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Pick a tool 9 min readUpdated 16 Oct 2026

AI coding usage limits compared: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and Grok Bot

How usage limits work in Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Cursor and Grok Bot, what changes for Codex Pro 200 after Oct 29, 2026, and how to check your usage.

None of the four big AI coding subscriptions gives you a fixed number of prompts. Claude Code and OpenAI Codex both meter usage in rolling five-hour windows with weekly limits on top (Codex Pro plans currently skip the five-hour limit). Cursor and Grok Bot on The X Subscription share one weekly pool. In every case, how far your allowance goes depends on the model, the amount of context, and the kind of task. You can check where you stand in Claude's Settings > Usage or with /status, in Codex's usage dashboard or with /status, and in the Usage page at grok.com/dashboard for Cursor and Grok Bot.

That last point matters for the complaint that prompted this guide, from a developer who said a $200 plan hit its limit after five prompts. In our view, that is less surprising than it sounds: each vendor says that large codebases and long sessions use much more allowance per message. Below is how each one works, with the numbers the vendors publish.

Quick comparison

ToolPaid plans (monthly)How limits workWhere to check
Claude CodePro $20 ($17/mo billed annually); Max from $100Five-hour session limit plus weekly limit, shared with Claude chatSettings > Usage; /status
OpenAI CodexPlus $20; Pro $100, $200 or $500Five-hour window for Plus and Business; Pro has no five-hour limit currently; weekly limits may applyUsage dashboard; /status in the CLI
Cursor (X Subscription)Plus $8, Premium $30, Super $100, Ultra $200One weekly pool shared with GrokUsage at grok.com/dashboard
Grok Bot (X Subscription)Premium $30, Super $100, Ultra $200Same weekly pool as Cursor and GrokUsage at grok.com/dashboard

All prices are from official vendor pages, checked Oct 16, 2026. Prices exclude tax where the vendor says so.

Claude Code

Claude Code is included in Anthropic's paid plans: Pro, Max 5x, and Max 20x. Pro is $20 billed monthly, or $17 per month with an annual subscription ($200 up front). Max starts from $100 per month (claude.com/pricing, checked Oct 16, 2026).

How the limits work. Anthropic says every plan has usage limits on a rolling five-hour session window, and paid plans add weekly limits. Work in Claude on the web, desktop, mobile, and Claude Code all draws from the same pool, so heavy chatting leaves less for coding. There is "no fixed message count." Max gives 5x or 20x more usage per five-hour session than Pro (claude.com/pricing; Claude Help Center, "What is the Max plan?", checked Oct 16, 2026). Max's weekly limit resets at a fixed time each week assigned to your account.

Anthropic also notes it may limit usage in other ways, such as weekly and monthly caps or model and feature usage, "at our discretion." In May 2026 it doubled Claude Code's five-hour limits for Pro, Max, Team, and seat-based Enterprise plans and removed the peak-hours reduction for Pro and Max (Anthropic news post, checked Oct 16, 2026).

When you hit a limit. You can wait for the reset, move to a higher plan, or, on paid plans, turn on usage credits billed at standard API rates. Monthly API credits included with Max cannot be used in Claude Code (Claude Help Center, "Use Claude Code with your Pro or Max plan", checked Oct 16, 2026).

How to check usage. Open Settings > Usage in Claude. Inside Claude Code, the /status command shows your remaining allocation. Claude Code also shows warnings as you approach a limit.

See our Claude Code tool page and Is Claude Code free?

OpenAI Codex

Codex is included with ChatGPT plans. Plus is $20 per month. Pro now comes in three tiers at $100, $200, or $500 per month (OpenAI Developers, Codex pricing; OpenAI Help Center, "About ChatGPT Pro tiers", checked Oct 16, 2026). Codex and ChatGPT Work share usage.

How the limits work. OpenAI publishes estimates, not fixed limits, of local messages per five-hour period for Plus and Standard Business. For example, GPT-6.1 Sol is estimated at 15-160 local messages per five hours on Plus, and GPT-6 Luna at 350-3,000. "Pro plans currently have no five-hour limit," and weekly limits may also apply. Fast mode uses included usage at 2.5x the Standard rate (OpenAI Developers, Codex pricing, checked Oct 16, 2026).

