Coding tool prices and billing

Claude Code vs Codex vs Cursor: Cost in October 2026

Compare published subscription terms, API spending assumptions, and team seat costs.

Quick answer

Claude Code paid plans start at $20.00 a month; Codex paid plans start at $8.00 a month; Cursor paid plans start at $8.00 a month. All three charge API token prices for extra or third-party usage; subscription limits differ, and Cursor Plus is Grok-only. The Power profile costs $10.70 on Claude Haiku 5.5 versus $424.00 on Claude Opus 5.5. Checked 2026-10-22.

Plan terms checked . How we verify

Published plans

Claude Code

Published USD prices before taxes; annual rates require annual billing.
PlanPublished priceBillingIncluded usage and termsSource and checked date (How we verify)
Claude Free$0monthly; per monthFree Claude access does not include Claude Code.Official source
Claude Pro$20monthly; per monthClaude Code shares the plan's usage pool with Claude apps, with session and weekly limits and extra usage at API rates.Official source
Claude Pro$17 ($200.00 up front)annual; per monthClaude Code shares the plan's usage pool with Claude apps, with session and weekly limits and extra usage at API rates.Official source
Claude Max 5x$100monthly; per monthMax 5x provides five times Pro usage and monthly API credits, subject to the published terms.Official source
Claude Max 20x$200monthly; per monthMax 20x provides twenty times Pro usage and monthly API credits, subject to the published terms.Official source
Claude Team Standard$25monthly; per seat / month; minimum 2 seatsClaude Code shares the plan's usage pool with Claude apps, with session and weekly limits and extra usage at API rates.Official source
Claude Team Standard$20annual; per seat / month; minimum 2 seatsClaude Code shares the plan's usage pool with Claude apps, with session and weekly limits and extra usage at API rates.Official source
Claude Team Premium$125monthly; per seat / month; minimum 2 seatsClaude Code shares the plan's usage pool with Claude apps, with session and weekly limits and extra usage at API rates.Official source
Claude Team Premium$100annual; per seat / month; minimum 2 seatsClaude Code shares the plan's usage pool with Claude apps, with session and weekly limits and extra usage at API rates.Official source
Claude EnterpriseUS$20/seat/monthannual; per seat / month; minimum 20 seatsEnterprise requires at least twenty seats billed annually, plus usage at API rates.Official source

Codex

Published USD prices before taxes; annual rates require annual billing.
PlanPublished priceBillingIncluded usage and termsSource and checked date (How we verify)
ChatGPT Free$0/monthmonthly; per monthFree includes GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app, subject to rollout.Official source
ChatGPT Go$8/monthmonthly; per monthGo includes GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app, subject to rollout.Official source
ChatGPT Plus$20/monthmonthly; per monthSubscription usage is shared with ChatGPT Work and may have weekly limits; API-key usage is billed separately.Official source
ChatGPT Pro entry tier$100monthly; per monthSubscription usage is shared with ChatGPT Work and may have weekly limits; API-key usage is billed separately.Official source
ChatGPT Pro middle tier$200monthly; per monthSubscription usage is shared with ChatGPT Work and may have weekly limits; API-key usage is billed separately.Official source
ChatGPT Pro upper tier$500monthly; per monthSubscription usage is shared with ChatGPT Work and may have weekly limits; API-key usage is billed separately.Official source
ChatGPT Business$25monthly; per user / month; minimum 2 seatsSubscription usage is shared with ChatGPT Work and may have weekly limits; API-key usage is billed separately.Official source
ChatGPT Business$20/ user / monthannual; per user / month; minimum 2 seatsSubscription usage is shared with ChatGPT Work and may have weekly limits; API-key usage is billed separately.Official source
ChatGPT Enterprise / EduContact salescustom; per user / monthSubscription usage is shared with ChatGPT Work and may have weekly limits; API-key usage is billed separately.Official source

Cursor

Published USD prices before taxes; annual rates require annual billing.
PlanPublished priceBillingIncluded usage and termsSource and checked date (How we verify)
Cursor Free$0/monthmonthly; per monthFree provides limited agent and chat requests.Official source
Cursor Plus$8/monthmonthly; per monthOnly Grok models are available on Plus.Official source
Cursor Premium$30/monthmonthly; per monthGrok usage refreshes weekly, while third-party models are billed separately at API list prices.Official source
Cursor Super$100/monthmonthly; per monthGrok usage refreshes weekly, while third-party models are billed separately at API list prices.Official source
Cursor Ultra$200/monthmonthly; per monthGrok usage refreshes weekly, while third-party models are billed separately at API list prices.Official source
Cursor Teams$30+/user/monthmonthly; per user / monthTeams has a published per-user floor; third-party models are charged separately at API list prices.Official source
Cursor EnterpriseCustomcustom; per user / monthEnterprise offers pooled usage and custom pricing; third-party models are charged separately.Official source

