GitHub Copilot vs OpenAI Codex

GitHub Copilot: AI pair programmer inside VS Code, JetBrains and GitHub. OpenAI Codex: OpenAI's coding agent that writes, reviews and fixes code in the cloud or terminal. Here is how they compare on features, pricing, platforms, pros and cons.

Quick verdict

GitHub Copilot

Best for: Developers who want help inside the editor they already use.

Stands out for: Works in many popular editors; Deep link with GitHub repos and pull requests.

OpenAI Codex

Best for: Developers who want to hand off whole coding tasks.

Stands out for: Works across cloud, terminal and editor; Strong at multi-step tasks.

Side-by-side comparison

Comparison of GitHub Copilot, OpenAI Codex
	GitHub Copilot Visit github.com (opens in a new tab)	OpenAI Codex Visit openai.com (opens in a new tab)
What it is	AI pair programmer inside VS Code, JetBrains and GitHub.	OpenAI's coding agent that writes, reviews and fixes code in the cloud or terminal.
Pricing	Free + Paid	PaidIncluded with paid ChatGPT plans
Free to use	Yes	No
Category	AI Coding	AI Coding
Editor rank	#1 in category	#11 in category
Made by	GitHub (Microsoft)	OpenAI
Best for	Developers who want help inside the editor they already use.	Developers who want to hand off whole coding tasks.
Key features	Inline code completion Chat about your codebase Coding agent for pull requests	Cloud tasks that run in parallel Open-source Codex CLI IDE extension Code review on pull requests
Pros	Works in many popular editors Deep link with GitHub repos and pull requests Free tier for individuals	Works across cloud, terminal and editor Strong at multi-step tasks
Cons	Suggestions still need careful review Free tier has monthly usage limits	Needs a paid ChatGPT plan
Use it to	Get inline code suggestions as you type Ask chat to explain or refactor a function Hand an issue to the coding agent to open a pull request	Ask the agent to fix a bug and open a pull request Generate tests for a module Review a teammate's changes
Web app
Windows
Mac
Linux
VS Code