Codex CLI and GitHub Copilot CLI, fact by fact
| Fact | Codex CLI | GitHub Copilot CLI |
|---|---|---|
| StarsCodex CLI has 117,122 more stars (11×). | 128,366Verified 8 Oct 2026 | 11,244Verified 8 Oct 2026 |
| Newest commitBoth committed on the same day. | 8 Oct 20260 days old when we read itVerified 8 Oct 2026 | 7 Oct 20260 days old when we read itVerified 8 Oct 2026 |
| ContributorsCodex CLI has 451 more contributors (18×). | 477Verified 8 Oct 2026 | 26Verified 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 | v1.0.93published 7 Oct 2026Verified 8 Oct 2026 |
| npm downloadsCodex CLI has 23,889,655 more npm downloads a week (15×). | 25,613,321 a week@openai/codexVerified 8 Oct 2026 | 1,723,666 a week@github/copilotVerified 8 Oct 2026 |
| Homebrew installs | 104,545 in 30 dayscodexVerified 8 Oct 2026 | not tracked for GitHub Copilot CLI |
| Repository | openai/codexRustVerified 8 Oct 2026 | github/copilot-cliShellVerified 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 GitHub Copilot CLI
Copilot CLI bills the agent from a dollar-denominated credit balance rather than per token: Pro carries $15 of GitHub AI Credits a month, Pro+ $70 and Max $200.
“Credits used when interacting with Copilot features. Chat, agent mode, code review, Copilot cloud agent, Copilot CLI, and Copilot Apps consume GitHub AI Credits. Free plan supports CLI and agent mode.”
Work across code and GitHub state — issues, pull requests, repositories — in one session, because the agent ships with GitHub's MCP server enabled.
“- **MCP-powered extensibility:** Take advantage of the fact that the coding agent ships with GitHub's MCP server by default and supports custom MCP servers to extend capabilities.”
Hold one very long session: at 95% of the token limit Copilot compacts the history in the background instead of stopping.
“Auto-compaction : When your conversation approaches 95% of the token limit, Copilot automatically compresses your history in the background without interrupting your workflow. This enables virtually infinite sessions.”
Agree the scope before any code is written: plan mode asks clarifying questions and produces a plan first.
“In plan mode, Copilot analyzes your request, asks clarifying questions to understand scope and requirements, and builds a plan before writing any code.”
Your employer can switch the tool off: when Copilot comes from an organization, an administrator must enable the Copilot CLI policy first.
“GitHub Copilot CLI is available with all Copilot plans. If you receive Copilot from an organization, the Copilot CLI policy must be enabled in the organization's settings.”
You cannot bring an arbitrary model: one that lacks tool calling or streaming makes the CLI return an error, and GitHub asks for a 128k context window.
“Models used with Copilot CLI must support tool calling (function calling) and streaming . If the model does not support these capabilities, Copilot CLI will return an error. For best results, the model should have a context window of at least 128k tokens.”
Model access fails in the field: a 403 on listing models is open with 30 comments, and sporadic policy blocking on model retrieval is open with 29.
“Failed to list models: 403 : unauthorized: not authorized to use this Copilot feature”
A developer with no GitHub Copilot subscription who wants an agent on day one should pick OpenCode or Crush; Copilot CLI needs an active Copilot plan.
“- An **active Copilot subscription**. See [Copilot plans](https://github.com/features/copilot/plans?ref_cta=Copilot+plans+signup&ref_loc=install-copilot-cli&ref_page=docs).”
What GitHub Copilot CLI costs
Copilot CLI is on the $0 Free plan; paid plans are Pro at $10 per user per month, Pro+ at $39 and Max at $100.
“Pro · For everyday coding with agents in GitHub Copilot. · $ 10 USD per user / month”
The Max plan is built for sustained agent work and carries $100 a month of GitHub AI Credits.
“GitHub Copilot Max is built for heavy Copilot usage, including sustained agent-driven workflows, and includes $100/month in GitHub AI Credits.”
Questions people ask
- Are Codex CLI and GitHub Copilot CLI still maintained?
- Codex CLI committed to openai/codex (main) on 8 Oct 2026. GitHub Copilot CLI committed to github/copilot-cli (main) on 7 Oct 2026. Both readings come from the default branch of each repository, on the date shown beside them.
- What do Codex CLI and GitHub Copilot CLI 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. GitHub Copilot CLI: Copilot CLI is on the $0 Free plan; paid plans are Pro at $10 per user per month, Pro+ at $39 and Max at $100. The Max plan is built for sustained agent work and carries $100 a month of GitHub AI Credits. Every figure here is quoted from the vendor's own page and linked beside the claim.
- Is Codex CLI or GitHub Copilot CLI open source?
- Codex CLI's repository openai/codex reports the Apache-2.0 licence. GitHub Copilot CLI's repository github/copilot-cli 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 GitHub Copilot CLI carry claims we read, quoted and linked. So this page is offered to search engines.
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