OpenCode vs OpenAI Codex
OpenCode vs OpenAI Codex (Coding Agents (CLI & Cloud)). Agent test scores: OpenCode 9.2/10, OpenAI Codex 7.4/10. OpenCode scored 1.8 higher overall in our separate rubric v0.1 tests (editions and tasks can differ — see Edition tested and the notes below). Pricing: OpenCode — Go $10/mo; Go Plus $40/mo; Zen pay-as-you-go ($20 prepaid); OpenAI Codex — Included in every ChatGPT plan (Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, Edu); usage limits vary by plan. Codex Cloud needs Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu. Plus/Pro buyers can add credits. Plan prices on chatgpt.com/pricing.
Every fact on this page comes from our tool records and test logs. Last updated:
- VibeToolRank score
- 9.2/10
- Last tested
- 2026-10-16
- Runs
- 3 runs
- Outcome score
- 9/10
- Edition tested
- OpenCode CLI 1.19.2, free Zen model opencode/big-pickle, no account
- Free plan, as measured
- $0 per bugfix run on a free OpenCode Zen model, no account or API key
- Free plan
- Yes: open-source agent free with own keys; some free Zen models
- Price
- Go $10/mo; Go Plus $40/mo; Zen pay-as-you-go ($20 prepaid)
- Pricing checked
- 2026-10-16
- VibeToolRank score
- 7.4/10
- Last tested
- 2026-10-16
- Runs
- 3 runs
- Outcome score
- 8/10
- Edition tested
- Codex CLI 0.163.0 with OpenRouter free model cohere/north-mini-code:free (no ChatGPT login; not OpenAI's models)
- Free plan, as measured
- 33K–262K tokens per bugfix run on a free OpenRouter model, $0
- Free plan
- Yes: Codex CLI, IDE extension and app on ChatGPT Free and Go with plan usage limits (no Codex Cloud)
- Price
- Included in every ChatGPT plan (Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, Edu); usage limits vary by plan. Codex Cloud needs Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu. Plus/Pro buyers can add credits. Plan prices on chatgpt.com/pricing
- Pricing checked
- 2026-11-02
Side by side
| Field | OpenCode | OpenAI Codex |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | OpenCodeOpen-source AI coding agent for the terminal. | OpenAI CodexOpenAI's coding agent for CLI, IDE and cloud. |
| Pricing | OpenCodeGo $10/mo; Go Plus $40/mo; Zen pay-as-you-go ($20 prepaid) | OpenAI CodexIncluded in every ChatGPT plan (Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, Edu); usage limits vary by plan. Codex Cloud needs Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu. Plus/Pro buyers can add credits. Plan prices on chatgpt.com/pricing |
| Free tier | OpenCodeYes: open-source agent free with own keys; some free Zen models | OpenAI CodexYes: Codex CLI, IDE extension and app on ChatGPT Free and Go with plan usage limits (no Codex Cloud) |
| Pricing verified | OpenCode2026-10-16 | OpenAI Codex2026-11-02 |
| Edition tested | OpenCodeOpenCode CLI 1.19.2, free Zen model opencode/big-pickle, no account | OpenAI CodexCodex CLI 0.163.0 with OpenRouter free model cohere/north-mini-code:free (no ChatGPT login; not OpenAI's models) |
| Tested on | OpenCode2026-10-16 | OpenAI Codex2026-10-16 |
| Outcome score | OpenCode9 | OpenAI Codex8 |
| Speed score | OpenCode10 | OpenAI Codex8 |
| Cost score | OpenCode10 | OpenAI Codex9 |
| Developer experience score | OpenCode7 | OpenAI Codex6 |
| Reliability score | OpenCode10 | OpenAI Codex5 |
| Overall score | OpenCode9.2 | OpenAI Codex7.4 |
What our tests found
OpenCode
3/3 runs: fixed a seeded cart-discount bug (2 failing tests) in 18-22s with a free Zen model and no account or API key, without touching the tests. Only task T3 was run. In scripts, opencode run hangs silently if stdin is left open.CLI, free model
- Solved our bug-fix task 3/3 in about 20s
- Free Zen models work with no account or API key
- Minimal, correct diffs that left the tests untouched
- opencode run hung silently in a script until stdin was redirected from /dev/null
- Free model names and availability change over time
- We only ran the bug-fix task (T3), not full app builds
Who it’s for: Developers who want an open-source terminal coding agent they can try for free and later point at their own model keys.
OpenAI Codex
Using a custom OpenRouter provider and a small free model, Codex CLI fixed our seeded cart bug in 2 of 3 runs (19-76s). In the failed run the model issued an apply_patch call that Codex rejected. Token use was high (33K-262K). Not tested with OpenAI's own models.CLI, free model
- Runs without a ChatGPT login through any Responses-compatible provider
- Fixed the bug in 2 of 3 runs on a free model at $0
- Sandboxed workspace-write mode for unattended runs
- With a free model, 1 of 3 runs failed on an unsupported apply_patch call
- Used 33K-262K tokens per run, versus about 2K for Aider
- Flags change between versions (--full-auto removed) and the chat wire API is no longer supported
- Our test did not use OpenAI's own models
- Codex cloud (the web agent) needs ChatGPT Plus, Pro or Business; the Go plan redirects to an upgrade (2026-10-16)
Who it’s for: Developers in the OpenAI ecosystem who want a terminal agent; it works best with OpenAI models via a ChatGPT plan or API key.
Verdict
Scores use rubric v0.1 from separate runs. Editions and tasks can differ (see Edition tested and What our tests found); some tests were a single run, which caps reliability scores. Overall: OpenCode 9.2, OpenAI Codex 7.4. Check the free-tier limits above against your project before choosing.
FAQ
Which is better, OpenCode or OpenAI Codex?
In our tests OpenCode scored higher overall (9.2/10 vs 7.4/10). Scores use the same rubric (v0.1) but came from separate runs; editions and tasks may differ (see Edition tested and test summaries), so check the per-dimension scores for what matters to you.
Is OpenCode free?
Yes: open-source agent free with own keys; some free Zen models (pricing checked 2026-10-16).
Is OpenAI Codex free?
Yes: Codex CLI, IDE extension and app on ChatGPT Free and Go with plan usage limits (no Codex Cloud) (pricing checked 2026-11-02).
How much does OpenCode cost compared with OpenAI Codex?
OpenCode: Go $10/mo; Go Plus $40/mo; Zen pay-as-you-go ($20 prepaid). OpenAI Codex: Included in every ChatGPT plan (Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, Edu); usage limits vary by plan. Codex Cloud needs Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise or Edu. Plus/Pro buyers can add credits. Plan prices on chatgpt.com/pricing.
Best Coding Agents (CLI & Cloud) · Best free Coding Agents (CLI & Cloud) · All comparisons · Methodology
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Scores come from our own tests and are never for sale; sponsored placements are always labelled. Some links are affiliate links (currently Railway). Disclosure