OpenAI Codex CLI vs Cursor: Which AI Agent Is Better?
An in-depth comparison of OpenAI Codex CLI and Cursor across output quality, autonomy, reliability, speed, value, and ease of use. Vote for your favorite.
An in-depth comparison of OpenAI Codex CLI and Cursor across output quality, autonomy, reliability, speed, value, and ease of use. Vote for your favorite.
Comparing the subscriptions instead?ChatGPT Plus / Pro vs Cursor Premium / Ultra →
Either way, you pay for the model calls. A median coding-agent day on our gateway is 95 requests and 8.6 million tokens. The table prices every step at one model’s rate.
Both run on Standard Compute, where each step goes to the cheapest model that can do it: routine steps go to efficient open models, hard ones to frontier models such as Claude Fable 5.1 or GPT-6 Astra.
| Model | Typical day | Busy day |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 5.5 | $7.34 | $59.10 |
| Claude Sonnet 5.5 | $3.67 | $29.55 |
| GPT-6 Luna | $0.23 | $2.43 |
Fixed monthly plans from $19. Eligible new accounts can try $0.25 of compute first, no card. Trial terms
Pick a winner in each category. You can change your vote anytime. 1 vote cast so far.
CodexCursorChoose OpenAI Codex CLI if you are chatGPT subscribers who want a capable terminal agent at no extra cost. Choose Cursor if you are developers who want the most polished AI-integrated editor experience.
In our editorial scoring, Cursor leads in 3 of six categories (reliability, speed and ease of use), while OpenAI Codex CLI leads in 1 (value). On price, OpenAI Codex CLI runs included with every chatgpt plan / api and is open source; Cursor runs free tier / $8–200/mo and is proprietary.
Across 1 community votes on this matchup, OpenAI Codex CLI currently leads in 1 of six categories. Cast your own vote above to move the needle.
What it costs to run Codex or Cursor
Best API for Codex →
3 options compared, with prices and limits
Best API for Cursor →
4 options compared, with prices and limits
Standard Compute sends each step to the cheapest model that can do it, on providers we vet for price, uptime and speed. Plans start at $19 a month, and eligible new accounts can try $0.25 of compute with no card. Choose your agent below to connect.
See the trial and activation steps →
More on Codex: Is Codex CLI free, and what does it cost? · How do I use GLM 5.3 in Codex CLI?
More on Cursor: How much does Cursor cost now? · Can I use Cursor with my own API key on a fixed monthly budget?
Codex CLI is OpenAI's open-source coding agent for the terminal. It edits files, runs commands in a sandbox with configurable approval modes, and can hand longer tasks off to Codex cloud to run in the background; the same agent also ships as an IDE extension and a desktop app. Usage is included with every ChatGPT plan, from Free and Go up to Plus and the $100 to $500 Pro tiers, with tighter limits on the cheaper plans, which makes it the default choice for developers already in the OpenAI ecosystem.
Cursor is a fork of VS Code redesigned from the ground up for AI-powered development. It features tab completions, natural language code editing, codebase-wide chat, and multi-file editing. Its deep editor integration makes it one of the most polished AI coding tools available.
Codex and Cursor both run on Standard Compute
