-mini + codex
Team	$25/user/mo	Full	~100 tasks/user/day	codex-mini + codex
Enterprise	Custom	Full	Custom	All models

What counts as a "task"?

A Codex task is a single instruction you submit to the agent. For example:

"Add input validation to the user registration endpoint" = 1 task
"Write unit tests for the authentication module" = 1 task
"Refactor this file to use async/await" = 1 task

Each task can involve multiple internal steps (reading files, writing code, running commands), but it counts as one task toward your limit.

Codex API Pricing

If you access Codex through the OpenAI API (for integration into your own tools), pricing is token-based.

Model	Input (per 1M tokens)	Output (per 1M tokens)	Context Window
codex-mini	$1.50	$6.00	200K
codex	$2.00	$8.00	200K
o4-mini (alternative)	$1.10	$4.40	128K
Claude Sonnet 4.5 (comparison)	$3.00	$15.00	200K

Token cost example

A typical Codex coding task might consume:

Input: ~5,000-20,000 tokens (your code context + instructions)
Output: ~2,000-10,000 tokens (generated code + explanations)

For a medium-complexity task using codex-mini:

Input cost: 15,000 tokens x $1.50/1M = $0.0225
Output cost: 5,000 tokens x $6.00/1M = $0.03
Total per task: ~$0.05

At that rate, $20 in API credits would cover approximately 400 tasks.

Codex vs. Competitors: Price Comparison

Here is how Codex stacks up against other AI coding tools in terms of pricing.

Tool	Free Tier	Paid Plan	How It Works
OpenAI Codex	No (Plus required)	$20-200/mo	Agentic, sandboxed
GitHub Copilot	2,000 completions/mo	$10/mo (Individual)	Code completion + chat
Cursor	50 fast requests/mo	$20/mo (Pro)	IDE with agentic mode
Claude Code	Via API credits	Pay per token	Terminal-based agent
Cline	Free (bring API key)	API costs only	VS Code extension
Windsurf	Free tier available	$15/mo (Pro)	IDE with AI flows

Cost per task comparison

To compare costs fairly, let us estimate the cost per "typical coding task" (writing a function, fixing a bug, adding a feature):

Tool	Cost Per Task (approx.)	Monthly Cost for 100 Tasks
Codex (Plus plan)	$0.80*	$20 (25 tasks/day cap)
Codex (API)	$0.05	$5
GitHub Copilot	~$0.10	$10
Cursor Pro	$0.04*	$20 (500 tasks/mo)
Claude Code (API)	$0.08-0.15	$8-15
Cline + Claude API	$0.08-0.15	$8-15

*Estimated based on subscription cost divided by typical monthly usage.

Which Codex Plan Should You Choose?

Choose the Plus Plan ($20/mo) if:

You want a simple, all-in-one solution
You do fewer than 25 coding tasks per day
You also want access to ChatGPT's other features (DALL-E, browsing, GPTs)
You prefer a web-based interface over IDE integration

Choose the Pro Plan ($200/mo) if:

You are a professional developer using Codex daily
You need the full codex model (not just codex-mini)
You require higher task limits (~250/day)
You use ChatGPT extensively for other work

Choose the API if:

You want to integrate Codex into custom tooling
You have variable usage and want pay-per-token pricing
You want to control costs precisely
You are building developer tools that use Codex under the hood

Choose a Competitor if:

You want free or cheaper options for basic code completion
You prefer IDE-native tools (Cursor, Copilot)
You want more model flexibility (Cline lets you use any model)

How to Reduce Codex Costs

1. Use codex-mini for most tasks

The codex-mini model is 25% cheaper than the full codex model and handles most coding tasks well. Reserve the full codex model for complex, multi-file refactors and architectural decisions.

2. Provide clear, specific instructions

Vague prompts cause Codex to explore more options, burning through tokens. Compare:

Expensive (vague):

Fix the bugs in my app.

Cheap (specific):

Fix the TypeError on line 45 of src/utils/parser.ts where
the `data` parameter can be undefined. Add a null check
and return an empty array as the default.

3. Limit context with .codexignore

Codex reads your codebase for context. Create a .codexignore file (similar to .gitignore) to exclude irrelevant files:

# .codexignore
node_modules/
dist/
*.lock
*.log
coverage/
.next/

This reduces input tokens and lowers costs.

Instead of submitting five separate tasks for related changes, combine them:

In the user authentication module:
1. Add email validation to the registration function
2. Add rate limiting to the login endpoint (max 5 attempts per minute)
3. Write unit tests for both changes
4. Update the API documentation comments

5. Monitor usage with the dashboard

Track your token consumption in the OpenAI usage dashboard at platform.openai.com/usage. Set up spending limits to avoid surprise bills:

# Check your current usage via API
curl https://api.openai.com/v1/usage \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $OPENAI_API_KEY"

Frequently Asked Questions

Is OpenAI Codex the same as the old Codex API? No. The original Codex API (based on code-davinci-002) was deprecated in 2023. The current Codex is a new agentic coding product built on newer models, available through ChatGPT and the API.

Can I use Codex for free? Not directly. Codex requires at least the Plus plan ($20/mo) or API credits. The ChatGPT free tier does not include Codex access.

Does Codex support all programming languages? Codex works with most popular languages including Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, Rust, Java, C++, and more. It performs best on Python and JavaScript due to training data distribution.

Is Codex better than GitHub Copilot? They serve different purposes. Codex is an agentic system that completes multi-step tasks autonomously. Copilot is primarily a code completion tool with chat features. Codex handles complex tasks better; Copilot is faster for inline suggestions.

Can I set a spending limit on the Codex API? Yes. Go to platform.openai.com/settings and set a monthly spending cap under "Billing."

Wrapping Up

OpenAI Codex pricing ranges from $20/month for the Plus plan to pay-per-token API pricing that averages around $0.05 per task. For most developers, the Plus plan offers the best value. If you need precise cost control, the API with codex-mini gives you the lowest per-task cost.

If your projects involve AI media generation alongside code, try Hypereal AI free -- 35 credits, no credit card required. It provides affordable APIs for image, video, and avatar generation that you can integrate into any application you build with Codex.