DALL-E (Shut Down) logo
D
5.0/10

DALL-E (Shut Down)

VS
Codex (OpenAI) logoOur pick
A
8.3/10

Codex (OpenAI)

DALL-E (Shut Down) vs Codex (OpenAI)

Tier-list head-to-head. Codex (OpenAI) takes the A-tier slot — here's the breakdown.

Last reviewed May 13, 2026· sweep-fresh

Spec sheet

At a glance

 DALL-E (Shut Down) logoDALL-E (Shut Down)Codex (OpenAI) logoCodex (OpenAI)
TierD-tierA-tierwin
Overall score5.0 / 108.3 / 10win
Powered byGPT-5.2-Codex (default 2026-04-23) / GPT-5.5 / GPT-5.4
Free tierNoYeswin
Starting priceN/A$0
Best forHistorical context only.Developers already paying for ChatGPT Plus who want a coding agent at no extra cost.
Last reviewed2026-05-132026-04-25

Head-to-head

Score showdown

Rated 1-10 on the same rubric across all 130 tools we cover.

Ease of use+1.0 DALL-E (Shut Down)
DALL-E (Shut Down)
9.0
Codex (OpenAI)
8.0
Output qualityTie
DALL-E (Shut Down)
8.0
Codex (OpenAI)
8.0
Value+7.0 Codex (OpenAI)
DALL-E (Shut Down)
1.0
Codex (OpenAI)
8.0
Features+6.0 Codex (OpenAI)
DALL-E (Shut Down)
3.0
Codex (OpenAI)
9.0
Overall+3.3 Codex (OpenAI)
DALL-E (Shut Down)
5.0
Codex (OpenAI)
8.3

What you'll pay

Pricing snapshot

Look past the headline number -- entry-tier limits drive most cost surprises.

DALL-E (Shut Down) logo

DALL-E (Shut Down)

No free tier

  • DEPRECATEDN/A
  • Alternatives (recommended)$0 - $249.99/mo
Codex (OpenAI) logo

Codex (OpenAI)

Free tier available

  • Free$0
  • Go$8/mo
  • Plus$20/mo

Benchmark Head-to-Head

GPT-5.2-Codex (launched 2026-04-23 -- SOTA on SWE-Bench Pro and Terminal-Bench 2.0; first-party scores below pending detailed third-party verification) benchmarks — DALL-E (Shut Down) has no published benchmarks

BenchmarkScore
SWE-bench72%
HumanEval95%

The decision

Which should you pick?

Use-case anchors and category strengths, side by side.

DALL-E (Shut Down) logo

Pick DALL-E (Shut Down)if…

D
5.0/10
  • Easier to learn and use day-to-day -- friendlier onboarding curve
  • Historical context only.
  • 2 [klein] (best open-weight), or Ideogram (strong text).

Historical context only. If you still have a DALL-E integration, it is failing now -- migrate immediately to GPT Image inside ChatGPT (direct replacement), Nano Banana 2 (best text-in-image), Midjourney (best artistic), FLUX.2 [klein] (best open-weight), or Ideogram (strong text).

Visit DALL-E (Shut Down)
Our pick
Codex (OpenAI) logo

Pick Codex (OpenAI)if…

A
8.3/10
  • Better value at the price you'll actually pay (8.0/10 on value)
  • More feature surface area for power users who'll use the depth
  • Free tier lets you actually try it before paying
  • Developers already paying for ChatGPT Plus who want a coding agent at no extra cost.
  • Especially good for parallel task execution -- assign multiple bug fixes or feature branches and let Codex work them simultaneously.

Developers already paying for ChatGPT Plus who want a coding agent at no extra cost. Especially good for parallel task execution -- assign multiple bug fixes or feature branches and let Codex work them simultaneously.

Visit Codex (OpenAI)

Bottom line

The verdict

Codex (OpenAI) is the clear winner: 8.3/10 (A-tier) versus 5.0/10 (D-tier). DALL-E (Shut Down) isn't a bad tool, but on every category that drives the overall score, Codex (OpenAI) comes out ahead. The tier gap is repeatable -- not methodology noise -- and the day-to-day experience reflects it.

On pricing, Codex (OpenAI) starts free while DALL-E (Shut Down) requires a paid plan from day one (N/A+). If you're testing the waters or running an occasional workload, that gap matters more than the score differential. DALL-E (Shut Down) starts at N/A; Codex (OpenAI) starts at $0. Compare what each entry tier actually unlocks before you compare list prices -- the limits matter more than the headline number.

By use case: pick DALL-E (Shut Down) when historical context only. Pick Codex (OpenAI) when developers already paying for chatgpt plus who want a coding agent at no extra cost. The two tools aren't fighting for the same person -- they're aiming at adjacent jobs that occasionally overlap. If you're squarely in Codex (OpenAI)'s lane, the tier-list ranking and the use-case fit point the same direction; if you're in DALL-E (Shut Down)'s lane, the score gap matters less than the fit.

Bottom line: Codex (OpenAI) is the better tool for most people right now. Pick DALL-E (Shut Down) only when historical context only -- that's its lane, and inside that lane it still earns its place.

AIToolTier verdictLast reviewed May 13, 2026Tier rubric · ease of use, output, value, features

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Built from our daily AI-tool sweep, last touched May 13, 2026. Honest tier-list reviews — no affiliate-link pieces disguised as advice. See the rubric or how we review.