Head to head · live data
Claude vs ChatGPT + Codex: plan limits and pricing
Every plan of both tools side by side: price, how usage is metered, when it resets and each limit the vendor states, copied from the vendor's own page. Where a vendor publishes no number, the row says so.
16 plans. Checked October 30, 2026. Full pages: Claude · ChatGPT + Codex · change log
Anthropic
Claude
- Free plan
- Free
- Entry paid plan
- Pro, $20/mo
- Top self-serve tier
- Max 20x, Monthly subscription only; web price, mobile may vary
- Metered as
- usage allowance
- Reset windows
- five-hour window, week, month
- Numbers published
- 43 of 51 limits
Every plan has usage limits that reset on a rolling five-hour session window; paid plans (Pro, Max, Team, seat-based Enterprise) add weekly limits that reset at a fixed time assigned to the account, and Max plans (and Team premium seats) have a separate weekly limit for Fable. Usage across Claude on web, desktop, mobile, Claude Desktop and Claude Code draws from the same pool. Anthropic publishes no fixed message count: usage depends on conversation length and complexity, attached files, the model, effort level and features used. Anthropic publishes multipliers instead: Pro is at least 5x Free per session, Max is 5x or 20x Pro, Team standard is 1.25x Pro and Team premium is 6.25x Pro. Anthropic may also apply weekly and monthly caps or model/feature limits at its discretion. When a limit is reached, paid users can enable usage credits billed at standard API rates. Usage-based Enterprise seats include no usage allowance; all tokens are billed at API rates.
OpenAI
ChatGPT + Codex
- Free plan
- Free
- Entry paid plan
- Go, $8/mo
- Top self-serve tier
- Pro ($500), $500/mo
- Metered as
- messages per 5 hours
- Reset windows
- five-hour window, week
- Numbers published
- 30 of 40 limits
Per the vendor, the number of Codex messages depends on the model, task size and complexity, and whether work runs locally or in the cloud. Plus and Standard Business get local-message estimates per five-hour period, given as a range per model; these are "not fixed message limits", and the usage dashboard shows current limits and reset times. Cloud tasks may use more of the allowance than local messages. Local messages and cloud chats share the plan's usage allowance, and weekly limits may also apply. Pro plans currently have no five-hour limit. ChatGPT Work shares the same pricing, credits and usage limits as Codex. Fast mode uses included usage at 2.5x (2x on purchased credits). Ultrafast uses 8x (6x on credits). Image generation uses limits about 3-5x faster. After reaching limits, Plus/Pro users and flexible-pricing workspaces can buy credits, which are billed per 1M tokens per model. Enterprise/Edu with flexible pricing have no fixed rate limits.
What differs
Stated from the two plan sets, no ranking: which tool fits depends on which window and unit matches your work.
- Entry price: Claude Pro at $20/mo; ChatGPT + Codex Go at $8/mo.
- Top self-serve tier: Claude tops out at Max 20x, Monthly subscription only; web price, mobile may vary; ChatGPT + Codex tops out at Pro ($500), $500/mo.
- Claude has a free plan (Free); ChatGPT + Codex has a free plan (Free).
- Metering unit: Claude counts "usage allowance", ChatGPT + Codex counts "messages per 5 hours".
- Reset windows: Claude five-hour window, week, month; ChatGPT + Codex five-hour window, week.
- Claude prices 3 plans per seat; ChatGPT + Codex prices 1 plan per seat.
- Running out: Claude: fable, Usage credits; ChatGPT + Codex: extra usage, Can purchase additional credits after reaching usage limit.
- Transparency: Claude publishes a number for 43 of 51 limits; ChatGPT + Codex publishes a number for 30 of 40 limits.
