What each one says about the other
These sentences were written about each tool on its own, before this page existed, and each names the other tool by name. They are quoted, not composed.
Codex CLI on Crush · not for
A developer who wants to run a local Ollama model should choose Crush or goose; Codex signs in with a ChatGPT account or an OpenAI API key.
“Run `codex` and select **Sign in with ChatGPT**. We recommend signing into your ChatGPT account to use Codex as part of your Plus, Pro, Business, Edu, or Enterprise plan.”
Crush on Codex CLI · not for
A team that needs an approval prompt on every shell command out of the box should pick Codex CLI or GitHub Copilot CLI.
“- **Full control:** Preview every action before execution — nothing happens without your explicit approval.”
Codex CLI and Crush, fact by fact
| Fact | Codex CLI | Crush |
|---|---|---|
| StarsCodex CLI has 99,824 more stars (4.5×). | 128,366Verified 8 Oct 2026 | 28,542Verified 8 Oct 2026 |
| Newest commitBoth committed on the same day. | 8 Oct 20260 days old when we read itVerified 8 Oct 2026 | 6 Oct 20261 days old when we read itVerified 8 Oct 2026 |
| ContributorsCodex CLI has 323 more contributors (3.1×). | 477Verified 8 Oct 2026 | 154Verified 8 Oct 2026 |
| LicenseApache-2.0 against Other. | Apache-2.0Verified 8 Oct 2026 | OtherVerified 8 Oct 2026 |
| Latest stable releaseBoth released on the same day. | rust-v0.161.0published 7 Oct 2026Verified 8 Oct 2026 | v0.97.1published 29 Sep 2026Verified 8 Oct 2026 |
| npm downloadsCodex CLI has 25,605,548 more npm downloads a week (3295×). | 25,613,321 a week@openai/codexVerified 8 Oct 2026 | 7,773 a week@charmland/crushVerified 8 Oct 2026 |
| Homebrew installs | 104,545 in 30 dayscodexVerified 8 Oct 2026 | not tracked for Crush |
| Repository | openai/codexRustVerified 8 Oct 2026 | charmbracelet/crushGoVerified 8 Oct 2026 |
What we know about Codex CLI
Codex CLI is the only agent in this set that confines itself in an OS-enforced sandbox on first run, with network access off and writes limited to the working directory.
“By default, the agent runs with network access turned off. Locally, Codex uses an OS-enforced sandbox that limits what it can touch (typically to the current workspace), plus an approval policy that controls when it must stop and ask you before acting.”
Point an agent at a repository you do not trust: in the default `workspace-write` mode Codex edits inside the working directory and must ask before touching anything outside it.
“Codex asks for approval to edit files outside the workspace or to run commands that require network access.”
Use a ChatGPT plan you already pay for instead of a second subscription, on Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Edu or Enterprise.
“ChatGPT Work and Codex are included in your ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Edu, or Enterprise plan”
Stop a team from disabling its own guard rails: an administrator can forbid `approval_policy = "never"` and `sandbox_mode = "danger-full-access"` in a requirements file.
“requirements.toml (for example, disallowing approval_policy = "never" or”
Subscription spend is unpredictable: the most-commented open issue, 630 comments since 2026-03-13, is that Codex burns the plan budget too fast, and a second reports the 5-hour budget gone in 2-3 prompts.
“Codex (gpt-5.5, Plus plan) — rate-limit cost per token jumped ~10-20x since June 16, draining the 5h budget in 2-3 prompts”
The agent cannot install a dependency until you edit the config, because the default sandbox keeps the network off.
“For the ChatGPT desktop app, Codex CLI, or IDE extension, the default workspace-write sandbox mode keeps network access turned off unless you enable it in your configuration:”
Windows is the weakest platform: an open issue with 106 comments reports the app freezing on Windows 11 Pro on hardware with resources to spare.
“Codex App frequently freezes/stutters on Windows 11 Pro despite sufficient system resources”
A developer who wants to run a local Ollama model should choose Crush or goose; Codex signs in with a ChatGPT account or an OpenAI API key.
“Run `codex` and select **Sign in with ChatGPT**. We recommend signing into your ChatGPT account to use Codex as part of your Plus, Pro, Business, Edu, or Enterprise plan.”
