Codex, Claude Code, and Cursor overlap, but they optimize different workflows. Compare their controls, execution model, repository fit, and live plan terms before comparing the models they can route.
Quick Decision
| Need | Start with | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI-native cloud-agent tasks | Codex | Managed task execution and OpenAI account integration |
| Terminal-native repository work | Claude Code | Claude-native coding workflow with Sonnet and Opus lanes |
| IDE-first autocomplete and interactive editing | Cursor | Editor-integrated completion, chat, and agent workflows |
| Premium Claude review | Claude Code with Opus 5 | Opus 5 is the active premium Claude baseline |
| GPT-5.6 coding | Codex | Sol, Terra, and Luna are generally available with plan-dependent access |
There is no defensible universal winner. A tool that reduces interaction time can matter more than a small benchmark difference, while a premium model can matter when it prevents an expensive mistake.
Current Model Status
| Lane | Current read |
|---|---|
| OpenAI | GPT-5.6 Sol/Terra/Luna are generally available across ChatGPT, Codex, and API |
| Anthropic | Sonnet 5 is the daily production lane and Opus 5 is the premium baseline |
| Fable/Mythos | Fable restored but guarded and high-cost; Mythos remains trusted-access only |
| Older rows | Opus 4.5 and earlier GPT results are historical, not June 2026 rankings |
Tool model pickers and aliases change. Confirm the exact model available in the target account instead of treating this page as an entitlement list.
benchmark artifact
Relevant Current Model Evidence
| Model | Provider | Status | Context | Input price | Output price | Coding signal | Tool-use signal | Benchmark evidence | Speed | Verdict | Sources | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPT-5.5 | OpenAI | active Generally available prior-generation OpenAI model retained for existing integrations and comparisons. | 1.05M API; 400K Codex | $5.00 / 1M | $30.00 / 1M | not verified | not verified | not verified | not verified | Primary coding seat while ChatGPT/Codex limits fit the workload. | OpenAI GPT-5.5 API model page, OpenAI GPT-5.5 ChatGPT limits, Artificial Analysis: GPT-5.5, LMArena leaderboard dataset | 2026-06-28 |
| GPT-5.6 Sol | OpenAI | active Generally available through ChatGPT paid plans, Codex paid plans, and the OpenAI API; plan and effort options vary. | 1.05M | $5.00 / 1M | $30.00 / 1M | Artificial Analysis reports 80 on its Coding Agent Index at max effort; OpenAI reports 64.6% on SWE-bench Pro. | Generally available in API and paid Codex plans; max and ultra modes are vendor-documented. |
| OpenAI announced a selected-customer Cerebras preview for July; production latency is not verified. | Generally available flagship; test on real tasks and apply stronger controls for agentic or cyber work. | OpenAI GPT-5.6 general availability [archive], OpenAI API pricing [archive], Artificial Analysis GPT-5.6 evaluation [archive], Agent Arena leaderboard, OpenAI GPT-5.6 availability [archive], OpenAI GPT-5.6 system card | 2026-08-01 |
| Claude Sonnet 5 | Anthropic | active Generally available across Claude plans, Claude Code, the Claude API, GitHub Copilot, and supported AWS paths. | 1M | $2.00 / 1M | $10.00 / 1M | Anthropic reports substantial coding and agentic gains over Sonnet 4.6; independent normalized results are pending. | Available in Claude Code and the Claude API; adaptive thinking is on by default. |
| No site-owned normalized latency result is verified. | First Claude cost/performance test before Opus 5; escalate only when the premium pass changes the accepted result. | Anthropic Claude Sonnet 5 launch [archive], Claude Sonnet 5 migration guide [archive], GitHub Copilot Claude Sonnet 5 launch [archive], Claude Sonnet 5 on AWS [archive], Artificial Analysis: Claude Opus 5 [archive] | 2026-07-25 |
| Claude Opus 5 | Anthropic | active Current premium Claude baseline; default on Max, strongest Pro model, and available through the Claude API and supported cloud platforms. | 1M | $5.00 / 1M | $25.00 / 1M | Anthropic reports major agentic-coding gains; Artificial Analysis reports joint first on its Coding Agent Index at xhigh. | Thinking is on by default; five effort settings materially change cost, latency, and task performance. |
| Artificial Analysis reports high/xhigh/max AA-Briefcase runtimes of 25.7/34.3/36.2 minutes per task; Fast mode is a separate API research preview. | Premium escalation for consequential agentic and knowledge work; compare complete-task cost against Sonnet 5 before default routing. | Anthropic Claude Opus 5 launch [archive], What's new in Claude Opus 5 [archive], Claude Opus 5 system card [archive], Claude models overview [archive], Claude API pricing [archive], Artificial Analysis: Claude Opus 5 [archive], Artificial Analysis: Claude Opus 5 on AA-Briefcase [archive] | 2026-07-25 |
| Claude Opus 4.8 | Anthropic | historical Still available, but superseded by Opus 5 for current premium comparisons. | 1M | $5.00 / 1M | $25.00 / 1M | Historical premium Claude baseline; use Opus 5 for new task-level comparisons. | Still available for pinned integrations; new Claude premium routing should test Opus 5. |
| Artificial Analysis measured 57.3 output tokens/s; provider and workload latency vary. | Historical premium baseline. Use Claude Opus 5 for current Claude premium routing. | Claude models overview [archive], Claude API pricing [archive], Artificial Analysis: Claude Opus 4.8 [archive], Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index v4.1, LMArena leaderboard dataset, Berkeley Function Calling Leaderboard | 2026-07-25 |
| Claude Fable 5 | Anthropic | active Generally available; temporary subscription allowances ended July 7 and current subscription use is through usage credits. | 1M | $10.00 / 1M | $50.00 / 1M | Anthropic reports frontier launch results; independent reproducible ranking is pending. | Guarded-domain requests can refuse or fall back; verify account behavior before routing. |
| Task latency varies; compare complete-task runtime before escalation. | High-cost guarded escalation only; use Opus 5 as the practical Claude premium baseline. | Claude models overview [archive], Claude API pricing [archive], Anthropic Fable 5 and Mythos 5 [archive], Anthropic Fable/Mythos access statement [archive], Anthropic Fable 5 redeployment [archive], Artificial Analysis: Claude Opus 5 [archive], Artificial Analysis: Claude Opus 5 on AA-Briefcase [archive] | 2026-07-25 |
This table evaluates model evidence, not the surrounding coding tools. Tool productivity still requires the same repository task and acceptance rules.
