OpenAI Codex CLI vs OpenCode: Which AI Agent Is Better?
An in-depth comparison of OpenAI Codex CLI and OpenCode across output quality, autonomy, reliability, speed, value, and ease of use. Vote for your favorite.
An in-depth comparison of OpenAI Codex CLI and OpenCode 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. 3 votes cast so far.
CodexOpenCodeChoose OpenAI Codex CLI if you are chatGPT subscribers who want a capable terminal agent at no extra cost. Choose OpenCode if you are terminal users who want a polished AI coding interface with LSP support.
In our editorial scoring, OpenAI Codex CLI leads in 3 of six categories (output quality, autonomy and reliability), while OpenCode leads in 1 (value). On price, OpenAI Codex CLI runs included with every chatgpt plan / api and is open source; OpenCode runs free (mit) / free zen models / go $10/mo and is open source.
Across 3 community votes on this matchup, the community has it tied. Cast your own vote above to move the needle.
What it costs to run Codex or OpenCode
Best API for Codex →
3 options compared, with prices and limits
Best API for OpenCode →
7 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 Gemini in Codex CLI?
More on OpenCode: OpenCode Pricing: Plans, Subscription and API Costs (2026) · How do I use GLM 5.3 in OpenCode?
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.
OpenCode is an open-source (MIT) AI coding agent best known for its terminal TUI, now also shipping a desktop app and IDE extensions with OpenCode 2. It connects to 75+ LLM providers through models.dev, has LSP integration for real code understanding, and runs several sessions in parallel. The tool is free; for models you bring your own key, use OpenCode's free Zen models, pay as you go on Zen, or subscribe to its Go plan ($10/month, Go Plus $40).
Codex and OpenCode both run on Standard Compute
