// comparison
Cursor vs OpenAI Codex: Editor or Agent?
By the Drydock editorial team at Ahzy Capital · Prices last verified Oct 28, 2026 · How we test
Cursor is an editor with AI built in. Codex is OpenAI's coding agent, available in the CLI, the IDE, on the web and in a desktop app, and included with ChatGPT plans.
| Cursor | OpenAI Codex | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | AI code editor with fast autocomplete, codebase aware chat and background agents. | OpenAI's coding agent available as an open source CLI, IDE extension and cloud agent that runs tasks in parallel. |
| Category | Coding Agents | Coding Agents |
| Free tier | Yes ($0) | Yes ($0) |
| Entry paid price | Plus $8/mo | Go $8/mo; Plus $20/mo |
| Pricing source | Official page | Official page |
| Last verified | Oct 28, 2026 | Oct 28, 2026 |
Pricing
Both list a free tier. Codex's pricing page has a low cost Go plan and a Plus plan, and Cursor's cheapest paid plan is Plus. If you already pay for ChatGPT, Codex may already be included.
Fit
Use Cursor when you want to stay hands on in an editor with inline AI help. Use Codex when you want to hand off whole tasks and review the result.
Verdict
Already a ChatGPT subscriber? Try Codex first, since you may not need to pay more. Prefer working in an editor? Cursor. Many developers use an agent and an editor side by side.
Prices change often. See the live pricing tracker for the latest checked figures.