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.
opencode on Codex CLI · not for
A team that must lock the agent down before its first run should choose Codex CLI, which starts inside an OS-enforced sandbox with the network switched off.
“By default, the agent runs with network access turned off.”
Codex CLI and opencode, fact by fact
| Fact | Codex CLI | opencode |
|---|---|---|
| Starsopencode has 83,967 more stars (1.7×). | 128,366Verified 8 Oct 2026 | 212,333Verified 8 Oct 2026 |
| Newest commitBoth committed on the same day. | 8 Oct 20260 days old when we read itVerified 8 Oct 2026 | 8 Oct 20260 days old when we read itVerified 8 Oct 2026 |
| ContributorsCodex CLI has 23 more contributors (1.1×). | 477Verified 8 Oct 2026 | 454Verified 8 Oct 2026 |
| LicenseApache-2.0 against MIT. | Apache-2.0Verified 8 Oct 2026 | MITVerified 8 Oct 2026 |
| Latest stable releaseBoth released on the same day. | rust-v0.161.0published 7 Oct 2026Verified 8 Oct 2026 | v1.18.35published 6 Oct 2026Verified 8 Oct 2026 |
| npm downloadsCodex CLI has 22,294,722 more npm downloads a week (7.7×). | 25,613,321 a week@openai/codexVerified 8 Oct 2026 | 3,318,599 a weekopencode-aiVerified 8 Oct 2026 |
| Homebrew installsCodex CLI has 83,113 more Homebrew installs in 30 days (4.9×). | 104,545 in 30 dayscodexVerified 8 Oct 2026 | 21,432 in 30 daysopencodeVerified 8 Oct 2026 |
| Repository | openai/codexRustVerified 8 Oct 2026 | anomalyco/opencodeTypeScriptVerified 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 opencode
OpenCode reaches 75+ LLM providers and local models from a single config file, because it resolves every model through the AI SDK and the Models.dev catalogue instead of a hand-written provider list.
“OpenCode uses the AI SDK and Models.dev to support 75+ LLM providers and it supports running local models.”
Explore an unfamiliar codebase before you change it: the built-in plan agent refuses file edits and asks before each bash command.
“**plan** - Read-only agent for analysis and code exploration · - Denies file edits by default · - Asks permission before running bash commands · - Ideal for exploring unfamiliar codebases or planning changes”
Run one task against two vendors' models in the same session: `/connect` adds a provider key and the model picker switches without a restart.
“Add the API keys for the provider using the /connect command.”
Run the agent inside CI on your own runner: mentioning /opencode or /oc on a GitHub issue or pull request executes the task in GitHub Actions.
“OpenCode integrates with your GitHub workflow. Mention /opencode or /oc in your comment, and OpenCode will execute tasks within your GitHub Actions runner.”
A fresh install edits files and runs shell commands with no approval prompt, because every permission except `doom_loop` and `external_directory` starts at allow.
“Most permissions default to "allow".”
Memory grows through a long terminal session: the maintainers opened a central memory thread on 2026-04-02, asked users for heap snapshots taken once the process reaches 1-2 GB, and the thread is still open 139 days later.
“We have scattered reports of memory issues so we are going to tackle them all in a central place.”
`/share` copies the transcript to OpenCode's servers, and the resulting link needs no password.
“Shared conversations are publicly accessible to anyone with the link.”
A team that must lock the agent down before its first run should choose Codex CLI, which starts inside an OS-enforced sandbox with the network switched off.
“By default, the agent runs with network access turned off.”
What opencode costs
OpenCode Go, the optional subscription, costs $5 for the first month and $10 a month after that, and one workspace can hold only one subscriber.
“OpenCode Go is a low cost subscription — $5 for your first month, then $10/month — that gives you reliable access to popular open coding models.”
A workspace can hold only one Go subscriber, so a second developer needs a second workspace.
“Only one member per workspace can subscribe to OpenCode Go.”
Questions people ask
- Are Codex CLI and opencode still maintained?
- Codex CLI committed to openai/codex (main) on 8 Oct 2026. opencode committed to anomalyco/opencode (dev) on 8 Oct 2026. Both readings come from the default branch of each repository, on the date shown beside them.
- What do Codex CLI and opencode 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. opencode: OpenCode Go, the optional subscription, costs $5 for the first month and $10 a month after that, and one workspace can hold only one subscriber. A workspace can hold only one Go subscriber, so a second developer needs a second workspace. Every figure here is quoted from the vendor's own page and linked beside the claim.
- Is Codex CLI or opencode open source?
- Codex CLI's repository openai/codex reports the Apache-2.0 licence. opencode's repository anomalyco/opencode reports the MIT 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 opencode carry claims we read, quoted and linked. So this page is offered to search engines.
Related comparisons
Pairs we can answer for come first.
