Ghostty vs OpenAI Codex
Which is better in 2026? Five scores, side by side.
Ghostty is the better app overall, scoring 9.1 to 8.7. Ghostty wins on 4 of the 5 scores, OpenAI Codex on 1.
Developers on Mac or Linux who live in the terminal
ChatGPT subscribers who want a capable coding agent at no extra cost
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Ghostty | OpenAI Codex |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools | Developer Tools |
| Category rank | #2 of 13 | #8 of 13 |
| Developer | Mitchell Hashimoto and contributors | OpenAI |
| Pricing | Free | Free + paid plans |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | — | ✓ |
| Android | — | ✓ |
| Mac | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows | — | ✓ |
| Linux | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web | — | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Ghostty better than OpenAI Codex?
Ghostty is the better app overall, scoring 9.1 to 8.7. Ghostty wins on 4 of the 5 scores, OpenAI Codex on 1.
Which is cheaper, Ghostty or OpenAI Codex?
Ghostty: Free and open source; optional donations go through the non-profit Hack Club. OpenAI Codex: Included in every ChatGPT plan, even Free; Plus is $20 a month and Pro from $100. On value for money, Ghostty scores higher.
Do Ghostty and OpenAI Codex work on the same devices?
Only OpenAI Codex runs on Windows, Web, iPhone & iPad, Android.
Which is more private, Ghostty or OpenAI Codex?
Ghostty scores higher on privacy (9.8/10). No account needed. Crash reports are saved locally and never sent anywhere automatically; you can share them yourself if you choose.
Strengths and weaknesses
Ghostty
- Fast GPU rendering with a native look
- Free, open source and run as a non-profit
- Hundreds of themes that follow light and dark mode
- No Windows app planned
- SSH hosts may need its terminfo installed
- AppleScript support is still a preview
Ghostty is a terminal emulator that refuses to choose between speed and polish. It renders on the GPU, uses real native tabs and splits on Mac and Linux, ships hundreds of themes that follow light and dark mode, and supports the Kitty graphics protocol and ligatures. Version 1.3 added scrollback search. It's free, MIT-licensed and run as a non-profit project. There's no Windows version, and remote SSH hosts may need its terminfo installed.
Full Ghostty reviewOpenAI Codex
- Included even with a free ChatGPT account
- Open-source CLI under the Apache 2.0 licence
- Runs on Mac, Windows and Linux
- Free and Go plans are meant for light tasks only
- Merged ChatGPT desktop app drew complaints of confusion
- Personal-plan tasks can train models unless you opt out
Codex is OpenAI's coding agent, and it now comes with every ChatGPT plan. Use it in the ChatGPT desktop app, the open-source Codex CLI, your IDE or in the cloud, where it can work on several tasks at once and review pull requests on GitHub. You can keep an eye on sessions from the ChatGPT phone app too. July's merge of the Codex app into ChatGPT confused plenty of people, and personal-plan tasks can train models unless you opt out.
Full OpenAI Codex review
