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"title": "Claude Code vs Codex: startup tokens, MCP tools and the same coding task",
"url": "https://tokensave.app/data/claude-code-vs-codex-tokens",
"license": "CC BY 4.0",
"measured": "2026-10-18 and 2026-10-22",
"citation": "TokenSave (2026). Claude Code vs Codex: startup tokens, MCP tools and the same coding task [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23448342",
"startup": {
"prompt": "Reply with the single word OK.",
"mcp_server": "Self-written stdio MCP server (mcp_dummy.js) exposing N tracker tools, each with a one-sentence description and a 5-property input schema. Full definitions: 151 o200k tokens per tool, 4,541 for 30 tools.",
"full_definition_tokens_o200k": {
"1": 151,
"30": 4541
},
"codex_tool_use_check": {
"mcp_tools": 10,
"input_tokens": 47876
},
"rows": [
{
"tool": "claude_code",
"tool_name": "Claude Code 2.1.295",
"model": "claude-opus-5-5 (default, Max plan)",
"mcp_tools": 0,
"run1": 35765,
"run2": 35777,
"avg": 35776,
"added_vs_no_mcp": 0,
"runs": [
35765,
35777,
35781,
35781
],
"run_dates": [
"2026-10-18",
"2026-10-18",
"2026-10-22",
"2026-10-22"
]
},
{
"tool": "claude_code",
"tool_name": "Claude Code 2.1.295",
"model": "claude-opus-5-5 (default, Max plan)",
"mcp_tools": 1,
"run1": 35790,
"run2": 35790,
"avg": 35792,
"added_vs_no_mcp": 16,
"runs": [
35790,
35790,
35794,
35794
],
"run_dates": [
"2026-10-18",
"2026-10-18",
"2026-10-22",
"2026-10-22"
]
},
{
"tool": "claude_code",
"tool_name": "Claude Code 2.1.295",
"model": "claude-opus-5-5 (default, Max plan)",
"mcp_tools": 10,
"run1": 35913,
"run2": 35913,
"avg": 35915,
"added_vs_no_mcp": 139,
"runs": [
35913,
35913,
35917,
35917
],
"run_dates": [
"2026-10-18",
"2026-10-18",
"2026-10-22",
"2026-10-22"
]
},
{
"tool": "claude_code",
"tool_name": "Claude Code 2.1.295",
"model": "claude-opus-5-5 (default, Max plan)",
"mcp_tools": 30,
"run1": 36165,
"run2": 36165,
"avg": 36167,
"added_vs_no_mcp": 391,
"runs": [
36165,
36165,
36169,
36169
],
"run_dates": [
"2026-10-18",
"2026-10-18",
"2026-10-22",
"2026-10-22"
]
},
{
"tool": "codex",
"tool_name": "Codex CLI 0.162",
"model": "gpt-6-luna, reasoning effort low (ChatGPT plan)",
"mcp_tools": 0,
"run1": 14678,
"run2": 14678,
"avg": 14748,
"added_vs_no_mcp": 0,
"runs": [
14678,
14678,
15018,
14618
],
"run_dates": [
"2026-10-18",
"2026-10-18",
"2026-10-22",
"2026-10-22"
]
},
{
"tool": "codex",
"tool_name": "Codex CLI 0.162",
"model": "gpt-6-luna, reasoning effort low (ChatGPT plan)",
"mcp_tools": 1,
"run1": 14678,
"run2": 14678,
"avg": 14648,
"added_vs_no_mcp": -100,
"runs": [
14678,
14678,
14618,
14618
],
"run_dates": [
"2026-10-18",
"2026-10-18",
"2026-10-22",
"2026-10-22"
]
},
{
"tool": "codex",
"tool_name": "Codex CLI 0.162",
"model": "gpt-6-luna, reasoning effort low (ChatGPT plan)",
"mcp_tools": 10,
"run1": 14678,
"run2": 14678,
"avg": 14648,
"added_vs_no_mcp": -100,
"runs": [
14678,
14678,
14618,
14618
],
"run_dates": [
"2026-10-18",
"2026-10-18",
"2026-10-22",
"2026-10-22"
]
},
{
"tool": "codex",
"tool_name": "Codex CLI 0.162",
"model": "gpt-6-luna, reasoning effort low (ChatGPT plan)",
"mcp_tools": 30,
"run1": 14678,
"run2": 14678,
"avg": 14648,
"added_vs_no_mcp": -100,
"runs": [
14678,
14678,
14618,
14618
],
"run_dates": [
"2026-10-18",
"2026-10-18",
"2026-10-22",
"2026-10-22"
]
}
]
},
"same_task": {
"measured": "2026-10-18 (runs 1-2) and 2026-10-22 (runs 3-5)",
"prompt": "Make a brick-breaker game that runs in the browser as a single file named index.html in the current folder. It needs 2 levels, a score display and 3 lives, and it must be playable with the keyboard and the mouse. Write the file and finish.",