Workflow Differences
Codex
Use Codex when the OpenAI-native agent workflow, managed execution environment, and task delegation fit the repository. Verify current workspace permissions, network access, model selection, rate limits, and data controls.
GPT-5.6 access varies by Codex plan: Free and Go receive Terra, while paid plans can choose Sol, Terra, or Luna. Verified defenders can request Trusted Access for less-restricted cyber work.
Claude Code
Use Claude Code when a terminal-native workflow and Claude model routing fit. Start routine work with Sonnet 5 and escalate difficult review, architecture, or debugging to Opus 5.
Do not describe Claude Code as exposing private chain-of-thought. Evaluate the visible plan, tool calls, diffs, tests, and final explanation instead.
Cursor
Use Cursor when editor-integrated completion, interactive changes, and visual diff review matter most. Its available models, quotas, modes, and prices can change independently of provider API list prices, so check the current product and billing pages.
What to Compare
| Dimension | Evidence to collect |
|---|---|
| Repository control | Allowed paths, confirmation gates, worktree behavior, and diff review |
| Model identity | Exact model ID or a recorded “provider-managed/undisclosed” limitation |
| Completion quality | Tests, accepted patches, regressions, and repair work |
| Cost | Subscription, API usage, premium requests, retries, and review time |
| Latency | Time to first useful edit and time to accepted completion |
| Security | Credential scope, network access, retention, logs, and administrative controls |
Avoid hard-coded concurrency, latency, or message-limit claims unless the current provider page documents them. Account tiers and rollout cohorts can produce materially different behavior.
Evaluation Protocol
Pin one repository commit and run:
- A repository architecture map.
- One real failing-test fix.
- A cross-file refactor with explicit boundaries.
- Review of another tool’s patch.
For every run, record the tool version, model, settings, prompt, time, tokens or credits, retries, tests, final diff, and reviewer disposition. A run without the exact model identity should not be merged into a model leaderboard.
Pricing Rules
- Keep tool subscriptions separate from provider API pricing.
- Treat checkout, credits, premium requests, and rate limits as live account facts.
- Compare cost per accepted task, not only input-token list price.
- Do not infer a tool’s monthly cost from a model API example.
Current API reference points include Sonnet 5 at $2/$10 through August 31 (then $3/$15), Opus 5 at $5/$25, and GPT-5.6 Sol at $5/$30. Those numbers do not describe Cursor, Claude Code, or Codex subscription entitlements.
Security Rules
All three tools can act on valuable repositories and credentials. Use least privilege, separate development and production credentials, require confirmation for destructive or external actions, and verify completion from repository and external-state evidence.
Air-gapped or local-model support must be verified for the exact configuration. A terminal interface alone does not make a cloud-model workflow local or offline.
Verdict
- Choose Codex for OpenAI-native managed agent tasks after validating workspace controls and the current model.
- Choose Claude Code for terminal-native Claude workflows, with Sonnet 5 as the routine lane and Opus 5 as premium escalation.
- Choose Cursor for IDE-first interaction after validating its current model roster, quotas, and privacy controls.
- Use multiple tools only when the repository policy, commit boundaries, and review process keep their changes attributable.
Sources
- OpenAI: Codex and GPT-5.6 general availability
- Anthropic: Claude Code, model overview, and pricing
- Cursor: Documentation and pricing
- Artificial Analysis: Claude Opus 5 and Claude Opus 4.8
Related links
- /compare/codex-vs-claude-vs-kimi/
- /models/gpt-5-6/
- /models/claude-opus-5/
- /models/claude-opus-4-8/
- /tools/codex/
- /tools/cursor/
- /risks/codex/cloud-dependency-risks/
Last verified: June 28, 2026. Tool plans, model rosters, quotas, security controls, and preview access change independently.