Claude Code v OpenAI Codex
this week's head to head in coding agents. live from the board, scores as of oct 25.
Claude Code9.0#1 of 13 in coding agentsPro $20/moform: held its place every day for 5 days
OpenAI Codex8.0#6 of 13 in coding agentsincluded in ChatGPT Go $8/moform: held its place every day for 5 dayswhat matters to you?
tap what you care about. this is your weighting, not numptr's score: ours stays 9.0 v 8.0.
tale of the tape
| field | Claude Code | OpenAI Codex | edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| numptr scoreour score, by hand, out of 10 source | 9.0/10 | 8.0/10 | Claude Code |
| rank in coding agentstoday's board source | #1 of 13 | #6 of 13 | Claude Code |
| cheapest paid planthe vendors' pricing pages, checked oct 25 source | $20/mo | $8/mo | OpenAI Codex |
| free tierthe vendors' pricing pages source | No free access: Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan (Pro and up) | Included in ChatGPT Free (limited usage) | OpenAI Codex |
| limitsour head to head: "you'd rather hit limits than surprise bills" -> Claude Code source | (Pro): rolling 5-hour sessions plus weekly limits, shared with Claude chat | (ChatGPT Go): desktop app only, GPT-6 Luna | Claude Code |
| prices checkedthe date we last read each pricing page | oct 25 | oct 25 | level |
the edge in each row is in red. level means level.
form
daily rank in coding agents, from our daily snapshots of the board.
Claude Code
held #1 every day, oct 21 to oct 25.
- oct 21#1
- oct 22#1
- oct 23#1
- oct 24#1
- oct 25#1
OpenAI Codex
held #6 every day, oct 21 to oct 25.
- oct 21#6
- oct 22#6
- oct 23#6
- oct 24#6
- oct 25#6
numptr's call
numptr's call: Claude Code, 9.0 to 8.0. best at multi-file work. you hit session limits, not surprise bills. the case for OpenAI Codex: bundled into every ChatGPT plan, even Free with limits.
who wins for you?
one vote per device, and you can change it. no tally yet, so no made up percentages.
the full head to head guide or the coding agents board
more on these two: Claude Code pricing Claude Code alternatives OpenAI Codex pricing OpenAI Codex alternatives