Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex CLI

Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and ratings

Top Rated

Agentic coding tool by Anthropic for the terminal

OpenAI's open-source agentic coding agent for the terminal

Feature	Claude Code	OpenAI Codex CLI
Category	Coding Agents	Coding Agents
Pricing	Freemium ($20)	Open Source Best Value
Rating	8.2 Top Rated	7.9
Terminal-based coding
Multi-file editing
Codebase understanding
Command execution
Git integration		—
Multi-model support		—
Configurable autonomy modes	—
Bring your own API key	—

Which is better: Claude Code or OpenAI Codex CLI?

Both are excellent tools — your choice depends on specific needs:

Choose Claude Code if you

Choose OpenAI Codex CLI if you