AI coding agent
Codex
Codex is OpenAI's coding agent across the CLI, IDE extension, desktop app, web, SDK, and cloud. Local sessions work directly in your repository with configurable sandbox and approval policies. Cloud tasks clone the repository into isolated OpenAI-managed environments, making Codex useful for parallel jobs that can run while you work elsewhere.
Best for
- Running several delegated coding tasks in parallel
- Developers who want both local sessions and isolated cloud tasks
- GitHub workflows that end in reviewable pull requests
- Teams already paying for ChatGPT or the OpenAI API
Not best for
- Developers committed to non-OpenAI model providers
- Cloud tasks that require unrestricted network access by default
- Organizations unwilling to connect source repositories to OpenAI
Quick facts
- Vendor
- OpenAI
- Category
- AI coding agent
- Platforms
- Terminal, Web, Cloud, macOS, Windows, VS Code, Desktop, iOS
- Integrations
- GitHub, Slack, MCP, VS Code, ChatGPT, OpenAI API
- Pricing
- Included with ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu plans, with limits that vary by plan. Plus is $20 monthly; Pro starts at $100 monthly; Business starts at $20 per user monthly. Local CLI, IDE, and SDK use can instead be billed to an API key at standard model token rates. Cloud features require ChatGPT sign-in.
In Depth: Codex
Key features
- CLI, IDE extension, desktop app, web client, and SDK
- Local workspace sandboxing with configurable approvals and network access
- Isolated cloud environments for asynchronous and parallel tasks
- GitHub pull requests, automatic code review, and Slack integration
- MCP support, reusable skills, plugins, and automations
- ChatGPT sign-in or API-key authentication for local work
Pricing and access
Included with ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu plans, with limits that vary by plan. Plus is $20 monthly; Pro starts at $100 monthly; Business starts at $20 per user monthly. Local CLI, IDE, and SDK use can instead be billed to an API key at standard model token rates. Cloud features require ChatGPT sign-in.
Pricing changes often. We update this writeup as vendor pages change. Always confirm the latest on https://developers.openai.com/codex/ before committing.
