ChatGPT desktop app vs Codex CLI
ChatGPT desktop app is a desktop app by OpenAI. Codex CLI is a terminal agent by OpenAI. Every cell below is read from the directory data and points back to a vendor page.
 ChatGPT desktop app |  Codex CLI | |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Layer | Desktop app | Terminal agent, Editor extension, Cloud agent |
| Vendor | OpenAI | OpenAI |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Linux, Windows |
| License | Proprietary Proprietary | Apache-2.0 Open source |
| Status | active | active |
| Pricing | ||
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Entry price | Free | Free |
| Top individual plan | $100/mo | $100/mo |
| Team seat | $20/user/mo | $20/user/mo |
| Included usage | — | — |
| Beyond the plan | Rate limited, API list price | Rate limited, API list price |
| Part of a plan | ChatGPT | ChatGPT |
| Models | ||
| Providers | OpenAI | OpenAI |
| Bring your own key | Partial BYOK | BYOK |
| Local models | No | No |
| Features | ||
| Git worktrees | Yes | Yes |
| Parallel agents | Yes | No |
| Subagents | Yes | Yes |
| MCP client | Yes | Yes |
| ACP agent | No | Yes |
| Browser automation | Yes | No |
| Sandboxing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile companion | Yes | No |
| Scheduled tasks | Yes | No |
| Diff review | Yes | No |
| Plugins | Yes | Yes |
| Hooks | Yes | Yes |
| Works with | ||
| Runs | Codex CLI | — |
| Runs inside | — | ChatGPT desktop app, Claude Squad, cmux, Conductor, dmux, Emdash, goose, Herdr, JetBrains AI, Nimbalyst, OpenHands, Orca, Paseo, Superset, T3 Code, Vibe Kanban, Visual Studio Code, Warp, Xcode, Zed |
| Pricing verified | 2026-08-23 | 2026-08-23 |