Continue vs OpenAI Codex CLI

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

Also replaces Claude Code: + OpenCode + Gemini CLI + Zed + OpenHands + Cline + goose

Continuecontinuedev/continue

OpenAI Codex CLIopenai/codex

Claude Codepaid product

Cost and coverage

Price

$0 software; you run it

Included with Claude Pro ($20/month, or $17/month billed annually), Max (from $100/month), Team and Enterprise; not on the free plan source ↗

Edit code across a repo from the terminal with an AI agent

Partly

Yes

Run commands and tests

Partly

Yes

Use the agent inside VS Code or JetBrains

Partly

Yes

Connect tools and data through MCP

Partly

Yes

Write commits and pull requests

Yes

Run the agent headless in scripts or CI (GitHub Actions)

Partly

Yes

Jobs covered

5 of 6 jobs

All 6

Popularity and activity (from GitHub)

Stars

36,290

130,321Top

—

Gain this week

Unknown

—

Signal

Building history

—

Commits / 4 wk

892Top

—

Latest release

v2.0.0-vscode · 2026-06-19

rust-v0.163.0 · 2026-10-15Top

—

Commits / 12 wk

3,490

—

People committing / 12 mo

78+

377+

—

Issues opened / closed, 30 days

28 / 192

7371 / 1498

—

Facts, with sources on each project page

Runs on my machine?Differs

Yes, runs inside your IDE or terminal on your own machine

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

Hosted by the vendor

Code licence

Apache-2.0

—

Model weights licence

No separate model weights

—

Commercial useDiffers

Apache-2.0 allows commercial use

Allowed under Apache-2.0

—

Paid services needed?Differs

Not required with local models via Ollama; cloud model API keys are optional

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

Subscription

HardwareDiffers

No stated needs for the extension or CLI; the Ollama guide asks for 8GB RAM minimum (16GB+ recommended) for local models

Not documented in the README or CLI docs

—

Operating systemsDiffers

Windows, macOS and Linux (VS Code and JetBrains); the CLI shell installer is macOS/Linux, npm install elsewhere

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

—

Setup effortDiffers

Easy; install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace, then add a model

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

—

Stars over time

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

Continue
OpenAI Codex CLI

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

Tracked daily since 22 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.

Continue vs OpenAI Codex CLI (as alternatives to Claude Code)
Figures from RepoQuarry, 22 Oct 2026. Sources: https://repoquarry.dev/compare?ids=continue,codex-cli&product=claude-code

Claude Code: Included with Claude Pro ($20/month, or $17/month billed annually), Max (from $100/month), Team and Enterprise; not on the free plan
Continue: free software; does 5 of 6 Claude Code jobs
OpenAI Codex CLI: free software; does 5 of 6 Claude Code jobs

- Continue: 36,290 GitHub stars, 0 commits in 12 weeks, licence Apache-2.0
- OpenAI Codex CLI: 130,321 GitHub stars, 3,490 commits in 12 weeks, licence Apache-2.0

Where they differ:
- Runs on my machine?: Continue Yes, runs inside your IDE or terminal on your own 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
- Commercial use: Continue Apache-2.0 allows commercial use; OpenAI Codex CLI Allowed under Apache-2.0
- Paid services needed?: Continue Not required with local models via Ollama; cloud model API keys are optional; 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
- Hardware: Continue No stated needs for the extension or CLI; the Ollama guide asks for 8GB RAM minimum (16GB+ recommended) for local models; OpenAI Codex CLI Not documented in the README or CLI docs
- Operating systems: Continue Windows, macOS and Linux (VS Code and JetBrains); the CLI shell installer is macOS/Linux, npm install elsewhere; OpenAI Codex CLI macOS, Linux and Windows (native PowerShell with a Windows sandbox, or WSL2)
- Setup effort: Continue Easy; install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace, then add a model; OpenAI Codex CLI Easy; one-line install script, npm or Homebrew, then sign in with ChatGPT

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. continuedev/continue ↗openai/codex ↗

Continue vs OpenAI Codex CLI

Stars over time

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