Codex vs Cursor: Side-by-Side Comparison 2026
Codex vs Cursor comparison 2026. Side-by-side features, pricing & capabilities.
| Feature | Codex | Cursor |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Agent | AI IDE |
| Starting Price | Free | Free |
| Model Family | GPT / Codex | Multi-model |
| Context Window | 400K | Varies (up to 2M with Gemini) |
| Code Completion | ✓ | ✓ |
| Chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Inline Editing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Agentic Mode | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-File Editing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Terminal Commands | ✓ | ✓ |
| Browser Use | ✗ | ✗ |
| Test Generation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Debugging | ✓ | ✓ |
| Refactoring | ✓ | ✓ |
| Code Review | ✓ | ✓ |
| PR Review | ✓ | ✗ |
| Documentation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Image to Code | ✗ | ✓ |
| Voice Input | ✗ | ✗ |
| App Generation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Deployment | ✗ | ✗ |
| Git Integration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Supported IDEs | Codex App, VS Code, CLI | Cursor (standalone VS Code fork) |
| Open Source | Yes (CLI) | No |
Pricing verified 2026-02-05. Codex pricing | Cursor pricing
Overview
Codex is ai agent from OpenAI. Cursor is ai ide from Cursor (Anysphere). Both tools are actively maintained as of 2026.
Codex: What You Get
Codex — AI Coding Agent from OpenAI. App / CLI / IDE.
- Code completions
- AI chat
- Agentic mode
- Multi-file editing
- Terminal commands
- Test generation
- Debugging
- Code review
- Git integration
- App generation
Pricing: Free / $8/mo. 6 plans available.
Models: GPT-5.3-Codex, Codex-mini-latest
Cursor: What You Get
AI-powered code editor built on VS Code with deep AI integration for code generation, editing, and chat.
- AI autocomplete
- Chat with codebase
- Multi-file editing
- Terminal commands
- Code explanation
- Bug detection
Pricing: Free / $20/mo. 6 plans available.
Models: Claude Opus 4.1, Claude Sonnet 4/4.5, GPT-5, GPT-4.1, Gemini 2.5 Pro (2M), o1
Key Differences
- Category: Codex is ai agent, Cursor is ai ide.
- Model family: Codex uses GPT / Codex; Cursor uses Multi-model.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Codex if you want Codex handles multi-step tasks independently. Choose Cursor if you want Full-featured AI IDE for professional development. Both tools are strong options — the right choice depends on your workflow and priorities.
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