AI coding plans compared
What Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and the GLM Coding Plan cost, what each plan includes, and which one fits how you code.
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The short answer
Claude Code and Codex both start at $20 a month, on Claude Pro and ChatGPT Plus. Cursor starts at $8 but includes only Grok models; Claude and GPT cost extra at API price from Premium ($30). The GLM Coding Plan is the budget pick at $18 a month and runs inside Claude Code. For heavy daily use, expect $100 to $200 a month on any of them.
Prices checked on each vendor's pricing page on October 26, 2026. US dollars, billed monthly unless noted.
Find the cheapest plan for how you code
Cheapest fit
Codex Plus: $20/mo
Per 5 hours: 5-45 messages on GPT-6 Astra, 15-160 on GPT-6.1 Sol, 350-3,000 on GPT-6 Luna.
Also fits
Cursor Premium: $30/mo
4x Plus usage, refreshed weekly.
Also fits
GLM Coding Plan Pro: $80/mo
$56/mo billed yearly
12,000 credits per 5 hours, 60,000 per week.
Also fits
Claude Code Max 5x: $100/mo
5x Pro's per-session usage.
Usage levels are AETW's judgment from each vendor's published limits. Most workdays.
Every plan, side by side
| Tool and plan | Price a month | Models included | Usage limits | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Code Pro | $20$17 yearly | Claude | Five-hour session limit plus a weekly cap, shared with Claude chat | Light use |
| Claude Code Max 5x | $100 | Claude | 5x Pro's per-session usage | Daily use |
| Claude Code Max 20x | $200 | Claude | 20x Pro's per-session usage | Heavy use |
| Codex Free | Free | OpenAI GPT | GPT-6 Luna only | Trial |
| Codex Go | $8 | OpenAI GPT | GPT-6 Luna only | Trial |
| Codex Plus | $20 | OpenAI GPT | Per 5 hours: 5-45 messages on GPT-6 Astra, 15-160 on GPT-6.1 Sol, 350-3,000 on GPT-6 Luna | Daily use |
| Codex Pro $100 | $100 | OpenAI GPT | No five-hour limit currently | Heavy use |
| Codex Pro $200 | $200 | OpenAI GPT | No five-hour limit currently | Heavy use |
| Codex Pro $500 | $500 | OpenAI GPT | No five-hour limit currently, plus Ultrafast mode | Heavy use |
| Cursor Free | Free | Grok | Limited agent and chat requests | Trial |
| Cursor Plus | $8 | Grok | Shared weekly usage pool, Grok models only | Light use |
| Cursor Premium | $30 | Grok+ Claude, OpenAI GPT at API price | 4x Plus usage, refreshed weekly | Daily use |
| Cursor Super | $100 | Grok+ Claude, OpenAI GPT at API price | 15x Plus usage, refreshed weekly | Heavy use |
| Cursor Ultra | $200 | Grok+ Claude, OpenAI GPT at API price | 50x Plus usage, refreshed weekly | Heavy use |
| GLM Coding Plan Lite | $18$12.60 yearly | GLM | 2,000 credits per 5 hours, 10,000 per week | Light use |
| GLM Coding Plan Pro | $80$56 yearly | GLM | 12,000 credits per 5 hours, 60,000 per week | Daily use |
| GLM Coding Plan Max | $168$117.60 yearly | GLM | 28,000 credits per 5 hours, 140,000 per week | Heavy use |
“Fits” is AETW's judgment from each vendor's published limits. Download the full dataset as JSON.
Claude Code
Included with every paid Claude plan. Runs Anthropic's Claude models (Opus 5.5, Sonnet 5.5, Haiku 5.5).
Codex
Included with ChatGPT plans. Runs OpenAI's GPT-6 models (Astra, GPT-6.1 Sol, Luna).
Cursor
Sold in X Subscription tiers since October 12, 2026. Grok models are included; Claude, GPT and Gemini cost extra at API list price from Premium.
Full Cursor pricing breakdown · Anysphere (X Subscription) pricing page
GLM Coding Plan
Runs Z.ai's GLM-5.3 and GLM-5.3-Flash inside Claude Code, Cline and other coding agents. 30% off with yearly billing.
More comparisons: Claude Code vs Cursor · Claude Code vs Codex · Codex usage limits and token saving
AI coding plans: common questions
What is the cheapest AI coding plan?
The cheapest paid plan with a usable coding agent is Cursor Plus at $8 a month, with Grok models included. For a full agent in the terminal and IDE, Claude Code and Codex both start at $20 a month, on Claude Pro and ChatGPT Plus.
Claude Code vs Codex vs Cursor: which is cheapest?
At entry level, Cursor Plus costs $8 but only runs Grok models. Claude Code (Claude Pro) and Codex (ChatGPT Plus) both cost $20. At the top, Claude Max 20x is $200, Cursor Ultra is $200 and ChatGPT Pro $500 is $500.
Can I use Claude models in Cursor?
Yes, from Cursor Premium ($30 a month) up, but Claude, GPT and Gemini are billed at API list price on top of the plan. Only Grok models are included in Cursor's plan usage since its October 12, 2026 move to X Subscription tiers.
Is the GLM Coding Plan cheaper than Claude Code?
It can be. The GLM Coding Plan starts at $18 a month ($12.60 billed yearly) and runs Z.ai's GLM-5.3 models inside Claude Code and other agents. You get Claude Code's interface, but not Anthropic's Claude models.
How often are these prices checked?
Every price on this page was checked against the vendor's own pricing page on October 26, 2026, and the page is updated when a vendor changes its plans. The data is free to download as JSON.
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