OpenAI Codex vs GitHub Copilot
Which is better in 2026? Five scores, side by side.
It's close: OpenAI Codex edges it 8.7 to 8.6, so the right pick depends on what you need. OpenAI Codex wins on 3 of the 5 scores, GitHub Copilot on 1, with 1 tied.
ChatGPT subscribers who want a capable coding agent at no extra cost
Developers on GitHub who want AI help inside their usual editor
Score by score
The details
| Feature | OpenAI Codex | GitHub Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Developer Tools | Developer Tools |
| Category rank | #8 of 13 | #9 of 13 |
| Developer | OpenAI | GitHub |
| Pricing | Free + paid plans | Free + paid plans |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mac | ✓ | ✓ |
| Windows | ✓ | ✓ |
| Linux | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
Common questions
Is OpenAI Codex better than GitHub Copilot?
It's close: OpenAI Codex edges it 8.7 to 8.6, so the right pick depends on what you need. OpenAI Codex wins on 3 of the 5 scores, GitHub Copilot on 1, with 1 tied.
Which is cheaper, OpenAI Codex or GitHub Copilot?
OpenAI Codex: Included in every ChatGPT plan, even Free; Plus is $20 a month and Pro from $100. GitHub Copilot: Free: 2,000 completions a month; Pro is $10 a month, Pro+ $39 and Max $100. On value for money, OpenAI Codex scores higher.
Do OpenAI Codex and GitHub Copilot work on the same devices?
Yes, both run on Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, iPhone & iPad, Android.
Which is more private, OpenAI Codex or GitHub Copilot?
OpenAI Codex scores higher on privacy (7.0/10). On personal ChatGPT plans, Codex tasks can train OpenAI's models unless you turn off Improve the model for everyone. Business, Enterprise and Edu content isn't used for training by default.
Strengths and weaknesses
OpenAI 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 reviewGitHub Copilot
- Free tier and a $10 Pro plan
- Works inside the editors you already use
- Tight GitHub integration for issues and pull requests
- Credit-based billing makes heavy agent use harder to predict
- Individual plans train on your data unless you opt out
- Free plan limits chat, agents and model choice
GitHub Copilot started as autocomplete and is now a full set of coding agents. It suggests code in VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Xcode and more, runs agent mode in your editor, works from the terminal and a desktop app, and can take an issue and open a pull request on its own. You choose models from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and xAI. Since June 2026, chat and agents draw on monthly AI credits, so heavy use costs more.
Full GitHub Copilot review
