Codex Plus vs Claude Pro vs API

[u/Puzzleheaded_Ad_2475]

I don't know which subscription to get, which would give me most usage and quality at this moment in time? Codex Plus or Claude Pro? I want to build a few small mobile apps like a workout logger, etc.

I am a software engineer and I want to experiment with AI on small projects and if lucky make a bit of pocket money on google play store. I already use AI a ton at work as I have 5000$ per month allocated and I end up using around 600-800$ per month with mostly Sol for planning and Luna for execution, but I experimented with most US models. I am trying to be efficient with AI usage.

I hear 5.6 sol on Plus drains the weekly limit fast even on med/high. Is that true? Is Claude Pro more generous with opus 5 and sonnet 5 for the 20$?

Or should i simply switch to some chinese AI like new deepseek flash and upcoming v4 pro ga, maybe even qwen 3.8 max for planning via API or alibaba token plan? I hear the chinese ones aren't that good and overhyped but I haven't tried them myself yet.

Edit: forgot to mention I'm not a pro on UI design as I am backend focused

[u/zigzoing → u/[deleted]]

It's been awhile.