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 OpenAI Codex if you already pay for ChatGPT and want the coding agent in that allowance.
Pick Windsurf if you want an editor agent at $20 with frontier models and cloud agents.
A coding agent included with ChatGPT, not a separate app subscription.
Cheapest verified paid plan: Plus · $20/mo
The editor formerly called Windsurf, now sold as Devin Desktop.
Cheapest verified paid plan: Pro · $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
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.
Last verified 2026-10-19
Individual
Free
VerifiedLight agent quota, limited models, unlimited inline edits, and unlimited Tab. Quota size is not published.
Price and qualitative limits are from the Devin pricing page. The missing number is stated, not invented.
Individual
$20/mo
VerifiedDaily and weekly quotas, frontier models, free use of SWE-2, Devin Cloud, and extra usage at API pricing. One user. Quota size is not published.
Devin docs describe Pro as the entry individual plan at $20/mo. The pricing page lists free use of SWE-2 and does not print an end date for it.
Individual
$200/mo
VerifiedEverything in Pro with a significantly larger weekly quota and no daily cap. The quota multiple is not published as a number.
The no-daily-cap rule is on Devin's self-serve plan docs. The pricing page says significantly higher quotas and does not print a number.
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.
Pro has daily and weekly quotas. Max has a weekly quota and no daily cap. Cognition does not publish the size. Past the quota, paid plans can buy extra usage at API pricing.
Check the in-app quota before you assume you need a new tool. Pro resets daily and weekly. Max has no daily cap, so a heavy afternoon may not clear overnight.
OpenAI Codex Plus and Windsurf Pro are both listed at $20/mo.
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.
Windsurf is for an editor agent at $20 with frontier models and cloud agents, developers comparing Windsurf with Cursor's current plans, and people who still search for Windsurf and need the current product name.
OpenAI Codex scores 1 out of 5 for someone who does not want to read code. Windsurf scores 1 out of 5. The scores are the same. You are still in a coding agent. This is a poor pick if you never want to see a file. You are in an IDE. Do not start here if you wanted a form.
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. Windsurf: A light agent quota, limited model access, unlimited inline edits, and unlimited Tab. Cognition does not publish the quota as a number.