A clear guide to OpenAI Codex pricing in 2026

Trying to figure out OpenAI Codex pricing can feel like a bit of a puzzle. If you've been looking around, you've probably seen mentions of old models, new APIs, and various ChatGPT plans without getting a straight answer. The confusion is understandable, especially since things changed when older models like "code-davinci-002" were deprecated back on March 23, 2023.

Let's clear the air. This post will give you a straightforward, current breakdown of how to access and pay for OpenAI's coding tools in 2026.

We'll cover what happened to the old Codex, then jump into the two main ways you can use its powerful successors: through a ChatGPT subscription or the pay-as-you-go API. We'll break down the costs for each, discuss who these tools are really for, and touch on what to do when you need an AI for more than just writing code.

What happened to the old OpenAI Codex and the original Codex pricing?

First off, the standalone "Codex" that many developers first used isn't a separate product anymore. Models like "code-davinci-002" and "code-cushman-001" were officially shut down in March 2023. At that time, OpenAI pointed developers toward "gpt-4o", which was a big hint about their new strategy. Instead of having a separate tool for coding, they were folding that functionality into their more powerful, general-purpose models.

When we talk about Codex now, we're not talking about a single product. It’s more like a family of advanced AI coding models and agents that are part of the bigger OpenAI ecosystem. These new capabilities, running on models like the new GPT-5.2-Codex, are smarter and more flexible than the old ones.

The main thing to remember is that you now get these coding superpowers through two channels: a monthly ChatGPT subscription for interactive use, or the pay-as-you-go API for building your own apps. Let’s look at what each involves.

The subscription model: Codex pricing in ChatGPT plans

For most developers, teams, and hobbyists, the easiest way to use Codex is with a paid ChatGPT plan. This gives you access to the "Codex agent," a version of the chatbot that's fine-tuned for coding tasks, all for a predictable monthly fee. You just log in, open a chat, and start coding.

Here’s a look at the plans that include Codex and what you get.

The ChatGPT Plus plan and its Codex pricing

The Plus plan is your first step into OpenAI's more serious tools. It offers significant upgrades over the free version and gives you access to the latest models.

• Cost: "$20 per month".

• Included Codex Access: This plan includes the "Codex agent" feature. Your usage is connected to the most powerful models, and Plus users can send up to 160 messages with GPT-5.2 every 3 hours. These limits can change depending on server demand, but it's plenty for most individual workflows.

• Who it's for: This plan is a great fit for individual developers, computer science students, or anyone who codes for fun. If you need a smart AI assistant for personal projects, debugging, or learning a new language, the Plus plan is a cost-effective option.

chatGPT plus is incredibly cheap!

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The ChatGPT Pro plan and its Codex pricing

If you're always hitting the message limits on the Plus plan or just need the fastest possible responses, the Pro plan was made for you.

• Cost: "$200 per month".

• Included Codex Access: You get an "Expanded, priority-speed Codex agent." The main benefit is unlimited messages, though it's still subject to fair use and abuse guardrails. You won't have to worry about getting cut off mid-session, and you get priority server access for quicker replies.

• Who it's for: This is for full-time professional developers and freelancers who depend on AI as a core part of their daily work. If coding is your job, the productivity gain from unlimited, high-speed access can be significant.

ChatGPT Business and Enterprise plans: Understanding the Codex pricing

For companies that want to give AI coding tools to their whole engineering team, the Business and Enterprise plans provide the needed management and security features.

• Cost: The Business plan is "$25 per user per month" (billed annually), while Enterprise pricing is custom.

• Included Codex Access: Both plans give every user the Codex agent, but the real benefit is the team features. You get a dedicated workspace, admin controls, and unified billing. Importantly, OpenAI guarantees that your business data is not used for training on these plans. The Enterprise plan also adds security features like SOC 2 Type 2 compliance and single sign-on (SSO).

• Who it's for: These plans are for startups, agencies, and large companies that need to deploy AI coding tools securely and at scale. If you need to manage team access, protect data, and get a single bill, this is the way to do it.

