A decision for a beginner, not a spec sheet. Scores are our weights. Prices are the public plans, and anything marked verify on the tool page should be re-checked before you pay.
Pick GitHub Copilot if you want an assistant inside VS Code, JetBrains, or GitHub.
Pick OpenAI Codex if you already pay for ChatGPT and want the coding agent in that allowance.
An IDE assistant at $10 a month, if you already live in GitHub.
Cheapest verified paid plan: Pro · $10/mo
A coding agent included with ChatGPT, not a separate app subscription.
Cheapest verified paid plan: Plus · $20/mo
Web app or SaaS
Mobile app
Game
Website or landing page
Automation or script
No code
I can follow a change
I already develop
Last verified 2026-10-19
Individual
Free
VerifyA limited free tier. The plans FAQ still lists 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests. The billing docs say 2,000 completions a month plus an AI credit allowance whose size is not stated, with auto model selection only.
The free price is real. On 2026-10-19 the chat allowance and the credit allowance still disagree across GitHub's own pages, so this row stays verify.
Individual
$10/mo
Verified1,500 AI credits a month (1,000 base + 500 flex). Completions and next edit do not use credits. 1 credit = $0.01.
From GitHub's usage-based billing docs for individuals.
Individual
$39/mo
Verified7,000 AI credits a month (3,900 base + 3,100 flex). Completions stay unlimited.
Flex allotments can change. Base credits are tied to the subscription price.
Individual
$100/mo
Verified20,000 AI credits a month (10,000 base + 10,000 flex).
The individual plan for sustained agent work.
Last verified 2026-10-19
Individual
Free
VerifiedLimited trial access to Codex and limited access to GPT-5.6. Codex pricing docs also list GPT-6 Luna at Standard speed in the desktop app, subject to rollout. No published prompt count.
Confirmed on the Codex pricing page as a limited trial. GPT-6 Luna on Free is listed as subject to rollout, so it is not treated as a guarantee.
Individual
Confirm on chatgpt.com/pricing
VerifyLimited Codex, above Free. Codex pricing docs at learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing list Go at $8/mo. chatgpt.com/pricing still did not print a dollar amount on 2026-10-19.
Left out of budget matching. The $8 figure is on a Codex pricing doc, and the live ChatGPT pricing page still does not show it.
Individual
$20/mo
VerifiedExpanded Codex for a few focused sessions a week. Codex app on macOS and Windows. Local and cloud usage share the allowance. Weekly limits may apply. GPT-6 Astra access is limited, with credits for more.
Plus is $20/mo on OpenAI's help center. Annual billing is not offered.
Individual
$100/mo
VerifiedHigher Codex allowance for longer daily sessions. GPT-6 Astra is included in the allowance. Ultrafast is not included.
From OpenAI's Pro tiers help article.
Individual
$200/mo
VerifiedMore included usage than Pro 100. Ultrafast is not included. New subscriptions may have a lower allowance than older Pro 200 accounts.
OpenAI says the monthly price remains $200.
Individual
$500/mo
VerifiedHighest included Pro usage. Ultrafast for GPT-6 Astra and GPT-6.1 Sol is included and draws the included allowance at 8× the Standard rate for that model.
Ultrafast is only on this Pro tier. The 8× rate is from OpenAI's Pro tiers help article.
Monthly. Included credits do not roll over. Base credits are used before the flex allotment.
Wait for the monthly reset.
Plan allowance, with weekly limits that may also apply. Local messages and cloud chats share it. OpenAI does not publish one universal reset clock.
Switch to a lower-cost model. OpenAI says that stretches the same allowance.
GitHub Copilot's cheapest paid plan the ranking counts is Pro at $10/mo. OpenAI Codex's cheapest paid plan the ranking counts is Plus at $20/mo.
GitHub Copilot is for a developer who wants an assistant inside VS Code, JetBrains, or GitHub, staying near $10 a month, and web app and script work where you already have the repo open.
OpenAI Codex is for developers who already pay for ChatGPT and want the coding agent in that allowance, web apps and automations with local and cloud tasks, and a few focused coding sessions a week on Plus.
GitHub Copilot scores 1 out of 5 for someone who does not want to read code. OpenAI Codex scores 1 out of 5. The scores are the same. Copilot assumes an editor. It is the wrong first tool if you do not want files. You are still in a coding agent. This is a poor pick if you never want to see a file.
GitHub Copilot: Free is real, with a tight cap. The plans FAQ still says 2,000 completions and 50 chats. A later billing post describes limited completions plus limited chat and agent usage. Confirm the live counter. OpenAI Codex: Free includes a limited Codex trial. OpenAI does not publish a fixed prompt count. It is enough to see the product, not to build through the month.