GitHub Copilot vs Codex: which coding agent should you use?
updated · #4 vs #6 in ai coding agents & IDEs · prices checked
which one should you use?
want an agent in whatever editor you already use, issues that come back as pull requests, and the cheapest serious paid plan? GitHub Copilot. already paying for ChatGPT, or want cloud tasks churning away while you do something else? OpenAI Codex.
GitHub Copilot ranks higher on our board: #4 vs #6 of 15 coding agents, 8.5/10 vs 8.0/10.
#4 of 15 in coding agents
GitHub Copilot
numptr says8.5/10
Pro is $10/mo for $15 of ai credits, and its Fusion router now sits just behind Claude Code on the independent charts for about half the cost per task.
- best for
- teams already on GitHub; budget-conscious devs
- why 8.5
- Copilot Fusion at Max scores 59.9 on Artificial Analysis's Coding Agent Index v2.0, 1.8 behind Claude Code with Opus 5.5, at $5.59 a task against $11.42 at API rates, and tops its Terminal-Bench 4.0 run at 71% (oct 28). Fusion high and Max need Pro+ at $39 or up; free tier and Pro at $10 get Fusion Standard. credits billing needs watching.
#6 of 15 in coding agents
OpenAI Codex
numptr says8.0/10
already paying for ChatGPT? you've basically got it. crack on.
- best for
- ChatGPT subscribers who want a cloud + local coding agent
- why 8.0
- bundled into every ChatGPT plan, even Free with limits.
who wins for which job
teams whose work already lives on GitHub
GitHub Copilot
best for: teams already on GitHub; budget-conscious devs.
you already pay for ChatGPT
OpenAI Codex
already paying for ChatGPT? you've basically got it. crack on.
a cloud and local agent in one subscription
OpenAI Codex
best for: ChatGPT subscribers who want a cloud + local coding agent.
overall, on our scores
GitHub Copilot
#4 of 15 coding agents, 8.5/10. OpenAI Codex: #6, 8.0/10.
the differences, side by side
rank
GitHub Copilot#4 of 15 in coding agents
OpenAI Codex#6 of 15 in coding agents
numptr score
GitHub Copilot8.5/10
OpenAI Codex8.0/10
best for
GitHub Copilotteams already on GitHub; budget-conscious devs
OpenAI CodexChatGPT subscribers who want a cloud + local coding agent
free tier
GitHub Copilotlimited chat and agent usage
OpenAI Codexincluded in ChatGPT Free (limited usage)
paid plans
GitHub CopilotPro $10/mo; Pro+ $39/mo; Max $100/mo (1 ai credit = $0.01)
OpenAI Codexincluded in ChatGPT Go $8/mo, Plus $20/mo, Pro $100, $200 or $500/mo; Business $25/seat/mo ($20 annual), Premium seat $125/mo ($100 annual); or pay API rates with an API key
price checked
GitHub Copilot2026-11-02 at github.com/features/copilot/plans
OpenAI Codex2026-11-02 at developers.openai.com/codex/pricing
# straight from our rankings data. prices from each vendor's own page.
pick neither if
quick answer: for most devs it's GitHub Copilot: #4 of 15 on our coding agents board at 8.5/10, because it sits in the editor you already use, in the terminal and on GitHub itself, and its cloud agent turns an issue into a pull request without you leaving the repo. OpenAI Codex is #6 (8.0/10) and it's the better pick if ChatGPT is already on your card: it comes with the subscription, runs locally and in the cloud, and the bigger Pro plans currently have no five-hour limit. fun twist: Copilot will now hand work to Codex for you, so this isn't strictly either or.
