Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools
Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex vs OpenRouter
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Anyone building software, from first-timers to senior engineers, who wants an AI that does the work itself.
Pick it if: ChatGPT subscribers who want a coding agent without paying for a second subscription.
Pick it if: Business owners and developers adding AI to a product, and anyone who wants to try lots of models cheaply from one account.
Claude Code scores highest overall, but OpenAI Codex gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.
Overview
| Attribute | Claude Code | OpenAI Codex | OpenRouter |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | An AI agent that works inside your project: it reads, writes and runs the code for you. | OpenAI's coding agent. Hand it a task and it works away while you do other things. | One account and one API key for hundreds of AI models, paid for at the makers' prices. |
| Pricing model | Paid | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $20/mo | $8/mo | Model prices plus a 5.5% fee on credit top-ups |
| Free plan | No | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | No | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Claude Code | OpenAI Codex | OpenRouter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.4Winner | 4.2 | 3.7 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 5.0 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Claude Code | OpenAI Codex | OpenRouter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | No | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | No |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | No |
| Browser extension | No | No | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | Yes | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | No | No | Yes |
| Makes video | No | No | – |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | – |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | Yes | – |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 12/ 17 | 14/ 17 | 10/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Claude Code | OpenAI Codex | OpenRouter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | ProOur pick $20/mo, or $17/mo billed yearly Trying Claude Code and light daily use. | Free Free A quick look at what it can do. | Free Free Trying models and light hobby use. |
Team From $20/seat/mo billed yearly, or $25 monthly Businesses with 2 to 150 people who want central billing. | Go $8/mo Occasional light tasks. | Pay as you goOur pick Model prices plus a 5.5% fee on credit top-ups Most businesses and developers building with AI. | |
Enterprise $20/seat/mo billed yearly, 20-seat minimum Larger companies with compliance needs. | PlusOur pick $20/mo Anyone who already pays for ChatGPT. | Business Model prices plus an 8% fee on credit top-ups Companies that need data kept in the EU or US. | |
Max From $100/mo Anyone running Claude Code for hours a day. | Pro From $100/mo Developers who hit the Plus limits. | Enterprise Custom Large teams with volume commitments. | |
API (pay as you go) Usage based Teams who want to pay only for what they use. | Business $20/user/mo billed yearly, or $25 monthly Teams of 2 or more. | ||
Enterprise Custom Large organisations. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Start on Pro. It is enough to build a small site or tool in evenings and weekends. If you hit the limit most days, Max 5x is the next step; it costs five times as much but usually works out cheaper than paying for the API directly. Max also lets you spend up to half your weekly limit on Fable, which Pro only gets through paid credits. | If you already have ChatGPT Plus, you have Codex: just try it. If you are choosing between this and Claude Code with no existing subscription, Plus at $20 and Claude Pro at $20 cost the same, so pick whichever chat assistant you prefer. If you outgrow Plus, Pro starts at $100 and has no five-hour limit for now. The $200 tier gives new subscribers less usage than it used to, and Ultrafast mode is only on the $500 tier. | Start free to test, then top up $10 to $20 of credit on Pay as you go. That alone lifts the free-model limit to 1,000 requests a day. Only look at Business if you have a legal reason to keep data in a region. |
Key features
| Attribute | Claude Code | OpenAI Codex | OpenRouter |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Claude Code | OpenAI Codex | OpenRouter |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Claude Code | OpenAI Codex | OpenRouter |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Claude Code, OpenAI Codex or OpenRouter?
Claude Code scores highest overall in our ratings (Claude Code 4.4/5, OpenAI Codex 4.2/5 and OpenRouter 3.7/5). Claude Code is best for building features end to end and fixing bugs you can't find. OpenAI Codex is best for background tasks in the cloud and starting a task from your phone. OpenRouter is best for Adding AI to your app without five vendor accounts and trying new models cheaply on launch day.
Which is cheaper, Claude Code, OpenAI Codex or OpenRouter?
Claude Code: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $20/mo. OpenAI Codex: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $8/mo. OpenRouter: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at Model prices plus a 5.5% fee on credit top-ups.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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