Codex CLI: What It Is, What It Costs, and Who It's For
OpenAI's agentic coding CLI. Features Goal mode for high-level task decomposition. 2 months free for new users.
At a Glance
Maker
OpenAI
Type
Terminal CLI
Free tier
Yes 2 months free
Starting price
Pay-per-token
SWE-bench
~81%
Self-hosted
No
IDE integration
Terminal, VS Code
Languages
All major
Free Tier
2 months free for new users. After that, pay-per-token billing.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial | $0 | 2 months free for new users |
| Pay-per-token | Varies | Usage-based billing |
Pricing as of May 2026. Subject to change. Verify on the tool's official site.
Features & Integrations
- ✓Goal mode (task decomposition)
- ✓OpenAI ecosystem
- ✓Terminal-native
- ✓VS Code extension
- ✓GPT-5.5 powered
- ✓Multi-file editing
Codex CLI Alternatives
| If you want... | Try this instead |
|---|---|
| IDE-native experience | Claude Code |
| IDE-native experience | Gemini CLI |
FAQ
Is Codex CLI better than the alternatives?+
It depends on your workflow. Codex CLI is best for developers who value goal mode (task decomposition). Check the alternatives table above to compare.
Does Codex CLI have a free tier?+
2 months free for new users. After that, pay-per-token billing.
What languages does Codex CLI support?+
All major.