Codex vs Cursor: Side-by-Side Comparison 2026

Codex vs Cursor comparison 2026. Side-by-side features, pricing & capabilities.

Codex is an AI agent and a CLI-based coding agent from OpenAI — asynchronous autonomous coding agent. Cursor is an AI IDE from Cursor (Anysphere) — the ai-first code editor.

Codex🏆 Approved

OpenAI's autonomous coding agent. Available via web, desktop app (macOS), CLI (macOS/Linux/Windows), and VS Code extension.

  • ✓ Code completions
  • ✓ AI chat
  • ✓ Agentic mode
  • ✓ Multi-file editing
  • ✓ Terminal commands

Free / $8/mo · 6 plans

Cursor

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

Free / $20/mo · 6 plans

Feature Codex Cursor
Category Agent / CLIAI IDE
Starting Price Free Free
Model Family GPT / CodexMulti-model
Open Source Yes (CLI)No

Pricing verified Feb 25, 2026. Codex pricing | Cursor pricing

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Key Differences

  • Category: Codex is an AI agent and a CLI-based coding agent; Cursor is an AI IDE.
  • Starting price: Codex starts at $8/mo; Cursor starts at $20/mo.
  • Model family: Codex uses GPT / Codex; Cursor uses Multi-model.
  • Open source: Codex: Yes (CLI). Cursor: No.
  • Platforms: Codex runs on Linux, Web, Windows (experimental), macOS; Cursor runs on Linux, Windows, macOS.
  • Provider: Codex is built by OpenAI; Cursor is built by Cursor (Anysphere).

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Codex if you want asynchronous coding tasks you can fire off and review when ready. Choose Cursor if you want a full-featured AI IDE for professional development. Read our full reviews to see which fits your workflow.

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