"setup": "Each run in its own empty folder, no MCP servers. Claude Code: claude -p --effort medium --permission-mode acceptEdits --output-format json; tokens from modelUsage, cost is Claude Code list API cost. Codex: codex exec --json -s workspace-write -c model_reasoning_effort=\"medium\"; tokens from turn.completed. Time is wall-clock. Every game loaded without errors and showed 2 levels, score and 3 lives in a headless browser check.",
"rows": [
{
"tool": "claude_code",
"tool_name": "Claude Code 2.1.295",
"model": "claude-opus-5-5, effort medium",
"run": 1,
"input_tokens": 123666,
"cached_input_tokens": 95504,
"output_tokens": 8537,
"seconds": 73,
"api_cost_usd": 0.42,
"file_lines": 487,
"file_chars": 14992,
"works": true,
"measured": "2026-10-18"
},
{
"tool": "claude_code",
"tool_name": "Claude Code 2.1.295",
"model": "claude-opus-5-5, effort medium",
"run": 2,
"input_tokens": 79213,
"cached_input_tokens": 51762,
"output_tokens": 7870,
"seconds": 63,
"api_cost_usd": 0.39,
"file_lines": 527,
"file_chars": 15088,
"works": true,
"measured": "2026-10-18"
},
{
"tool": "codex",
"tool_name": "Codex CLI 0.162",
"model": "gpt-6-luna, reasoning effort medium",
"run": 1,
"input_tokens": 47954,
"cached_input_tokens": 29824,
"output_tokens": 2872,
"seconds": 33,
"api_cost_usd": null,
"file_lines": 49,
"file_chars": 7566,
"works": true,
"measured": "2026-10-18"
},
{
"tool": "codex",
"tool_name": "Codex CLI 0.162",
"model": "gpt-6-luna, reasoning effort medium",
"run": 2,
"input_tokens": 48815,
"cached_input_tokens": 37504,
"output_tokens": 3803,
"seconds": 41,
"api_cost_usd": null,
"file_lines": 117,
"file_chars": 10045,
"works": true,
"measured": "2026-10-18"
},
{
"tool": "claude_code",
"tool_name": "Claude Code 2.1.295",
"model": "claude-opus-5-5, effort medium",
"run": 3,
"input_tokens": 79316,
"cached_input_tokens": 51766,
"output_tokens": 7897,
"seconds": 62,
"api_cost_usd": 0.3887,
"file_lines": 513,
"file_chars": 14756,
"works": true,
"measured": "2026-10-22"
},
{
"tool": "claude_code",
"tool_name": "Claude Code 2.1.295",
"model": "claude-opus-5-5, effort medium",
"run": 4,
"input_tokens": 77868,
"cached_input_tokens": 51766,
"output_tokens": 6595,
"seconds": 52,
"api_cost_usd": 0.3511,
"file_lines": 421,
"file_chars": 12034,
"works": true,
"measured": "2026-10-22"
},
{
"tool": "claude_code",
"tool_name": "Claude Code 2.1.295",
"model": "claude-opus-5-5, effort medium",
"run": 5,
"input_tokens": 78830,
"cached_input_tokens": 51766,
"output_tokens": 7447,
"seconds": 60,
"api_cost_usd": 0.3758,
"file_lines": 420,
"file_chars": 13618,
"works": true,
"measured": "2026-10-22"
},
{
"tool": "codex",
"tool_name": "Codex CLI 0.162",
"model": "gpt-6-luna, reasoning effort medium",
"run": 3,
"input_tokens": 70704,
"cached_input_tokens": 60032,
"output_tokens": 7118,
"seconds": 75,
"api_cost_usd": null,
"file_lines": 29,
"file_chars": 9756,
"works": true,
"measured": "2026-10-22"
},
{
"tool": "codex",
"tool_name": "Codex CLI 0.162",
"model": "gpt-6-luna, reasoning effort medium",
"run": 4,
"input_tokens": 48362,
"cached_input_tokens": 37248,
"output_tokens": 3468,
"seconds": 72,
"api_cost_usd": null,
"file_lines": 46,
"file_chars": 9368,
"works": true,
"measured": "2026-10-22"
},
{
"tool": "codex",
"tool_name": "Codex CLI 0.162",
"model": "gpt-6-luna, reasoning effort medium",
"run": 5,
"input_tokens": 47975,
"cached_input_tokens": 37248,
"output_tokens": 3103,
"seconds": 57,
"api_cost_usd": null,
"file_lines": 51,
"file_chars": 8660,
"works": true,
"measured": "2026-10-22"
}
]
}
} |