Gemini CLI vs Claude Code vs Codex: quotas, plans, and limits compared
Google's Gemini CLI, Anthropic's Claude Code and OpenAI's Codex compared on how you pay and how usage is limited, from each vendor's own pages — plus how to run Gemini in Claude Code or Codex.
Each of the three big labs now has its own terminal coding agent: Google's Gemini CLI, Anthropic's Claude Code and OpenAI's Codex. They differ most in how usage is metered. Here is each, from the vendors' own pages as of November 4, 2026.
How usage is metered
| Gemini CLI | Claude Code | Codex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit | Requests per day | Relative usage per 5 hours and per week | Estimated messages per 5 hours (Plus) |
| Entry option | 1,000 requests a day with Gemini Code Assist for individuals | Claude Pro, $20 a month | ChatGPT Free ($0) or Plus ($20) |
| Higher tiers | Google AI Pro: 1,500 a day; Ultra: 2,000 a day | Max ($100): 5× Pro; Ultra ($200): 10× Pro, no 5-hour limit when verified | Pro from $100: no 5-hour limit currently |
| Shared with chat | — | Yes, with the Claude apps | Yes, with ChatGPT |
| On an API key | — | Billed at API pricing | Billed at API pricing |
Sources: Gemini CLI's quota and pricing page, Anthropic's pricing and Claude Code help, OpenAI's Codex pricing. Google's plan prices are on its own pages.
Gemini CLI's daily request count is the most transparent of the three. Claude and Codex both ration usage in windows whose size depends on the model and the task.
Gemini, Claude and GPT in one agent
You don't have to pick the agent by the model. Claude Code and Codex both take an API key, and on an Inferray key both can run Gemini as well as Claude and GPT:
| Model | Input / 1M | Cached / 1M | Output / 1M | Context | Token Plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini 4 Argon | $4 | $0.2 | $20 | 1.0M | Included |
| Gemini 3.8 Flash | $0.75 | $0.075 | $3.75 | 1.0M | Included |
| Claude Sonnet 5.5 | $2 | $0.1 | $10 | 1M | Included |
| GPT-6.1 Sol | $2 | $0.1 | $10 | 1.1M | Included |
- Claude Code:
ANTHROPIC_MODEL="gemini-4-argon"— see Claude Code with any model. - Codex:
codex --model gemini-4-argon— see Codex with any model.
On a Token Plan, $20 a month buys $60 of usage across all of them, with no daily, 5-hour or weekly limits — see the Gemini API page for every Gemini model.
Prices on this page come from the model catalog and were current on November 12, 2026.