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ZDNET's key takeaways
I spent $20 on Codex and saw 16x productivity.
Hard usage limits cut off coding in mid-project unexpectedly.
Premium tools can cost $800 monthly but give steadier results.
We've talked before about OpenAI's Codex, the AI model designed specifically for programming work. While I found it to have some capabilities, the need to use it only in GitHub or as part of the command-line terminal interface felt quite restrictive.
But all that changed at the end of August. Codex is now available as an extension to VS Code, Cursor, and Windsurf (another AI coding IDE). It's also available as part of ChatGPT Plus, OpenAI's $20/month AI plan.
Codex's integration with VS Code is a true productivity game-changer, especially considering the $20/month option. I've been exploring other AI coding options, but what the hype-machines don't tell you is that it can get very expensive, very quickly -- into the $400-800 month range.
Also: How to use GPT-5 in VS Code with GitHub Copilot
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