Cursor vs Claude Code vs Codex: which AI coding tool should you pay for?

Ask developers which AI coding tool they pay for and three names keep coming back: Cursor, Claude Code and Codex. They are not three versions of the same thing. Cursor is a code editor built around AI; Claude Code is Anthropic’s agent that works from your terminal; Codex is OpenAI’s coding agent, included with ChatGPT. Here is how to choose, and which plan gets you each one.

Three different shapes

• Cursor is where you write code: an editor with an Agent that edits your files, and Tab completions that predict your next change.
• Claude Code runs in your terminal, next to whatever editor you use. You describe a task; it reads the codebase, edits files and runs commands.
• Codex is OpenAI’s coding agent, part of your ChatGPT plan: it takes coding tasks and works through them, and you review the result.

Cursor: AI inside the editor

Cursor Pro ($27 a month with us) gives extended Agent limits, unlimited Tab, frontier models, and cloud agents with MCPs and hooks. It suits developers who want AI at every keystroke and like to review changes file by file. Heavy Agent users move up to Pro+ or Ultra: see Cursor Pro vs Pro+ vs Ultra.

Claude Code: an agent in your terminal

Claude Code is included from Claude Pro ($27), with Claude’s most capable models. Because it lives in the terminal, it works with any editor, and it is at its best on multi-step tasks across a codebase. Agentic coding uses your limits much faster than chat, which is why people who run Claude Code for hours choose Max 5× ($135).

Codex: coding inside ChatGPT

Codex comes with ChatGPT Plus ($27), next to everything else Plus does: writing, research, images. If you already pay for ChatGPT, it is the coding agent you have without another subscription; the Pro plans raise its limits along with the rest of ChatGPT.

Which one should you pay for?

Using two of them

They combine well: Cursor for writing and reviewing code, Claude Code or Codex for the long tasks you hand off. Every plan we sell lasts one month and nothing renews on its own, so you can try a combination for a month and keep only what you used. Choosing between editors instead? Read Cursor vs GitHub Copilot vs Devin.

Quick answers

Is Claude Code sold on its own? No: it comes with Claude Pro and the Max plans.

Is Codex included in ChatGPT Plus? Yes, and the Pro plans raise its limits.

What does each cost with you? At the entry tier, for one month: Cursor Pro $27, Claude Pro $27 and ChatGPT Plus $27, paid once in crypto.