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 Lovable if you want a web app or SaaS you want to describe in the browser.
Pick OpenAI Codex if you already pay for ChatGPT and want the coding agent in that allowance.
A browser builder for web apps, with a hard monthly cap on the free plan.
Cheapest verified paid plan: Pro 100 · $25/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
Verified5 build credits per day, maximum 30 per calendar month. 20 Cloud credits, 4 AI credits, and 1 connector credit per month. No code edit, code download, or custom domain.
Daily credits resume on the 1st at 00:00 UTC after the monthly cap.
Individual
$25/mo
VerifiedAnnual is $250 ($21/mo), two months free versus monthly.
100 monthly credits, plus 5 build credits every day with no monthly cap. 20 Cloud credits, 4 AI credits, and 1 connector credit per month. Code edit, download, custom domain, badge removal. Top-ups are $15 per 50 credits.
The ladder runs from 100 to 10,000 credits. Higher rungs cost more. See the Pro tier table in Lovable's docs.
Individual
$50/mo
VerifiedAnnual is $500 ($42/mo).
200 monthly credits. Same Pro features as the $25 tier.
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.
Daily build credits reset at 00:00 UTC and do not roll over. On Free they stop after 30 in a calendar month until the 1st. Paid monthly credits last two months from issue.
On Free, wait until the next UTC day, or until the 1st if you already used 30 build credits.
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.
OpenAI Codex's cheapest paid plan the ranking counts is Plus at $20/mo. Lovable's cheapest paid plan the ranking counts is Pro 100 at $25/mo.
Lovable is for a web app or SaaS you want to describe in the browser, a marketing site when you also want a simple app behind it, and beginners who do not want to open an editor on day one.
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.
Lovable scores 5 out of 5 for someone who does not want to read code. OpenAI Codex scores 1 out of 5. Lovable has the higher no-code score. One of the few tools in this set that is honest about a no-code start. You are still in a coding agent. This is a poor pick if you never want to see a file.
Lovable: 5 build credits a day, capped at 30 per calendar month, plus 20 Cloud credits, 4 AI credits, and 1 connector credit. You cannot edit or download the code, or attach a custom domain, until Pro. 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.