Monthly API costs: disclosed assumptions

These are gross input, output and cache-read charges, before subscription credits, tax, cache writes, tools or other services. Profiles describe total monthly usage across the stated developers; they do not estimate subscription allowances.

Shared calculator assumptions, in tokens per month. Input excludes the separate cache-read quantity.
ProfileDevelopersInputOutputCache reads
Solo Pro18,000,0002,000,0004,000,000
Power User145,000,00012,000,00020,000,000
Small Team5180,000,00045,000,00080,000,000

Claude rows follow the Claude Code model configuration; OpenAI rows follow the Codex Plus model list. Cursor third-party estimates reuse these models at API list prices. Included Grok usage has no token estimate here.

API charges for each profile and model; no subscription allowance is inferred.
ProfileModelToolInputOutputCache readsMonthly total
Solo ProClaude Sonnet 5.5Claude Code, Cursor$16.00$20.00$0.40$36.40
Solo ProClaude Opus 5.5Claude Code, Cursor$32.00$40.00$0.80$72.80
Solo ProClaude Haiku 5.5Claude Code, Cursor$0.80$1.00$0.04$1.84
Solo ProGPT-6.1 SolCodex, Cursor$16.00$20.00$0.40$36.40
Solo ProGPT-6 LunaCodex, Cursor$0.80$1.00$0.04$1.84
Power UserClaude Sonnet 5.5Claude Code, Cursor$90.00$120.00$2.00$212.00
Power UserClaude Opus 5.5Claude Code, Cursor$180.00$240.00$4.00$424.00
Power UserClaude Haiku 5.5Claude Code, Cursor$4.50$6.00$0.20$10.70
Power UserGPT-6.1 SolCodex, Cursor$90.00$120.00$2.00$212.00
Power UserGPT-6 LunaCodex, Cursor$4.50$6.00$0.20$10.70
Small TeamClaude Sonnet 5.5Claude Code, Cursor$360.00$450.00$8.00$818.00
Small TeamClaude Opus 5.5Claude Code, Cursor$720.00$900.00$16.00$1,636.00
Small TeamClaude Haiku 5.5Claude Code, Cursor$18.00$22.50$0.80$41.30
Small TeamGPT-6.1 SolCodex, Cursor$360.00$450.00$8.00$818.00
Small TeamGPT-6 LunaCodex, Cursor$18.00$22.50$0.80$41.30

Subscription or API key: compare spending

Subscription limits are based on messages, sessions, or usage multipliers and may cap before this assumed workload. An API-cost-to-plan-price ratio compares spending only; it does not measure included usage. Cursor third-party charges are additional to its subscription, so a price ratio is not a substitution break-even.

Cursor Plus is Grok-only: its ratios are price references, with no access to the third-party models shown. Codex Go lists Luna in the desktop app subject to rollout; its Sol API comparisons do not imply Sol access on Go.

Ratios use gross API cost divided by the monthly plan price, before credits. Team profiles are aggregate workloads compared to a single individual subscription price; they are not team subscription quotes.

