Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools
Amp vs Cline vs OpenAI Codex
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Developers and engineering teams working on large codebases who want agents running in the background, not tied to their laptop.
Pick it if: Developers and technical founders who want a capable coding agent inside their editor and want to choose, and pay for, their own AI model.
Pick it if: ChatGPT subscribers who want a coding agent without paying for a second subscription.
Overview
| Attribute | Amp | Cline | OpenAI Codex |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | A coding agent that keeps working on remote machines after you close your laptop. | A free, open-source coding agent for VS Code and the terminal that works with any model. | OpenAI's coding agent. Hand it a task and it works away while you do other things. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Free | Freemium |
| Starting price | $20/mo | $9.99/mo | $8/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | Yes | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Amp | Cline | OpenAI Codex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.2Winner |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Amp | Cline | OpenAI Codex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | No | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Browser extension | No | No | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | – | – | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 13/ 17 | 12/ 17 | 14/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Amp | Cline | OpenAI Codex |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | HobbyOur pick Free Developers with their own model subscription or keys. | Open SourceOur pick Free Anyone with their own API key or happy to buy credits. | Free Free A quick look at what it can do. |
Megawatt $20/mo Individuals who want Amp to host the machines. | ClinePass $9.99/mo People who want cheap daily coding with open models. | Go $8/mo Occasional light tasks. | |
Gigawatt $200/mo Heavy users running many big jobs. | Enterprise Custom Companies rolling it out to a team. | PlusOur pick $20/mo Anyone who already pays for ChatGPT. | |
Enterprise Custom Large companies with security and compliance needs. | Pro From $100/mo Developers who hit the Plus limits. | ||
Business $20/user/mo billed yearly, or $25 monthly Teams of 2 or more. | |||
Enterprise Custom Large organisations. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Start on Hobby and link a ChatGPT or Claude subscription you already pay for. Move to Megawatt at $20 a month only when you want Amp to host the machines so tasks run while you're away. Teams can create a workspace at no extra charge. | Install the free version and connect a model you already pay for. If you want to code most days without watching an API bill, add ClinePass at $9.99 a month for the open models, and keep a Claude or GPT key for the hard jobs. Enterprise only matters once a company needs JetBrains or central controls. | If you already have ChatGPT Plus, you have Codex: just try it. If you are choosing between this and Claude Code with no existing subscription, Plus at $20 and Claude Pro at $20 cost the same, so pick whichever chat assistant you prefer. If you outgrow Plus, Pro starts at $100 and has no five-hour limit for now. The $200 tier gives new subscribers less usage than it used to, and Ultrafast mode is only on the $500 tier. |
Key features
| Attribute | Amp | Cline | OpenAI Codex |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Amp | Cline | OpenAI Codex |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Amp | Cline | OpenAI Codex |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Amp, Cline or OpenAI Codex?
OpenAI Codex scores highest overall in our ratings (Amp 4.0/5, Cline 4.0/5 and OpenAI Codex 4.2/5). Amp is best for running several coding tasks in the background at once and working on big, messy codebases. Cline is best for AI coding inside VS Code with any model and cheap coding with open models through ClinePass. OpenAI Codex is best for background tasks in the cloud and starting a task from your phone.
Which is cheaper, Amp, Cline or OpenAI Codex?
Amp: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/mo. Cline: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $9.99/mo. OpenAI Codex: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $8/mo.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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