In the previous article, we installed and logged in to Codex. In this article, we'll talk about Codex subscriptions, which involve payment issues—especially the awkward situation of "earning RMB but spending USD"—so it needs a separate explanation.
Codex subscription plans
Codex currently offers 3 personal subscription plans, as shown in the figure below. The Pro subscription is further divided into 3 different tiers, which we will introduce one by one.
Go subscription
The Go subscription is the cheapest plan, costing only 8 US dollarsper month, which is approximately 40 RMB/month.
However, the Go subscription is basically no different from the free version, except that it can generate more images. Especially after GPT 6 appeared in September 2026, the quota has become noticeably tight. The Go subscription is basically not enough for actual use. Second, ChatGPT itself does not have this subscription model, which means it can only be used in Codex, so I personally do not recommend choosing it.
Plus subscription
The Plus subscription is the most common subscription. If you ask most non-developers who pay for Codex, they basically all use the Plus subscription, which costs about 130 RMB.
The Plus subscription can interoperate with ChatGPT, and the usage quota is a qualitative change compared with the free version. If you just want daily image generation and conversation, and occasionally make small tools or Skills, and you have some patience and can wait for the quota to reset, the Plus subscription is the most suitable. The Plus subscription can generate 50 images per day, and Codex's quota is also decent; it is a subscription relatively recommended for light users.
Here is also a small tip to share: because the Plus subscription has a 5-hour quota limit, if you want to use it better,you can choose to send a message in Codex once at 6 o'clock every morning"Hello" (you can set it as a scheduled task). For the vast majority of work scenarios, you will start work at 9—10 o'clock, and you only need to use it for 1—2 hours before it resets at 11 o'clock. After using it for another 1 hour, you will enter a rest period. The rest ends at around 1:30 to 2 p.m., and after using it for about another 2 hours, it will reset again at 14 o'clock. In this way, you can use it relatively steadily.
Prolite subscription (100 USD Pro)
Before October 2026, the usage of this Pro subscription was 5 times that of Plus, but after this time, the specific usage of this Pro is no longer fully disclosed. Our actual test results are that the usage is less than 5 times the original Plus usage, and other capabilities have not changed. Users with this subscription can still generate images unlimitedly in ChatGPT, and the thinking depth of Pro mode is also enabled. Relatively speaking, this is a subscription more suitable for users with strong needs or strong interest in AI practice and implementation.
General small product development and front-end/back-end website development are completely sufficient. Generally speaking, for product and design work, it is basically enough. I myself also use this subscription.
Pro subscription (200 USD Pro)
Compared with 100 USD Pro subscription, similar to before. This Pro subscription was also a qualitative leap; it offered 20 times the usage of the Plus subscription. But now, according to Tibo's official explanation, it is roughly 10 times the Plus usage. Originally this tier was intended for users who need to use Codex heavily, most of whom are developer users. For more than 95% of design, product, and novice users, there is absolutely no need to choose it. It is more suitable for developers and programmers.
Pro subscription (500 USD Pro)
This is a subscription plan newly launched at the DevDay on September 30, 2026, with a very high usage allowance. The exact amount has not yet been determined, but it is estimated to be around 20 to 30 times that of Plus. This is more suitable for developers and programmers. For novice users like us, the 200 USD subscription is unnecessary, and this subscription even more so, so we will not introduce it in detail here.
How to Choose
We've now covered all 5 subscription options. I can basically summarize them into the following 4 recommendations:
If you're only a light user, just go with Plus;
If you have personal development needs, choose Prolite;
If you're a non-programmer with relatively heavy development needs and don't want to use other products, choose Pro 200 USDversion;
If you work in programming or other development work, as long as you have no financial pressure, please choose the 500 USD Pro。
What's next
Now that we have downloaded Codex, subscribed to Codex, and have enough quota to use, the next step is to start building your first project!
36 likes
You can like once today