API spend ÷ plan price. A ratio above unity means API spending exceeds the fixed price, subject to plan limits and separate charges.
Tool / monthly planProfileModelAPI spendPlan priceSpend ratio
Claude ProSolo ProClaude Sonnet 5.5$36.40$20.001.82×
Claude ProSolo ProClaude Opus 5.5$72.80$20.003.64×
Claude ProSolo ProClaude Haiku 5.5$1.84$20.000.09×
Claude ProPower UserClaude Sonnet 5.5$212.00$20.0010.60×
Claude ProPower UserClaude Opus 5.5$424.00$20.0021.20×
Claude ProPower UserClaude Haiku 5.5$10.70$20.000.53×
Claude ProSmall TeamClaude Sonnet 5.5$818.00$20.0040.90×
Claude ProSmall TeamClaude Opus 5.5$1,636.00$20.0081.80×
Claude ProSmall TeamClaude Haiku 5.5$41.30$20.002.06×
Claude Max 5xSolo ProClaude Sonnet 5.5$36.40$100.000.36×
Claude Max 5xSolo ProClaude Opus 5.5$72.80$100.000.73×
Claude Max 5xSolo ProClaude Haiku 5.5$1.84$100.000.02×
Claude Max 5xPower UserClaude Sonnet 5.5$212.00$100.002.12×
Claude Max 5xPower UserClaude Opus 5.5$424.00$100.004.24×
Claude Max 5xPower UserClaude Haiku 5.5$10.70$100.000.11×
Claude Max 5xSmall TeamClaude Sonnet 5.5$818.00$100.008.18×
Claude Max 5xSmall TeamClaude Opus 5.5$1,636.00$100.0016.36×
Claude Max 5xSmall TeamClaude Haiku 5.5$41.30$100.000.41×
Claude Max 20xSolo ProClaude Sonnet 5.5$36.40$200.000.18×
Claude Max 20xSolo ProClaude Opus 5.5$72.80$200.000.36×
Claude Max 20xSolo ProClaude Haiku 5.5$1.84$200.000.01×
Claude Max 20xPower UserClaude Sonnet 5.5$212.00$200.001.06×
Claude Max 20xPower UserClaude Opus 5.5$424.00$200.002.12×
Claude Max 20xPower UserClaude Haiku 5.5$10.70$200.000.05×
Claude Max 20xSmall TeamClaude Sonnet 5.5$818.00$200.004.09×
Claude Max 20xSmall TeamClaude Opus 5.5$1,636.00$200.008.18×
Claude Max 20xSmall TeamClaude Haiku 5.5$41.30$200.000.21×
ChatGPT GoSolo ProGPT-6.1 Sol$36.40$8.004.55×
ChatGPT GoSolo ProGPT-6 Luna$1.84$8.000.23×
ChatGPT GoPower UserGPT-6.1 Sol$212.00$8.0026.50×
ChatGPT GoPower UserGPT-6 Luna$10.70$8.001.34×
ChatGPT GoSmall TeamGPT-6.1 Sol$818.00$8.00102.25×
ChatGPT GoSmall TeamGPT-6 Luna$41.30$8.005.16×
ChatGPT PlusSolo ProGPT-6.1 Sol$36.40$20.001.82×
ChatGPT PlusSolo ProGPT-6 Luna$1.84$20.000.09×
ChatGPT PlusPower UserGPT-6.1 Sol$212.00$20.0010.60×
ChatGPT PlusPower UserGPT-6 Luna$10.70$20.000.53×
ChatGPT PlusSmall TeamGPT-6.1 Sol$818.00$20.0040.90×
ChatGPT PlusSmall TeamGPT-6 Luna$41.30$20.002.06×
ChatGPT Pro entry tierSolo ProGPT-6.1 Sol$36.40$100.000.36×
ChatGPT Pro entry tierSolo ProGPT-6 Luna$1.84$100.000.02×
ChatGPT Pro entry tierPower UserGPT-6.1 Sol$212.00$100.002.12×
ChatGPT Pro entry tierPower UserGPT-6 Luna$10.70$100.000.11×
ChatGPT Pro entry tierSmall TeamGPT-6.1 Sol$818.00$100.008.18×
ChatGPT Pro entry tierSmall TeamGPT-6 Luna$41.30$100.000.41×
ChatGPT Pro middle tierSolo ProGPT-6.1 Sol$36.40$200.000.18×
ChatGPT Pro middle tierSolo ProGPT-6 Luna$1.84$200.000.01×
ChatGPT Pro middle tierPower UserGPT-6.1 Sol$212.00$200.001.06×
ChatGPT Pro middle tierPower UserGPT-6 Luna$10.70$200.000.05×
ChatGPT Pro middle tierSmall TeamGPT-6.1 Sol$818.00$200.004.09×
ChatGPT Pro middle tierSmall TeamGPT-6 Luna$41.30$200.000.21×
ChatGPT Pro upper tierSolo ProGPT-6.1 Sol$36.40$500.000.07×
ChatGPT Pro upper tierSolo ProGPT-6 Luna$1.84$500.000.00×
ChatGPT Pro upper tierPower UserGPT-6.1 Sol$212.00$500.000.42×
ChatGPT Pro upper tierPower UserGPT-6 Luna$10.70$500.000.02×
ChatGPT Pro upper tierSmall TeamGPT-6.1 Sol$818.00$500.001.64×
ChatGPT Pro upper tierSmall TeamGPT-6 Luna$41.30$500.000.08×
Cursor PlusSolo ProClaude Sonnet 5.5$36.40$8.004.55×
