CoterieBY OFFLINEAt a glance
| Claude Code | Codex | |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Anthropic | OpenAI |
| Included in | Claude Pro and Max, Team, Enterprise, or a Console (API) account. Not in the free Claude plan. | ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Edu and Enterprise, or an API key. |
| Usage limits | A five-hour session limit and a weekly limit, shared with your Claude chats. | Measured per five-hour window on Plus and Business; Pro currently has no five-hour limit. Weekly limits may apply. |
| At the limit | Wait for the reset, turn on usage credits, upgrade, or pay with API credits. | Wait, buy extra credits (Plus and Pro), or continue with an API key at API rates. |
| Windows | Native on Windows 10 1809+ or through WSL. Sandboxing requires WSL 2. | Native in PowerShell with a Windows sandbox, or through WSL 2. |
| Install | irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex in PowerShell | npm install -g @openai/codex |
Both vendors describe their limits in relative terms and change them often, so we link the live pages below instead of copying numbers.
Limits matter more than benchmarks
In daily use, the difference you feel is not which model writes slightly better code on a given day. It is when each one stops. Claude Code draws from the same allowance as your Claude chats. Codex measures its own usage per five-hour window on most plans, and OpenAI currently lifts that window on Pro.
Because the two limits reset independently, one tool usually still has capacity when the other has run out. With a single subscription, hitting the limit means waiting. With both, the work can continue on the other agent.
On Windows
Both now run natively on Windows. Claude Code installs from PowerShell without administrator rights and uses Git Bash when Git for Windows is installed, or PowerShell otherwise; its sandbox needs WSL 2. Codex includes its own Windows sandbox, which enforces the filesystem and network permissions you choose for every command. OpenAI recommends the native sandbox by default and WSL only when you need Linux tooling.
Which one should you use?
If you already pay for Claude, Claude Code is included in your plan; if you already pay for ChatGPT, the same is true of Codex. Each is stronger on some tasks and weaker on others, and the balance shifts with every model release, so any ranking is out of date within weeks.
What stays true is the value of a second, independent opinion. Code written by one model and reviewed by a model from another provider is checked more thoroughly than code a single model writes and approves on its own.
Getting the most from both
You can run them side by side by hand: one git worktree each, separate files, and one reviewing the other's changes. Our step-by-step guide explains how.
Coterie turns that into one workflow on Windows. An architect model splits your goal into small tasks. Claude Code, Codex and Antigravity build them in parallel, each in its own worktree. A model from a different provider reviews every change, Coterie runs your tests on the reviewed files, and you try the finished result before it merges. When one subscription reaches its limit, the next task goes to an agent that still has room.