What changes after Oct 29, 2026. OpenAI's Pro help page says new Pro 200 subscriptions now include a lower usage allowance than Pro 200 used to, at the same $200 monthly price. If you had an active Pro 200 subscription at any point from September 22, 2026 through 10 a.m. Pacific Time on September 29, 2026, you can keep the previous allowance through October 29, 2026 while the subscription stays active. After that date, it moves to the lower allowance. Only affected users get an email with details (OpenAI Help Center, "About ChatGPT Pro tiers", checked Oct 16, 2026). OpenAI also says Support cannot reset ChatGPT or Codex limits.

When you hit a limit. Plus and Pro users can buy credits and keep working. Anyone can run extra local chats with an API key at standard API rates. If you reach a limit during an active turn, the agent can usually finish that turn.

How to check usage. Open the usage dashboard (chatgpt.com/codex/settings/usage). In the Codex CLI, /status shows your remaining limits. On Pro, credit balance is under Settings → Usage in ChatGPT or Usage & Billing in Codex.

See our Codex tool page and Claude Code vs Codex.

Cursor

Cursor is now sold as part of The X Subscription. The plans are Free ($0, limited usage), Plus ($8/mo), Premium ($30/mo, 4x Plus), Super ($100/mo, 15x Plus), and Ultra ($200/mo, 50x Plus). Annual billing is $80, $300, $1,000, and $2,000 per year respectively (Cursor docs, Models & Pricing and Pricing and plans, checked Oct 16, 2026).

How the limits work. Each paid plan has one weekly pool for Cursor models (Grok 4.7, Grok 4.6, Grok 4.5, and Composer 2.5), shared across Cursor and Grok. Third-party models are not included: on Premium and above you pay API list price from prepaid credit, and Plus cannot use them at all. Legacy Cursor plans (such as Pro at $20/mo) keep two monthly pools instead and reset with the billing cycle.

When you hit a limit. Wait for the weekly reset, use prepaid credit (top-ups, optionally Auto Top-up), or upgrade. Prepaid credit currently expires 365 days after purchase.

How to check usage. Open Usage at grok.com/dashboard to see weekly usage, the next reset date, and prepaid credit. Your editor settings show the same remaining usage. On a legacy plan, use the Spending tab in the Cursor dashboard.

See our Cursor tool page, Is Cursor free?, and Cursor on The X Subscription.

Grok Bot on The X Subscription

Grok Bot is included on Premium ($30/mo), Super ($100/mo), and Ultra ($200/mo). Plus ($8/mo) does not include it (docs.x.ai, Pricing and Grok Bot on The X Subscription, checked Oct 16, 2026).

How the limits work. Grok Bot has no separate quota. It draws from the same weekly pool as Grok and Cursor, and usage rates vary by product, so different activities use different amounts. Higher tiers get larger pools: 4x, 15x, and 50x the Plus allowance. On self-serve team plans each paid seat has its own weekly pool (docs.x.ai, Usage limits, checked Oct 16, 2026). xAI does not publish fixed message or task counts.

When you hit a limit. Further first-party usage becomes Additional Usage, paid from credits bought with top-ups. Spending caps can limit that.

How to check usage. On grok.com/dashboard, open Usage. If you are still on an older plan and have not switched, xAI points you to cursor.com/dashboard instead. Inside the app, Settings → Usage & Billing shows included usage and when it resets.

See our Grok tool page and What can Grok Bot do?

Making an allowance last longer

The vendors give similar advice. OpenAI suggests keeping prompts precise, providing only relevant files, trimming AGENTS.md, and disabling MCP servers you do not need. Anthropic recommends /clear when switching tasks and /compact when a session gets long. In our view, the common thread is context: the more a tool has to read for each message, the faster any allowance goes. For a side-by-side of the tools themselves, see Cursor vs Claude Code.

FAQ

Why can a $200 plan run out after a few prompts? All four vendors say usage depends on model, context size, and task complexity, not prompt count. Large codebases and long sessions use much more per message.

Do Claude chat and Claude Code share a limit? Yes. Anthropic says they draw from the same pool.

Is Codex Pro 200 getting less usage? OpenAI says new Pro 200 subscriptions have a lower allowance. Eligible existing subscribers keep the previous allowance through Oct 29, 2026, then move to the lower one at the same $200 price.

Do Cursor and Grok Bot have separate limits? No. On The X Subscription they share one weekly pool.

Can support reset my limit? OpenAI says its Support cannot reset ChatGPT or Codex limits. Otherwise, wait for the reset, add credits, or upgrade.

Sources