the short version
| GitHub Copilot | OpenAI Codex | |
|---|---|---|
| our rank | #4, 8.5/10 | #6, 8.0/10 |
| where it runs | VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, Xcode, Neovim, Eclipse, Zed and more, plus Copilot CLI, github.com and mobile | the Codex app, CLI, IDE extension, web and iOS |
| cloud agent | assign work to Copilot and it opens a pull request (from Pro) | Codex cloud tasks, @codex on GitHub issues and pull requests (from Plus) |
| code review | pull request reviews on GitHub (from Pro) | GitHub code review and automatic PR reviews (from Plus) |
| models | Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, xAI and more, you pick | OpenAI's own: GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-6 Luna and friends |
| usage | GitHub AI Credits ($0.01 each), completions don't use them | shared ChatGPT allowance, rolling five-hour window on Plus, then ChatGPT credits |
| free | limited chat and agent usage | included in ChatGPT Free (limited usage) |
| paid | Pro $10/mo; Pro+ $39/mo; Max $100/mo (1 ai credit = $0.01) | included in ChatGPT Go $8/mo, Plus $20/mo, Pro $100, $200 or $500/mo; Business $25/seat/mo ($20 annual), Premium seat $125/mo ($100 annual); or pay API rates with an API key |
ranks and scores come straight from our coding agents board, and nobody pays to move up it.
why Copilot ranks higher
it's wherever you already are. GitHub lists the places it runs: VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Xcode, Neovim, Eclipse, Zed, the terminal, github.com, mobile. agent mode and MCP servers work in the editors on every plan, the free one included. no new editor to learn, no new app to keep open.
issues in, pull requests out. on Pro and up you can assign work to Copilot in the cloud, let it research, plan and write code, and get a pull request back, then have Copilot review that pull request (and everyone else's). if your team's work already lives in GitHub issues, this is the shortest path from ticket to diff.
pick your model. the plans page lists Anthropic's Claude models, OpenAI's GPT models, Google's Gemini, xAI's Grok and more, from the free plan up. Codex gives you OpenAI's models only.
the money's sensible. Pro is $10 a month and comes with $15 of ai credits (a $10 base plus a $5 flex allotment GitHub says may change); Pro+ is $39 with $70 of credits and premium models including Opus; Max is $100 with $200. completions and next edit suggestions are unlimited on paid plans and don't touch your credits. run out and you either wait for next month or set a dollar budget and carry on at $0.01 a credit. full sums in GitHub Copilot pricing.
the honest bit: credits are a meter. how fast they go depends on the model and the size of the job, and a long agent session on a frontier model eats them quicker than a quick question to a small one. the free plan is 2,000 completions a month and limited chat and agent use, and it doesn't include the cloud agent or code review.
where Codex wins
you've probably already paid for it. Codex comes with ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, edu and Enterprise. Free and Go get GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app (subject to rollout); Plus at $20 a month opens up the web, CLI, IDE extension and iOS, cloud integrations like automatic code review and Slack, and GPT-6.1 Sol. if the ChatGPT sub is already on the card, trying it costs nothing extra.
cloud tasks you can walk away from. Codex cloud runs tasks off your machine, with cloud environments, setup scripts and internet access controls, and you can tag @codex on a GitHub issue or pull request to delegate it. Slack and Linear integrations too. it's the closest thing to a junior who doesn't need a desk.
heavy users get room. OpenAI says Pro plans ($100, $200 or $500 a month) currently have no five-hour limit. on Plus and standard Business, OpenAI's own estimate for GPT-6.1 Sol is 15 to 160 local messages per five hours, which tells you how much it depends on the job. run out and Plus and Pro can buy ChatGPT credits instead of upgrading.
an API key route for CI. Codex works in the CLI, SDK and IDE extension with an OpenAI API key at API rates, which suits shared automation. no cloud features that way, though: no GitHub code review, no Slack.
the honest bit: it's OpenAI models only, and the limits are a moving target: OpenAI's usage numbers are estimates, weekly limits may also apply, and fast modes burn your allowance quicker (2.5x on included usage). if you live in JetBrains or Xcode, Copilot covers more of your editors out of the box.
can i use both?
yes, and GitHub would quite like you to. the Copilot plans page lists access to third-party agents (Claude Code and Codex) from Pro, and delegating tasks to third-party coding agents like OpenAI Codex (preview) on Pro+ and Max. so a Copilot Pro+ seat can send a task to Codex without a separate tool, while a ChatGPT sub gets you Codex on its own terms.
which should you pick?