Plan by plan
| Tool | Plan | Price | Metered as | Headline limit | Window | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude | Free | Free | usage allowance | Projects: Up to 5 | Claude pricing | |
| Pro | $20/mo$17/mo annual | usage allowance | Session usage: At least 5x the Free per-session allowance | five-hour window | Claude pricing | |
| Max 5x | Monthly subscription only; web price, mobile may vary | usage allowance | Session usage: 5x the Pro per-session allowance | five-hour window | What is the Max plan? | |
| Max 20x | Monthly subscription only; web price, mobile may vary | usage allowance | Session usage: 20x the Pro per-session allowance | five-hour window | What is the Max plan? | |
| Team (standard seat) | 2 to 150 seats; US prices excluding tax$20/mo annual | usage allowance | Session usage: 1.25x the Pro per-session allowance | five-hour window | Team | |
| Team (premium seat) | 2 to 150 seats; US prices excluding tax$100/mo annual | usage allowance | Session usage: 6.25x the Pro per-session allowance (5x more than a standard seat) | five-hour window | Team | |
| Enterprise | Annual billing only; seat fee plus usage at API rates. Self-serve and sales-assisted versions have the same seat price. | seat + API usage | Seat minimum: 20 seats | Claude pricing | ||
| ChatGPT + Codex | Free | Free | messages per 5 hours | Codex: GPT-6 Luna at Standard speed in the desktop app, subject to rollout; no message figures publishedno number published | five-hour window | Codex pricing |
| Go | $8/mo | messages per 5 hours | Codex: GPT-6 Luna at Standard speed in the desktop app, subject to rollout; no message figures publishedno number published | five-hour window | Codex pricing | |
| Plus | $20/mo | messages per 5 hours | Codex local messages, GPT-6 Astra: 5 to 45 per 5 hours | five-hour window | Codex pricing | |
| Pro ($100) | $100/mo | usage allowance | Codex 5-hour limit: None (vendor: Pro plans currently have no five-hour limit) | five-hour window | Codex pricing | |
| Pro ($200) | $200/mo | usage allowance | Codex 5-hour limit: None (vendor: Pro plans currently have no five-hour limit) | five-hour window | Codex pricing | |
| Pro ($500) | $500/mo | usage allowance | Codex 5-hour limit: None (vendor: Pro plans currently have no five-hour limit) | five-hour window | Codex pricing | |
| Business | Per user per month when billed monthly; 2+ users$20/mo annual | messages per 5 hours | Codex local messages, GPT-6 Astra: 5 to 45 per 5 hours | five-hour window | Codex pricing | |
| Business Codex (pay as you go) | No fixed seat fee; usage-based | usage (pay as you go) | Usage: Pay as you go based on usage; no limit figures publishedno number published | Chatgpt Pricing | ||
| Enterprise & Edu | Custom pricing; contact sales | credits | Rate limits (flexible pricing): No fixed rate limits; usage scales with credits | Codex pricing |
One headline limit per plan. Every limit, with its wording and source, is on the Claude and ChatGPT + Codex pages.
Claude vs ChatGPT + Codex: common questions
Which is cheaper, Claude or ChatGPT + Codex?
ChatGPT + Codex has the lower entry price. Claude Pro is $20/mo; ChatGPT + Codex Go is $8/mo. Prices from the vendors' pricing pages, checked 2026-10-30.
How do Claude and ChatGPT + Codex count usage?
Claude: Every plan has usage limits that reset on a rolling five-hour session window; paid plans (Pro, Max, Team, seat-based Enterprise) add weekly limits that reset at a fixed time assigned to the account, and Max plans (and Team premium seats) have a separate weekly limit for Fable. Usage across Claude on web, desktop, mobile, Claude Desktop and Claude Code draws from the same pool. Anthropic publishes no fixed message count: usage depends on conversation length and complexity, attached files, the model, effort level and features used. Anthropic publishes multipliers instead: Pro is at least 5x Free per session, Max is 5x or 20x Pro, Team standard is 1.25x Pro and Team premium is 6.25x Pro. Anthropic may also apply weekly and monthly caps or model/feature limits at its discretion. When a limit is reached, paid users can enable usage credits billed at standard API rates. Usage-based Enterprise seats include no usage allowance; all tokens are billed at API rates. ChatGPT + Codex: Per the vendor, the number of Codex messages depends on the model, task size and complexity, and whether work runs locally or in the cloud. Plus and Standard Business get local-message estimates per five-hour period, given as a range per model; these are "not fixed message limits", and the usage dashboard shows current limits and reset times. Cloud tasks may use more of the allowance than local messages. Local messages and cloud chats share the plan's usage allowance, and weekly limits may also apply. Pro plans currently have no five-hour limit. ChatGPT Work shares the same pricing, credits and usage limits as Codex. Fast mode uses included usage at 2.5x (2x on purchased credits). Ultrafast uses 8x (6x on credits). Image generation uses limits about 3-5x faster. After reaching limits, Plus/Pro users and flexible-pricing workspaces can buy credits, which are billed per 1M tokens per model. Enterprise/Edu with flexible pricing have no fixed rate limits.
Do Claude and ChatGPT + Codex have free plans?
Claude Free is free: Session usage, Free covers everyday questions; limit resets on a rolling five-hour window; Claude Code, Not included; Projects, Up to 5; Context window, Up to 1M, varies by model; Fable, Not available. ChatGPT + Codex Free is free: Codex, GPT-6 Luna at Standard speed in the desktop app, subject to rollout; no message figures published; Codex (ChatGPT pricing page), Limited; Image generation in Codex, Not available; Codex Cloud, Not included.
When do Claude and ChatGPT + Codex limits reset?
Claude: five-hour window, week, month. ChatGPT + Codex: five-hour window, week. The figure inside each window is listed per plan on this page, or marked "not published" where the vendor gives none.
Limit alerts
Never get hit by a surprise AI quota cap.
One email the moment Anthropic, OpenAI, Cursor, Copilot or Google quietly change a 5-hour rolling limit, a rate limit or a plan price. Every alert links the vendor page and the old and new value.