What Codex CLI costs
ChatGPT plans that include Codex run $0 for Free, $8 a month for Go, $20 a month for Plus, and from $100 a month for Pro.
“Plus · Power a few focused coding sessions each week. · $20 /month”
The Business plan is $20 per user per month for 2 or more users billed annually, and $25 per user per month billed monthly.
“*2+ users, billed annually. $25 per user per month when billed monthly.”
What we know about Crush
Crush is configured by a `crushrc` that is Bash, and it runs that Bash identically on Windows because Crush embeds its own Bash interpreter rather than calling the host shell.
“Because Crush has a native, built-in Bash interpreter, Bash-based config works identically across all platforms, including Windows.”
Code in a terminal on a platform the other agents skip: Crush ships first-class builds for Android, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD as well as macOS, Linux and Windows.
“- **Works Everywhere:** first-class support in every terminal on macOS, Linux, Windows (PowerShell and WSL), Android, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and NetBSD”
Work in a typed language where the compiler knows more than the file: Crush attaches language servers, so `lsp add go --command "gopls"` feeds gopls output into the agent's context.
“- **LSP-Enhanced:** Crush uses LSPs for additional context, just like you do”
Start a task on an expensive model and finish it on a cheap one: Crush swaps the model mid-session and keeps the context.
“- **Flexible:** switch LLMs mid-session while preserving context”
Crush is not open source today: it ships under the Functional Source License 1.1, which bars any competing commercial use until each version turns MIT two years after release.
“A Permitted Purpose is any purpose other than a Competing Use. A Competing Use · means making the Software available to others in a commercial product or · service that: · 1. substitutes for the Software;”
A new model reaches Crush only when a separate repository merges it, because the default model list lives in Catwalk, not in Crush.
“Crush’s default model listing is managed in [Catwalk](https://github.com/charmbracelet/catwalk), a community-supported, open source repository of Crush-compatible models, and you’re welcome to contribute.”
Crush has no read-only planning mode: the request for Build and Plan modes has been open since 2025-12-28 with 61 reactions.
“Build / Plan Modes”
A team that needs an approval prompt on every shell command out of the box should pick Codex CLI or GitHub Copilot CLI.
“- **Full control:** Preview every action before execution — nothing happens without your explicit approval.”
What Crush costs
Charm Hyper, the provider built for Crush, gives 100 Hypercredits a month at $0 and 250 a day on a $20 monthly subscription; 1 Hypercredit is 5 cents.
“Hypercredits are the core of Hyper's usage-based pricing model, where credits map directly to token costs. 1 Hypercredit is currently 5¢, and they're distributed based on your subscription tier.”
Questions people ask
- Are Codex CLI and Crush still maintained?
- Codex CLI committed to openai/codex (main) on 8 Oct 2026. Crush committed to charmbracelet/crush (main) on 6 Oct 2026. Both readings come from the default branch of each repository, on the date shown beside them.
- What do Codex CLI and Crush cost?
- Codex CLI: ChatGPT plans that include Codex run $0 for Free, $8 a month for Go, $20 a month for Plus, and from $100 a month for Pro. The Business plan is $20 per user per month for 2 or more users billed annually, and $25 per user per month billed monthly. Crush: Charm Hyper, the provider built for Crush, gives 100 Hypercredits a month at $0 and 250 a day on a $20 monthly subscription; 1 Hypercredit is 5 cents. Every figure here is quoted from the vendor's own page and linked beside the claim.
- Is Codex CLI or Crush open source?
- Codex CLI's repository openai/codex reports the Apache-2.0 licence. Crush's repository charmbracelet/crush reports the Other licence. We read the licence GitHub reports for the repository, which is not the same question as whether the hosted product is free.
How we check this page
- Machine facts. Stars, contributors, the newest commit on the default branch, the licence GitHub reports and the latest stable release come from the GitHub API, and download counts from npm, PyPI, Homebrew and the VS Code Marketplace. Each value carries the day it was last confirmed, never the day this page was built. The line under each label is arithmetic on those two values.
- Judgments. Every claim about what a tool suits, what it is bad at and what it costs is quoted from a page we read, and that page is linked beside the claim. Where there is no link, we wrote no claim.
- Index status. Both Codex CLI and Crush carry claims we read, quoted and linked. So this page is offered to search engines.
Related comparisons
Pairs we can answer for come first.