Cursor PlusSolo ProClaude Opus 5.5$72.80$8.009.10×
Cursor PlusSolo ProClaude Haiku 5.5$1.84$8.000.23×
Cursor PlusSolo ProGPT-6.1 Sol$36.40$8.004.55×
Cursor PlusSolo ProGPT-6 Luna$1.84$8.000.23×
Cursor PlusPower UserClaude Sonnet 5.5$212.00$8.0026.50×
Cursor PlusPower UserClaude Opus 5.5$424.00$8.0053.00×
Cursor PlusPower UserClaude Haiku 5.5$10.70$8.001.34×
Cursor PlusPower UserGPT-6.1 Sol$212.00$8.0026.50×
Cursor PlusPower UserGPT-6 Luna$10.70$8.001.34×
Cursor PlusSmall TeamClaude Sonnet 5.5$818.00$8.00102.25×
Cursor PlusSmall TeamClaude Opus 5.5$1,636.00$8.00204.50×
Cursor PlusSmall TeamClaude Haiku 5.5$41.30$8.005.16×
Cursor PlusSmall TeamGPT-6.1 Sol$818.00$8.00102.25×
Cursor PlusSmall TeamGPT-6 Luna$41.30$8.005.16×
Cursor PremiumSolo ProClaude Sonnet 5.5$36.40$30.001.21×
Cursor PremiumSolo ProClaude Opus 5.5$72.80$30.002.43×
Cursor PremiumSolo ProClaude Haiku 5.5$1.84$30.000.06×
Cursor PremiumSolo ProGPT-6.1 Sol$36.40$30.001.21×
Cursor PremiumSolo ProGPT-6 Luna$1.84$30.000.06×
Cursor PremiumPower UserClaude Sonnet 5.5$212.00$30.007.07×
Cursor PremiumPower UserClaude Opus 5.5$424.00$30.0014.13×
Cursor PremiumPower UserClaude Haiku 5.5$10.70$30.000.36×
Cursor PremiumPower UserGPT-6.1 Sol$212.00$30.007.07×
Cursor PremiumPower UserGPT-6 Luna$10.70$30.000.36×
Cursor PremiumSmall TeamClaude Sonnet 5.5$818.00$30.0027.27×
Cursor PremiumSmall TeamClaude Opus 5.5$1,636.00$30.0054.53×
Cursor PremiumSmall TeamClaude Haiku 5.5$41.30$30.001.38×
Cursor PremiumSmall TeamGPT-6.1 Sol$818.00$30.0027.27×
Cursor PremiumSmall TeamGPT-6 Luna$41.30$30.001.38×
Cursor SuperSolo ProClaude Sonnet 5.5$36.40$100.000.36×
Cursor SuperSolo ProClaude Opus 5.5$72.80$100.000.73×
Cursor SuperSolo ProClaude Haiku 5.5$1.84$100.000.02×
Cursor SuperSolo ProGPT-6.1 Sol$36.40$100.000.36×
Cursor SuperSolo ProGPT-6 Luna$1.84$100.000.02×
Cursor SuperPower UserClaude Sonnet 5.5$212.00$100.002.12×
Cursor SuperPower UserClaude Opus 5.5$424.00$100.004.24×
Cursor SuperPower UserClaude Haiku 5.5$10.70$100.000.11×
Cursor SuperPower UserGPT-6.1 Sol$212.00$100.002.12×
Cursor SuperPower UserGPT-6 Luna$10.70$100.000.11×
Cursor SuperSmall TeamClaude Sonnet 5.5$818.00$100.008.18×
Cursor SuperSmall TeamClaude Opus 5.5$1,636.00$100.0016.36×
Cursor SuperSmall TeamClaude Haiku 5.5$41.30$100.000.41×
Cursor SuperSmall TeamGPT-6.1 Sol$818.00$100.008.18×
Cursor SuperSmall TeamGPT-6 Luna$41.30$100.000.41×
Cursor UltraSolo ProClaude Sonnet 5.5$36.40$200.000.18×
Cursor UltraSolo ProClaude Opus 5.5$72.80$200.000.36×
Cursor UltraSolo ProClaude Haiku 5.5$1.84$200.000.01×
Cursor UltraSolo ProGPT-6.1 Sol$36.40$200.000.18×
Cursor UltraSolo ProGPT-6 Luna$1.84$200.000.01×
Cursor UltraPower UserClaude Sonnet 5.5$212.00$200.001.06×
Cursor UltraPower UserClaude Opus 5.5$424.00$200.002.12×
Cursor UltraPower UserClaude Haiku 5.5$10.70$200.000.05×
Cursor UltraPower UserGPT-6.1 Sol$212.00$200.001.06×
Cursor UltraPower UserGPT-6 Luna$10.70$200.000.05×
Cursor UltraSmall TeamClaude Sonnet 5.5$818.00$200.004.09×
Cursor UltraSmall TeamClaude Opus 5.5$1,636.00$200.008.18×
Cursor UltraSmall TeamClaude Haiku 5.5$41.30$200.000.21×
Cursor UltraSmall TeamGPT-6.1 Sol$818.00$200.004.09×
Cursor UltraSmall TeamGPT-6 Luna$41.30$200.000.21×
  • An API key has lower gross spending for Solo Pro on Claude Haiku 5.5: $1.84 versus $20.00 for Claude Pro.
  • A plan has a lower fixed price in the Solo Pro / Claude Sonnet 5.5 scenario: $20.00 for Claude Pro versus $36.40 API spending, if its included usage meets your needs.

