Compare
codai vs ChatGPT / Codex
What each one is, how it is priced, where data lives, and when ChatGPT / Codex is the better pick.
Last checked:
In short
ChatGPT is OpenAI’s assistant; its Codex agent runs on the web, in a CLI, in IDEs and in a desktop app, on plan limits plus credits. codai bills per verified task in EUR, and the Codex CLI can use codai as its model provider.
When ChatGPT / Codex is the better pick
Pick ChatGPT and Codex if you want OpenAI’s own models and apps, an open-source Codex CLI, or Enterprise data and inference residency in the EU.
| Dimension | codai | ChatGPT / Codex | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is / deployment | Managed gateway (SaaS). Runs on Cloud Run in GCP europe-west1 (Belgium). One public model name: codai. | Chat on web, desktop and mobile; Codex on the web, in the CLI, in the IDE extension and in the cloud. | |
| Open source | No. Not open source and not self-hostable. | Codex CLI: “licensed under the Apache-2.0 License”. | |
| Wire formats | OpenAI Chat Completions, OpenAI Responses and Anthropic Messages. | Codex works with an API key at API prices, without the cloud features. “A ChatGPT Business subscription does not include API usage.” | |
| Pricing model | Monthly plans in EUR: Free (5 verified tasks), BYOK €5, Starter €40 (33 tasks), Builder €100 (83), Team €300 (250). Overage €1.20 per verified task; unverified tasks are billed at raw token cost. | For a Romanian visitor: Free 0, Go 29.99 RON, Plus 99.99 RON, Pro from 520 RON a month. In USD: Pro $100, $200 or $500; Business Standard $25 a month. Credits extend usage past the limits. | |
| Data residency | Gateway and database in the EU (europe-west1, Belgium). Model inference region depends on the upstream deployment. | Enterprise and Edu: data residency in regions including Europe, plus EU inference residency. Business: region choice covers storage only and is rolling out. | |
| Routing | codai routes each request to the model best suited to it among Anthropic's current Claude models and fails over between approved deployments; the x-codai-routed-to header names the model that answered. | A model picker with OpenAI’s GPT models and speed modes. | |
| Prompt caching | On by default for every request. | Codex credit rates include a cached-input rate, with “No separate cache-write charge”. | |
| MCP | Remote MCP server (Streamable HTTP) with OAuth 2.1. | The Codex CLI, IDE extension and desktop app support stdio and Streamable HTTP MCP servers, with OAuth. | |
| Billing currency / invoices | Prices and charges in EUR; invoices issued by the Romanian seller. | “We’ll charge tax when required.” Pro is monthly only; Business invoicing and purchase orders need a contracted offering. | |
| Company HQ | IMS SRL (Interactive Media Solutions S.R.L.), Târgu Jiu, Romania. | EEA and Switzerland: OpenAI Ireland Ltd, Dublin. Elsewhere: OpenAI OpCo, LLC (Delaware), San Francisco. |
Where ChatGPT / Codex’s own pages disagree
The pricing table lists “Data residency in US, EU, UK, JP…” without naming the plan; the help center limits full residency to Enterprise and Edu.
Codex on the web is not eligible for residency; the Codex app and CLI are.
Sources
- chatgpt.com
- docs.codai.ro/docs/gateway
- codai.ro/subprocessors
- learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing
- chatgpt.com/pricing
- github.com/openai/codex
- docs.codai.ro/docs/gateway/wire-formats
- help.openai.com/en/articles/8792828-what-is-chatgpt-business
- codai.ro/pricing
- help.openai.com/en/articles/9793128-about-chatgpt-pro-tiers
- codai.ro/security
- help.openai.com/en/articles/9903489-data-residency-and-inference-residency-for-chatgpt
- help.openai.com/en/articles/20001418-where-your-chatgpt-business-content-is-stored
- docs.codai.ro/docs/gateway/models
- docs.codai.ro/docs/gateway/headers
- docs.codai.ro/docs/gateway/clients
- learn.chatgpt.com/docs/extend/mcp
- codai.ro/imprint
- openai.com/policies/row-terms-of-use/
- openai.com/policies/eu-terms-of-use/
Facts from each vendor’s public pages on October 19, 2026; tell us at [email protected] if something changed.