Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools
OpenAI Codex vs OpenRouter vs Zed
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: ChatGPT subscribers who want a coding agent without paying for a second subscription.
Pick it if: Business owners and developers adding AI to a product, and anyone who wants to try lots of models cheaply from one account.
Pick it if: Developers who want a fast editor and already pay for Claude or another AI provider.
Overview
| Attribute | OpenAI Codex | OpenRouter | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | OpenAI's coding agent. Hand it a task and it works away while you do other things. | One account and one API key for hundreds of AI models, paid for at the makers' prices. | A fast, free, open-source code editor that runs Claude Code and other AI agents inside it. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Open source |
| Starting price | $8/mo | Model prices plus a 5.5% fee on credit top-ups | $10/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | OpenAI Codex | OpenRouter | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.2 | 3.7 | 4.3Winner |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 5.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | OpenAI Codex | OpenRouter | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | No | No |
| Desktop app | Yes | No | Yes |
| Browser extension | No | No | No |
| API access | Yes | Yes | – |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | No |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | Yes | No | Yes |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Makes images | No | Yes | No |
| Makes video | No | – | No |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | – | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | – | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 14/ 17 | 10/ 17 | 11/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | OpenAI Codex | OpenRouter | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free A quick look at what it can do. | Free Free Trying models and light hobby use. | PersonalOur pick Free Almost everyone. |
Go $8/mo Occasional light tasks. | Pay as you goOur pick Model prices plus a 5.5% fee on credit top-ups Most businesses and developers building with AI. | Pro $10/mo People who want Zed's hosted AI without managing keys. | |
PlusOur pick $20/mo Anyone who already pays for ChatGPT. | Business Model prices plus an 8% fee on credit top-ups Companies that need data kept in the EU or US. | Business $30/seat/mo Teams that need spending and access controls. | |
Pro From $100/mo Developers who hit the Plus limits. | Enterprise Custom Large teams with volume commitments. | ||
Business $20/user/mo billed yearly, or $25 monthly Teams of 2 or more. | |||
Enterprise Custom Large organisations. | |||
| Which plan to pick | 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. | Start free to test, then top up $10 to $20 of credit on Pay as you go. That alone lifts the free-model limit to 1,000 requests a day. Only look at Business if you have a legal reason to keep data in a region. | Personal. If you have Claude Pro, run Claude Code inside Zed and you are done. Pro only makes sense if you want Zed's built-in assistant and edit predictions without setting up API keys. |
Key features
| Attribute | OpenAI Codex | OpenRouter | Zed |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | OpenAI Codex | OpenRouter | Zed |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | OpenAI Codex | OpenRouter | Zed |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, OpenAI Codex, OpenRouter or Zed?
Zed scores highest overall in our ratings (OpenAI Codex 4.2/5, OpenRouter 3.7/5 and Zed 4.3/5). OpenAI Codex is best for background tasks in the cloud and starting a task from your phone. OpenRouter is best for Adding AI to your app without five vendor accounts and trying new models cheaply on launch day. Zed is best for Running Claude Code inside an editor and speed on big projects.
Which is cheaper, OpenAI Codex, OpenRouter or Zed?
OpenAI Codex: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $8/mo. OpenRouter: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at Model prices plus a 5.5% fee on credit top-ups. Zed: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $10/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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