Agent comparison
Claude Code vs Codex Cost
The cheapest AI coding tool depends on task shape. A daily stream of small fixes, a weekly repository refactor, and a long-running multi-agent review can produce very different cost profiles.
Use Coding Cost Lab to compare editable assumptions for input/output tokens, cached context, subscription price, and included monthly budget.
Compare by workflow
- Small bug fixes: compare speed, number of turns, and plan limits.
- Feature builds: compare repeated context and output volume.
- Large refactors: compare cache savings and monthly overage risk.
- Code reviews: compare repeated review loops and final patch volume.
What not to compare
A simple price-per-token table is not enough. Coding agents can spend tokens on repo exploration, tool results, test output, and repeated planning. Cost planning should model the whole task loop.