Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools

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.

Cline

4.0

From $9.99/mo

Details Visit

Best overall

OpenAI Codex

4.2

From $8/mo

Details Visit

Comparing 2 tools. Add one more if you like.

At a glance

Cline4.0

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.

OpenAI Codex4.2

Best overall

Pick it if: ChatGPT subscribers who want a coding agent without paying for a second subscription.

Overview

Attribute	Cline	OpenAI Codex
In one line	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	Free	Freemium
Starting price	$9.99/mo	$8/mo
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Works with Claude Code	Yes	No

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

Attribute	Cline	OpenAI Codex
Overall rating	4.0	4.2Winner
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.	3.5	3.5
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.	4.5	4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.	4.0	4.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.	4.5	4.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.	3.5	4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

Attribute	Cline	OpenAI Codex
Access & platform
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Mobile app	No	Yes
Desktop app	Yes	Yes
Browser extension	No	No
API access	Yes	Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace	Yes	Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO	Yes	Yes
Connects to other apps	Yes	Yes
Open source or self-hosted	Yes	Yes
AI abilities
Works with your files	Yes	Yes
Understands images	Yes	Yes
Makes images	No	No
Makes video	No	No
Writes code	Yes	Yes
Runs agents or automations	Yes	Yes
Learns your brand or style	–	Yes
Works in many languages	Yes	Yes
Capabilities score	12/ 17	14/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

Attribute	Cline	OpenAI Codex
Plans	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.
	ClinePass $9.99/mo People who want cheap daily coding with open models.	Go $8/mo Occasional light tasks.
	Enterprise Custom Companies rolling it out to a team.	PlusOur pick $20/mo Anyone who already pays for ChatGPT.
		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	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	Cline	OpenAI Codex
Standout features	Plan and Act modes Any model Checkpoints MCP Marketplace Cline Cloud Rules for your project	Cloud tasks Desktop app and CLI Start from your phone Automatic code review AGENTS.md Open source CLI

Pros and cons

Attribute	Cline	OpenAI Codex
Pros	Free and open source, with no seat fees Works with almost any model, including local ones Plan mode and checkpoints make changes easy to review and undo Runs in the editor, the terminal, a desktop app and the cloud ClinePass is a cheap way to code daily with open models	Included with every ChatGPT plan, so many people already have it Cloud tasks let you start work from anywhere and come back later Strong on tough, multi-file coding jobs The CLI is open source and works with an API key
Cons	Top models through your own API key can get expensive in long sessions Made for people who read code changes, so less friendly for non-coders The JetBrains extension needs the Enterprise plan So many options and settings take time to learn	Five-hour and weekly limits bite on Plus if you use it seriously Cloud tasks use more of your allowance than local ones It asks fewer questions than Claude Code before changing things Model names and limits change often, which makes it hard to plan costs The $200 Pro tier now gives new subscribers less usage than before

Who each one is for

Attribute	Cline	OpenAI Codex
Best for	AI coding inside VS Code with any model Cheap coding with open models through ClinePass Teams that want to control which AI providers are allowed Handing off a GitHub task to a cloud agent	Background tasks in the cloud Starting a task from your phone Developers already on ChatGPT Plus Coding in the terminal
You'll find it used by	Developers Technical founders Agencies Engineering teams	ChatGPT subscribers Developers Startup teams Solo founders

Questions people ask

Which is better, Cline or OpenAI Codex?

OpenAI Codex scores highest overall in our ratings (Cline 4.0/5 and OpenAI Codex 4.2/5). 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, Cline or OpenAI Codex?

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.

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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