Codex is OpenAI's coding agent and comes with a ChatGPT plan. Cursor is the editor that used to run everyone's models, until SpaceX bought it: OpenAI has proposed 12 November as the day its models leave, and new Cursor plans are now sold bundled with Grok and X. Codex also installs inside Cursor, which is where a lot of people end up.
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Pick Codex if you want OpenAI's newest models, already pay for ChatGPT, or want an agent that works the same whichever editor you land in, Cursor included.
Pick Cursor if you still type a lot of your own code and want Tab, are happy to run most work on Grok and Composer, and want Claude or Gemini one click away even at API price.
Pick neither if the model you actually want is Claude at a flat monthly price, because Codex only runs OpenAI's models and Cursor now bills Claude on top of the subscription, while Claude Code is the direct way to buy it.
prices checked 2026-10-13 · by dan scutaru
| Codex | Cursor | |
|---|---|---|
| price | free tier · from $20/mo | free tier · from $8/mo |
| free tier | ChatGPT Free includes Codex for quick tasks: GPT-6 Luna at Standard speed in the desktop app only, subject to rollout. No published message count. | Free plan: limited agent requests and limited Chat requests, in a pool shared with Grok. Third-party models (Claude, GPT, Gemini) not included. No published limits. |
| runs on | web, ios, mac, windows, linux, api | mac, windows, linux, web, ios |
| cheapest plan with the full product | ChatGPT Plus, $20/mo: web, CLI, IDE extension, iOS, GPT-6.1 Sol | Premium, $30/mo: cloud agents, Bugbot, third-party models. Plus at $8 is Grok only. |
| top individual plan | ChatGPT Pro at $100, $200 or $500/mo | Ultra, $200/mo (50x Plus usage) |
| models | OpenAI only: GPT-6 Astra, GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-6 Luna and older | Grok and Composer in the plan. Claude, Gemini, GPT and others at API list price, GPT until the proposed 12 November cutoff. |
| how the limit is stated | An estimate per 5 hours: 15 to 160 local messages on GPT-6.1 Sol on Plus | A multiple of Plus usage (4x, 15x, 50x), refreshed weekly |
| inside the editor | An agent chat panel. No inline autocomplete documented. | Tab completions as you type, plus the agent |
Yes, and after 12 November it is the cleanest way to keep OpenAI in Cursor. OpenAI's extension installs straight into Cursor, signs in with your ChatGPT plan or an API key, and runs as its own agent in a side panel that does not depend on Cursor's model picker.
It shares nothing with Cursor. On a ChatGPT sign-in it spends your Codex allowance, while Cursor's agent, Tab and cloud agents bill your Cursor plan. Want both agents and you pay two subscriptions.
OpenAI is winding down its contract to supply models to Cursor and has proposed 12 November 2026 as the end. Until then Cursor keeps the OpenAI models it has, and it may end access sooner.
To keep GPT in Cursor, OpenAI lists your own API key, a gateway such as Azure or Amazon Bedrock, or the Codex extension. Keys and gateways reach only local Chat and Agent, not Tab, Auto, cloud agents or the Cursor CLI.
The $20 against $20 in most comparisons is gone. Codex still comes with ChatGPT Plus at $20. Since 12 October new Cursor customers buy the X Subscription: Plus at $8 with Grok models only, Premium at $30, Super at $100, Ultra at $200, each a multiple of Plus usage that refreshes weekly. From Premium up, Claude, Gemini and GPT are billed on top at API list price.
Already on Cursor Pro? Nothing changes until X moves you, and it has given no date.
The split follows the models. Cursor users who stay give one reason, "the ability to switch between models", and several say the Grok and Composer allowance goes further than an OpenAI or Anthropic plan. People leaving point at OpenAI's exit; one long-time Cursor user said Codex's cloud agents had them considering a switch. Complaints about Codex are about the editor side, such as a diff view that puts every change in one tab.
Sort them by who makes the model. Codex runs OpenAI's, Claude Code runs Anthropic's, Cursor runs Grok and Composer in the plan and everyone else at API price. Codex and Claude Code both install in Cursor, so a common setup is Cursor for Tab and diffs, with one agent on its own subscription doing the long tasks. Our Codex vs Claude Code and Cursor vs Claude Code comparisons cover each of those pairs.
For OpenAI's newest models, yes: Codex has GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol, and Cursor's list stops at GPT-5.6. For writing code yourself with Tab, or switching between Grok, Claude and Gemini, Cursor is the better tool. Many people run Codex inside Cursor and skip the choice.
Partly. ChatGPT Free and the $8 Go plan include Codex on GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app only, subject to rollout. The CLI, IDE extension, web and iOS versions start with ChatGPT Plus at $20 a month. The full answer →
Yes, with limits Cursor does not publish. The Free plan gives limited agent and chat requests with no third-party models. Cloud agents, Bugbot and Claude or Gemini start with Premium at $30 a month. The full answer →
Yes. Cursor announced on 14 August 2026 that it had been acquired by SpaceX. Since 12 October new Cursor plans are sold by X Subscription Corp. as one bundle with Grok and X Premium.