Team seat costs

Monthly seat totals exclude usage charges. Annual rows show a monthly equivalent with an annual commitment; a plus sign preserves the published price floor.

Subscription seat totals by developer count
PlanBilling2 developers5 developers10 developers
Claude Team Standardmonthly$50.00$125.00$250.00
Claude Team Standardannual$40.00$100.00$200.00
Claude Team Premiummonthly$250.00$625.00$1,250.00
Claude Team Premiumannual$200.00$500.00$1,000.00
ChatGPT Businessmonthly$50.00$125.00$250.00
ChatGPT Businessannual$40.00$100.00$200.00
Cursor Teamsmonthly$60.00+$150.00+$300.00+
  • Claude Enterprise: US$20/seat/month; annual billing, minimum 20 seats ($400.00 monthly seat floor), plus usage at API rates.
  • ChatGPT Enterprise / Edu: Contact sales.
  • Cursor Enterprise: Custom.

How billing works

Claude Code: Claude Code is included in paid plans and shares usage with Claude apps; rolling five-hour sessions and weekly limits apply to paid individual and Team usage, with extra usage charged at API rates. Max and Team also advertise monthly API credits, subject to their terms; Enterprise combines seats with usage at API rates. Official billing terms.

Codex: Codex shares usage with ChatGPT Work; Plus has local message estimates per five-hour period, and weekly limits may apply. Pro currently has no five-hour limit; API-key use in the CLI, SDK, or IDE is billed at API prices and has no cloud features. Official billing terms.

Cursor: Cursor and Grok share a usage pool that refreshes weekly. Plus offers only Grok models; Premium and above offer Grok usage while third-party model usage is purchased separately at API list prices. Official billing terms.

Estimate your own usage, read Claude Code pricing explained, browse model price comparisons, or learn about cached input.

Frequently asked questions

Is Claude Code cheaper than Codex?

The entry paid monthly plans are $20.00 for Claude Code and $8.00 for Codex. Included models, rollout and usage limits differ; compare the plan terms and API scenarios rather than assuming equal allowances.

Is Cursor cheaper than Claude Code?

Cursor starts at $8.00 monthly for its Grok-only Plus plan, versus $20.00 for Claude Pro. Cursor third-party model usage is purchased separately at API list prices.

When is an API key cheaper than a subscription?

For the disclosed Power User assumptions, Claude Sonnet 5.5 API cost is $212.00, or 10.60× the Claude Pro monthly price. An API key costs less when actual API spending is below the chosen plan price; subscription usage limits still apply.

Do these plans include API usage?

Claude Max and Team advertise monthly API credits under their published terms; those credits are separate from the shared interactive allowance. Codex API-key usage is billed separately. Cursor third-party models and Grok API usage are also billed separately. The estimates here are gross API charges before credits.

Where do these prices come from?

Plan prices come from https://claude.com/pricing, https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11049741-what-is-the-max-plan, https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing, https://cursor.com/pricing; checked 2026-10-22. API estimates use our source-linked model pricing. See /en/methodology for verification and calculation rules. How we verify · Methodology