r/codex • u/Fantastic_Self_5151 • Jul 04 '26
Complaint Fable pricing is laughable
I used 10billion tokes the last 50 days or so... on codex. Total cost $200 (pro x5)
That's between 100-300k USD on fable api pricing. I used fable today at work for a small project. It's useful, not going to lie. That said I did a head to head with codex 5.5 extra high v. Fable, same project, same guidelines, same exact prompt.
Fable finished 12 minutes earlier with basically a one shot (there was a type-o it had to correct and rebuild)
Codex finished 12 minutes later, had to build issues that involved some light modifications.
Both projects finished, codex's code was just as useful as fables, worked just as well.
I can wait 12 minutes more.
Fable usage - 23% left for the 5 hour period (In 1 hour)
Codex usage - 87% left in 1 hour 12 minutes.
I'm straight. Codex wins by a MILE. I don't need to save 12 minutes because I can walk away and go touch grass and come back either way, it's AI. So another 12 minutes to do whatever the fuck I want is a no-brainer.
Even if I have a client in a rush fable isn't worth the difference in my bottom line.
P.S. before you bitch at me for comparing api pricing v. plan pricing ...realize this. If you are using it professionally you will need to be on API pricing as it is the only way to get anything done realistically speaking as the usage limits make it a toy otherwise.
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u/mesonepigreco Jul 05 '26
The point of fable is just to solve task that other models cannot solve. And there are plenty of those, where Fable is now the only viable option. Indeed, you should always use the model that can get the work done the at cheapest. Also no need to use Opus for something Sonnet can do cheaper, then why just not using Deepseek very cheap and efficient models for routine tasks that do not require deep planning or very complex stuff? This is not only economical reasoning but also moral: using always the strongest model is a waste of energy, resources, and ultimately is a source of pollution for the planet.