kitio.aiOpenAI Codex vs Daytona
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. OpenAI Codex starts at $8/mo and Daytona starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
At a glance
Best for
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Cloud coding tasks
- Codex CLI
- IDE extension
- Desktop app
- Automatic PR review
- Sub-second sandbox start
- Python and TypeScript SDKs
- Snapshots
- GPU environments
- Windows desktops
| Feature | OpenAI Codex | Daytona |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | OpenAI's coding agent in the cloud, CLI, IDE and desktop app | Fast sandboxes for AI agents to run code, with GPU options |
| Category | Coding | Coding |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $8/mo | See pricing page |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | OpenAI | Daytona |
| Based in | United States | United States |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
OpenAI Codex starts at $8/mo and Daytona starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
6 plans
Free
Free
- Limited Codex usage
- Via ChatGPT account
Go
$8/mo
- ChatGPT Go plan
- More Codex usage than Free
Plus
$20/mo
- ChatGPT Plus plan
- Codex in CLI, IDE and cloud
Pro
$100/mo
- Starting price; $200 and $500 tiers
- Highest Codex limits
Business
$25/mo
- Per user
- Shared workspace and admin controls
Enterprise
Contact sales
- Enterprise security
- Flexible usage
2 plans
Pay as you go
$0.0504 / vCPU-hour
- $200 free compute included
- Memory $0.0162/GiB-hour
- GPUs from $0.57/hour
- Billed per second
Enterprise
Contact sales
- Larger limits
- SSO and audit logs
- Bring your own cloud
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
OpenAI Codex
- Included in ChatGPT plans
- Runs many tasks in parallel
- Open-source CLI
- Token-based limits are hard to predict
- Free tier usage is small
Daytona
- Very fast cold starts
- GPU support
- Pay only for use
- Costs grow with concurrency
- Younger than E2B
Which one should you choose?
Choose OpenAI Codex if you want:
- Included in ChatGPT plans
- Runs many tasks in parallel
- Open-source CLI
Watch out: token-based limits are hard to predict.
Choose Daytona if you want:
- Very fast cold starts
- GPU support
- Pay only for use
Watch out: costs grow with concurrency.
OpenAI Codex vs Daytona FAQ
What is the difference between OpenAI Codex and Daytona?
OpenAI Codex: OpenAI's coding agent in the cloud, CLI, IDE and desktop app. Daytona: Fast sandboxes for AI agents to run code, with GPU options. Both are coding tools.
Is OpenAI Codex or Daytona cheaper?
OpenAI Codex starts at $8/mo and Daytona starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do OpenAI Codex and Daytona have free plans?
OpenAI Codex: Yes. Daytona: Yes.
Who makes OpenAI Codex?
OpenAI Codex is made by OpenAI, based in United States.
Who makes Daytona?
Daytona is made by Daytona, based in United States.
Which should I choose, OpenAI Codex or Daytona?
Choose OpenAI Codex if you value included in chatgpt plans and runs many tasks in parallel. Choose Daytona if you value very fast cold starts and gpu support.