Claude Code vs Codex CLI
Claude Code (CLI / terminal agent, $20/mo (Pro) incl. Claude Code) vs Codex CLI (CLI / terminal agent, Included with ChatGPT plans): pricing, models, open-source status, benchmarks, and best use cases. See which AI coding agent is right for your workflow.
Claude Code
Codex CLI
| Comparison | Claude Code | Codex CLI |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CLI / terminal agent | CLI / terminal agent |
| Type | Terminal agent | Terminal agent |
| Vendor | Anthropic | OpenAI |
| Pricing | $20/mo (Pro) incl. Claude Code | Included with ChatGPT plans |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Models | Claude Opus 4.8, Claude Sonnet 5, Claude Haiku 4.5 | GPT-5.5, GPT-5.3 Codex, o-series reasoning |
| Benchmarks | SWE-bench Verified: 88.6% · Terminal-Bench: 74.6% | Terminal-Bench: 82.7% |
| Best for | Deep reasoning, complex multi-file refactors, debugging across large codebases | OpenAI ecosystem users, parallel task execution, open-source terminal workflows |
Claude Code is proprietary and best for deep reasoning, complex multi-file refactors, debugging across large codebases. Anthropic's terminal-native coding agent. Runs in your terminal, reads your codebase, executes commands, writes and runs tests, and handles multi-file edits. With Opus 4.8 it posts 88.6% on SWE-bench Verified — the highest published score in Anthropic's Opus 4.8 table.
Codex CLI is open source and best for openai ecosystem users, parallel task execution, open-source terminal workflows. OpenAI's open-source terminal coding agent. Supports parallel tasks and routes to GPT-5.5 and Codex models. Included with ChatGPT subscriptions; can also run on API keys.
Both tools are part of the 2026 AI coding agent landscape. The right choice depends on whether you need a CLI / terminal agent or a CLI / terminal agent, your budget, and which models you prefer. See the full list of coding agents on our coding agents page to compare more options.