To make it easier to compare, here’s a quick summary:

The pay-as-you-go model: API-based Codex pricing

If you want to do more than just chat with an AI, the OpenAI API is what you need. It's for developers who want to build applications, automate workflows, or integrate Codex's abilities directly into their own tools. Instead of a monthly subscription, you pay only for what you use.

This model is based on "tokens," which are just small chunks of text (one token is about four characters). You're billed for the input tokens you send to the model and the output tokens the model generates.

Recommended models and API-based Codex pricing

While general models can handle code, OpenAI has several that are specifically optimized for it. According to their developer documentation, these are the ones to consider:

• "gpt-5.2-codex": This is the top-of-the-line agentic coding model. It's built for complex, multi-step tasks where it needs to act more like an autonomous assistant.

• "gpt-5.1-codex-max": Optimized for long and highly complex coding problems, like refactoring an entire legacy codebase or designing a new microservice.

• "gpt-5.1-codex-mini": A smaller, faster, and cheaper model that's great for common tasks like completing a function, writing unit tests, or translating code snippets.

  Pro Tip

  This model is a great balance of performance and cost. On the standard API tier, it’s priced at '$0.25 per 1 million input tokens and $2.00 per 1 million output tokens'. That makes it very affordable for a lot of different applications.
  Why would you pick the API over a ChatGPT subscription? Here are a few common scenarios:

• Automating code reviews: You could build a tool that scans new pull requests in your CI/CD pipeline, flags potential issues, and suggests fixes.

• Building custom developer tools: Imagine an internal tool that generates boilerplate code for new services based on a simple text prompt.

• Embedding AI in your app: You could add an AI-powered "help me code this" feature directly into your own software, giving your users a powerful assistant inside your platform.

Understanding the costs and limitations of Codex pricing

Codex is an incredibly powerful tool, but it helps to know what it's really built for. At its heart, Codex is an expert tool made by developers, for developers. Its whole job is to read, write, and refactor code. It's a specialist, and it's very good at what it does.

But that specialization is also its main limitation. It's not a no-code platform or a general business automation tool. To use it well, especially the API, you need to be technical. It understands Python and JavaScript, not customer support or sales queries.

This means it has some clear boundaries in a business setting:

• It can’t read a support ticket from Zendesk and figure out what the customer is asking.

• It doesn't know how to check an order status in Shopify.

• It won't answer an employee's question by searching your company's Confluence or Google Docs.

While Codex is the perfect "AI teammate" for an engineering team, other departments need a different kind of specialist. A customer service team needs an AI that understands tickets and help centers, not Python.

This is where a different type of AI is useful. Tools like eesel AI are designed to be the AI teammate for those other business teams. Instead of being trained on internet code, eesel is an AI Agent that learns from your company's own data. It connects to your help desk, reads past tickets, and memorizes your internal docs. It’s built to handle customer service, sales, and internal support, complementing Codex rather than competing with it.

To see a breakdown of how these different pricing models work in practice, especially the value proposition of the ChatGPT Plus plan versus the API, check out this video explanation.

The $20 ChatGPT Plus plan offers incredible value for most developers while the API provides flexibility for custom builds.

Is OpenAI Codex pricing right for you?

Let's wrap things up. The old, standalone Codex is gone, replaced by something much more powerful and integrated. Today, you can access its capabilities in two main ways.

1. For most developers, a ChatGPT Plus subscription at "$20/month" is an easy choice. It offers amazing value and direct access to the Codex agent for your daily coding.

2. For custom applications, the pay-as-you-go API provides flexible, scalable access. Models like "gpt-5.1-codex-mini" make it surprisingly affordable to build your own AI-powered developer tools.

If you’re a developer who wants to write better code faster or speed up your workflow, the pricing for OpenAI's integrated Codex tools is very reasonable.

But if you're a business leader in support, sales, or operations looking for an AI teammate that automates work using your business data, not your codebase, see how eesel AI can help.