OpenAI Codex CLI vs Kilo Code: Which AI Agent Is Better?
An in-depth comparison of OpenAI Codex CLI and Kilo Code across output quality, autonomy, reliability, speed, value, and ease of use. Vote for your favorite.
An in-depth comparison of OpenAI Codex CLI and Kilo Code across output quality, autonomy, reliability, speed, value, and ease of use. Vote for your favorite.
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. 14 votes cast so far.
CodexKilo CodeChoose OpenAI Codex CLI if you are chatGPT subscribers who want a capable terminal agent at no extra cost. Choose Kilo Code if you are vS Code users who want an open-source AI coding assistant.
In our editorial scoring, OpenAI Codex CLI leads in 3 of six categories (output quality, autonomy and reliability), while Kilo Code leads in 2 (value and ease of use). On price, OpenAI Codex CLI runs included with every chatgpt plan / api and is open source; Kilo Code runs free (free models or byo key) / kilo pass from $19/mo and is open source.
Across 14 community votes on this matchup, Kilo Code currently leads in 4 of six categories. Cast your own vote above to move the needle.
What it costs to run Codex or Kilo Code
Best API for Codex →
3 options compared, with prices and limits
Best API for Kilo Code →
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 Kimi K3 in Codex CLI?
More on Kilo Code: How do I run Kilo Code 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.
Kilo Code is an open-source (MIT) coding agent that runs as a VS Code extension, a JetBrains plugin and Kilo CLI (a fork of OpenCode). It supports multi-file editing, refactoring and context-aware code generation. The tools are free: you can start on its free models without a card, bring your own key for any OpenAI-compatible API, or buy models through Kilo's gateway at provider rates, with the optional Kilo Pass from $19 a month adding bonus credits.
Codex and Kilo Code both run on Standard Compute
