Codex vs Windsurf: Side-by-Side Comparison 2026
Codex vs Windsurf 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. Windsurf is an AI IDE from Cognition — the agentic ai ide.
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
Windsurf
AI-first IDE with Cascade — an agentic assistant that understands your codebase and makes multi-file changes. Now owned by Cognition (makers of Devin). Also available as Windsurf Plugin for VS Code and JetBrains.
- ✓ Cascade agentic AI
- ✓ Code completions
- ✓ Multi-file editing
- ✓ Terminal integration
- ✓ Codebase search
Free / $20/mo · 5 plans
| Feature | Codex | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Agent / CLI | AI IDE |
| Starting Price | Free | Free |
| Model Family | GPT / Codex | Multi-model |
| Open Source | Yes (CLI) | No |
Pricing verified Feb 25, 2026. Codex pricing | Windsurf pricing
Key Differences
- Category: Codex is an AI agent and a CLI-based coding agent; Windsurf is an AI IDE.
- Starting price: Codex starts at $8/mo; Windsurf starts at $20/mo.
- Model family: Codex uses GPT / Codex; Windsurf uses Multi-model.
- Open source: Codex: Yes (CLI). Windsurf: No.
- Platforms: Codex runs on Linux, Web, Windows (experimental), macOS; Windsurf runs on Linux, Windows, macOS.
- Provider: Codex is built by OpenAI; Windsurf is built by Cognition.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Codex if you want asynchronous coding tasks you can fire off and review when ready. Choose Windsurf if you want an agentic IDE with autonomous multi-step changes. Read our full reviews to see which fits your workflow.