- your team lives in GitHub issues and pull requests: GitHub Copilot
- you want one agent across VS Code, JetBrains and Xcode: GitHub Copilot
- you want to switch between Claude, GPT and Gemini models: GitHub Copilot
- you already pay for ChatGPT Plus or Pro: OpenAI Codex
- you want long cloud tasks running while you do something else: OpenAI Codex
- handing off big multi-file features across a real repo: Claude Code, #1 on our board. see Claude Code vs GitHub Copilot and Codex vs Claude Code
- ai inside a full editor instead: Cursor (#2). see GitHub Copilot vs Cursor and Codex vs Cursor
the rest of the field
the table: the rest of the field
| rank | tool | best for | free tier | paid from | numptr score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #4 | GitHub Copilot | teams already on GitHub; budget-conscious devs | limited chat and agent usage | Pro $10/mo | 8.5/10 |
| #6 | OpenAI Codex | ChatGPT subscribers who want a cloud + local coding agent | included in ChatGPT Free (limited usage) | included in ChatGPT Go $8/mo, Plus $20/mo, Pro $100, $200 or $500/mo | 8.0/10 |
| #1 | Claude Code | delegating multi-file features from terminal or IDE | no free access: Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan (Pro and up) | Pro $20/mo | 9.0/10 |
| #2 | Cursor | developers who want ai inside a full editor | limited ai usage | Plus $8/mo, Grok models only | 8.5/10 |
| #3 | OpenCode | devs who want a Claude Code-style agent without being tied to one model | free and open source (MIT); free models included, or bring your own key, or sign in with your Claude Code login, GitHub Copilot or ChatGPT Plus/Pro | optional OpenCode Go $10/mo, Go Plus $40/mo or Go Teams $20/member/mo | 8.5/10 |
faq
is Codex better than GitHub Copilot?
not on our board: GitHub Copilot is #4 (8.5/10) and Codex #6 (8.0/10). Codex is the better pick if you already pay for ChatGPT or want cloud tasks; Copilot if you want it in every editor and on GitHub, with your choice of models.
can i use Codex inside GitHub Copilot?
yes. GitHub's plans page lists access to third-party agents (Claude Code and Codex) from Pro, and delegating tasks to third-party coding agents like OpenAI Codex as a preview on Pro+ and Max.
GitHub Copilot vs Codex pricing: which is cheaper?
both have a free way in: Copilot Free (2,000 completions, limited chat and agent use) and Codex on ChatGPT Free. the cheapest paid Copilot plan is Pro at $10 a month with $15 of ai credits; the cheapest Codex with the CLI and cloud bits is ChatGPT Plus at $20. ChatGPT Go at $8 gets you Codex in the desktop app with GPT-6 Luna. sums in GitHub Copilot pricing and Codex pricing.
does Codex work in VS Code like Copilot?
yes, Codex has an IDE extension, plus the CLI and the Codex app. Copilot covers more editors out of the box: GitHub lists VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, Xcode, Neovim, Eclipse and Zed among others.
which one reviews my pull requests?
both. Copilot does pull request reviews on GitHub from Pro. Codex does GitHub code review and automatic PR reviews from Plus, but not when you use it with an API key.
sources
checked 2026-11-03
- GitHub Copilot plans and FAQ (Free, Pro $10, Pro+ $39, Max $100, AI Credits $15/$70/$200 with base and flex allotment, 1 credit = $0.01, completions don't use credits, 2,000 completions on Free, editors and surfaces, models, cloud agent, code review, third-party agents incl. Codex, delegation preview on Pro+ and Max, paid usage budgets): https://github.com/features/copilot/plans
- Codex pricing (ChatGPT Free, Go $8, Plus $20, Pro $100/$200/$500, Business $20 annual or $25 monthly per user, API key route, no five-hour limit on Pro for now, local message estimates, fast mode multipliers, ChatGPT credits, feature table incl. cloud tasks, @codex delegation, GitHub code review, Slack and Linear): https://developers.openai.com/codex/pricing
- ranks, scores, verdicts and plans: numptr data/tools.json (coding agents board)