OpenAI Codex CLI vs OpenCode

Side by side, as alternatives to Cursor. Rows that differ are highlighted; the strongest value in a row is marked. Unknown means no source yet.

Also replaces Cursor: + Gemini CLI + Zed + OpenHands + Cline + goose + Aider

OpenAI Codex CLIopenai/codex

OpenCodeanomalyco/opencode

Cursorpaid product

Cost and coverage

Price

$0 software; you run it

Free plan with limited AI use; Plus $8/month, Premium $30/month, Super $100/month, Ultra $200/month; third-party models billed separately by usage source ↗

Code in an AI-first editor

Yes

Multi-line tab completion and next-edit prediction

Yes

Let an agent plan and edit across many files

Partly

Yes

Run terminal commands and tests from the agent

Partly

Yes

Ask questions about your whole codebase

Yes

Connect tools and data through MCP

Partly

Yes

Run agents in the cloud in the background

Yes

Jobs covered

3 of 7 jobs

2 of 7 jobs

All 7

Popularity and activity (from GitHub)

Stars

130,321

219,699Top

—

Gain this week

Unknown

—

Signal

Building history

—

Commits / 4 wk

892

986Top

—

Latest release

rust-v0.163.0 · 2026-10-15

v1.19.3 · 2026-10-16Top

—

Commits / 12 wk

3,490

2,164

—

People committing / 12 mo

377+

420+

—

Issues opened / closed, 30 days

7371 / 1498

3742 / 4694

—

Facts, with sources on each project page

Runs on my machine?Differs

Yes, a command-line agent that runs on your computer; cloud models run on OpenAI's servers unless you use --oss

Yes, CLI and desktop app

Hosted by the vendor

Code licenceDiffers

Apache-2.0

MIT

—

Model weights licenceDiffers

No separate model weights

No single bundled model licence. OpenCode connects to models/providers; their individual terms apply.

—

Commercial useDiffers

Allowed under Apache-2.0

Yes, MIT code

—

Paid services needed?Differs

Not required with local models (--oss with Ollama or LM Studio) or the limited ChatGPT Free plan; paid ChatGPT plans and OpenAI API keys are optional

Needs a model provider: local models via Ollama, LM Studio or llama.cpp, or a paid API

Subscription

HardwareDiffers

Not documented in the README or CLI docs

No hardware requirements documented in the README or docs (checked 2026-10-21)

—

Operating systemsDiffers

macOS, Linux and Windows (native PowerShell with a Windows sandbox, or WSL2)

Windows, macOS and Linux; on Windows the docs recommend WSL for the CLI, and there is a Windows desktop app

—

Setup effortDiffers

Easy; one-line install script, npm or Homebrew, then sign in with ChatGPT

Easy; one-line install script, npm, Homebrew, Chocolatey or Scoop, then add a model provider

—

Stars over time

Switch to Growth % to compare projects of different sizes fairly.

OpenAI Codex CLI
OpenCode

Focus a point, use arrow keys, or tap for its value.

Tracked daily since 19 Oct 2026. Dashed history: estimated from public records of when people starred the repo. Lines connect observations only; gaps contain no measured points.

Growth % starts at each project's first observed point in the shown range. Zero-star starts are unavailable.

Notes for a video or post

A plain summary with today's date and a link to the sources. Check each project page before you publish.

OpenAI Codex CLI vs OpenCode (as alternatives to Cursor)
Figures from RepoQuarry, 22 Oct 2026. Sources: https://repoquarry.dev/compare?ids=codex-cli,opencode&product=cursor

Cursor: Free plan with limited AI use; Plus $8/month, Premium $30/month, Super $100/month, Ultra $200/month; third-party models billed separately by usage
OpenAI Codex CLI: free software; does 3 of 7 Cursor jobs
OpenCode: free software; does 2 of 7 Cursor jobs

- OpenAI Codex CLI: 130,321 GitHub stars, 3,490 commits in 12 weeks, licence Apache-2.0
- OpenCode: 219,699 GitHub stars, 2,164 commits in 12 weeks, licence MIT

Where they differ:
- Runs on my machine?: OpenAI Codex CLI Yes, a command-line agent that runs on your computer; cloud models run on OpenAI's servers unless you use --oss; OpenCode Yes, CLI and desktop app
- Code licence: OpenAI Codex CLI Apache-2.0; OpenCode MIT
- Model weights licence: OpenAI Codex CLI No separate model weights; OpenCode No single bundled model licence. OpenCode connects to models/providers; their individual terms apply.
- Commercial use: OpenAI Codex CLI Allowed under Apache-2.0; OpenCode Yes, MIT code
- Paid services needed?: OpenAI Codex CLI Not required with local models (--oss with Ollama or LM Studio) or the limited ChatGPT Free plan; paid ChatGPT plans and OpenAI API keys are optional; OpenCode Needs a model provider: local models via Ollama, LM Studio or llama.cpp, or a paid API
- Hardware: OpenAI Codex CLI Not documented in the README or CLI docs; OpenCode No hardware requirements documented in the README or docs (checked 2026-10-21)
- Operating systems: OpenAI Codex CLI macOS, Linux and Windows (native PowerShell with a Windows sandbox, or WSL2); OpenCode Windows, macOS and Linux; on Windows the docs recommend WSL for the CLI, and there is a Windows desktop app
- Setup effort: OpenAI Codex CLI Easy; one-line install script, npm or Homebrew, then sign in with ChatGPT; OpenCode Easy; one-line install script, npm, Homebrew, Chocolatey or Scoop, then add a model provider

Stars show popularity, not quality. Check each project page before publishing.

Want share images and a ready video description? Open a project's creator kit.

Numbers: GitHub, fetched nightly. Facts: read from each project's own documentation, with the source on its page. How we check. openai/codex ↗anomalyco/opencode ↗

OpenAI Codex CLI vs OpenCode

Stars over time

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