OpenAI Codex
OpenAI's coding agent that writes, reviews and runs code from terminal, IDE, desktop or cloud
Freemium
Zed
A fast, Rust-built code editor for coding with teammates and AI agents
Freemium
Verdict
OpenAI Codex and Zed are both Coding AI tools. Both have a free plan or trial. Only OpenAI Codex is available on Web, VS Code Extension and JetBrains Plugin and offers an API.
Best overall
OpenAI Codex
- Software developers
- Engineering teams
- Enterprise engineering organizations
- Open-source maintainers
Choose OpenAI Codex if
- You want a tool built for delegating coding tasks to an agent.
- Included with ChatGPT plans, with a free tier and an $8 Go tier.
- Open-source CLI under the Apache-2.0 license.
Choose Zed if
- You want a tool built for fast native editing, running AI agents alongside a conventional editor, real-time pair programming.
- Native Rust application designed for low-latency editing on multiple cores and the GPU.
- Free Personal plan with unlimited use of your own API keys or external agents.
- Best for beginners
- Zed
- Best for business
- OpenAI Codex
Features
19 features compared.
- Codex CLIOpenAI CodexAvailableZedNot available
- IDE extensionOpenAI CodexAvailableZedNot available
- Desktop appOpenAI CodexAvailableZedNot available
- Cloud tasksOpenAI CodexAvailableZedNot available
- Code reviewOpenAI CodexAvailableZedNot available
- Non-interactive modeOpenAI CodexAvailableZedNot available
- MCP, skills and pluginsOpenAI CodexAvailableZedNot available
- Subagents and web searchOpenAI CodexAvailableZedNot available
- Session resume and imagesOpenAI CodexAvailableZedNot available
- Mobile remote controlOpenAI CodexAvailableZedNot available
- Rust-Native PerformanceOpenAI CodexNot availableZedAvailable
- Agentic EditingOpenAI CodexNot availableZedAvailable
- External Agents via ACPOpenAI CodexNot availableZedAvailable
- Edit PredictionOpenAI CodexNot availableZedAvailable
- Multiplayer CollaborationOpenAI CodexNot availableZedAvailable
- DebuggerOpenAI CodexNot availableZedAvailable
- Native Git SupportOpenAI CodexNot availableZedAvailable
- Remote DevelopmentOpenAI CodexNot availableZedAvailable
- Flexible Model AccessOpenAI CodexNot availableZedAvailable
Pricing
Plans as listed by each vendor. Check their sites for current prices.
- Pricing modelOpenAI CodexFreemiumZedFreemium
- Free planOpenAI CodexYesZedYes
- Starting priceOpenAI Codex$0Zed$0
- PlansOpenAI Codex7 plansZed3 plans
OpenAI Codex plans
Free
$0
Quick coding tasks
- GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app
- Subject to rollout
Go
$8/month
Lightweight coding tasks
- GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app
Plus
Most popular$20/month
Focused coding sessions
- Web
- CLI
- IDE and iOS access
- Automatic code review and Slack
- GPT-6.1 Sol and GPT-6 Luna
- Can add credits
Pro
$100/month
Plans at $100, $200 or $500 per month
- Everything in Plus
- No five-hour limit currently
- Ultrafast mode on the $500 plan
Business
$25/user/mo
2 or more users; $20 per user per month when billed annually
- Desktop and mobile apps
- Larger cloud VMs
- Add-on credits
- SAML SSO and MFA
- No training on business data by default
Enterprise & Edu
Custom/user/mo
Contact sales
- Priority request processing
- SCIM
- EKM and RBAC
- User analytics
- Compliance API audit logs
- Retention and residency controls
API Key
Pay-as-you-go/usage
Billed at OpenAI API pricing
- Codex in the CLI
- SDK and IDE extension
- No cloud features
- Models depend on the API key
Zed plans
Personal
$0
Free editor with your own API keys or external agents
- Unlimited use with own API keys
- External agents
- No hosted AI
Pro
Most popular$10/month
Individuals who want Zed-hosted models and edit predictions
- Unlimited edit predictions
- $5 hosted token credit
- Usage billing beyond credit
Business
$30/user/mo
Teams that need AI policy and data controls
- Org-wide AI model policies
- Data governance controls
- Unified spend visibility
- Unlimited edit predictions
- Role-based access
Our ratings
Scored out of 10 by the Finder Atlas editorial team. Last reviewed October 2026.
- OpenAI Codex
- 8.5overall
- Zed
- 8.5overall
OpenAI Codex leads in 1 category and Zed in 1.
Code Generation
- OpenAI Codex
- 9.0
- Zed
- Not rated
Agentic Autonomy
- OpenAI Codex
- 8.8
- Zed
- Not rated
Ease of Use
OpenAI Codex leads by 0.1- OpenAI Codex
- 8.3
- Zed
- 8.2
Value for Money
Zed leads by 0.6- OpenAI Codex
- 8.0
- Zed
- 8.6
Ecosystem & Integrations
- OpenAI Codex
- 8.5
- Zed
- Not rated
Feature Depth
- OpenAI Codex
- Not rated
- Zed
- 8.4
Performance & Speed
- OpenAI Codex
- Not rated
- Zed
- 9.3
Documentation & Support
- OpenAI Codex
- Not rated
- Zed
- 8.0
Scores weigh documented features, plan value, platform coverage, integrations and user feedback. A missing score means we have not rated that area yet.
Pros and cons
OpenAI Codex
Pros
- Included with ChatGPT plans, with a free tier and an $8 Go tier
- Open-source CLI under the Apache-2.0 license
- Available in the terminal, VS Code-based editors, the ChatGPT desktop app and the cloud
- Supports MCP, skills, plugins and subagents
- API-key option lets teams pay at API rates instead of a subscription
Cons
- Plus has message limits per five hours that vary widely by model
- Cloud features are not available on the API Key plan
- Higher usage needs Pro, which starts at $100 per month
- Free and Go plans offer only GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app
Zed
Pros
- Native Rust application designed for low-latency editing on multiple cores and the GPU.
- Free Personal plan with unlimited use of your own API keys or external agents.
- Supports external agents through ACP and MCP rather than locking users to one agent.
- Built-in multiplayer collaboration, debugger, Git and remote development.
- Source code is public on GitHub.
Cons
- No web or mobile version; the README lists web as not yet available.
- Hosted AI requires a paid plan, billed at API list price plus 10%.
- Business plan SSO, SAML and SCIM are planned but not yet available.
- Extension library is described on the site as hundreds of extensions, so niche tooling may need workarounds.
Platforms
- WebOpenAI CodexSupportedZedNot supported
- WindowsOpenAI CodexSupportedZedSupported
- macOSOpenAI CodexSupportedZedSupported
- iOSOpenAI CodexNot supportedZedNot supported
- AndroidOpenAI CodexNot supportedZedNot supported
- APIOpenAI CodexSupportedZedNot supported
- Browser ExtensionOpenAI CodexNot supportedZedNot supported
- LinuxOpenAI CodexSupportedZedSupported
- CLIOpenAI CodexSupportedZedSupported
- VS Code ExtensionOpenAI CodexSupportedZedNot supported
- JetBrains PluginOpenAI CodexSupportedZedNot supported
Integrations
OpenAI Codex
8 integrations- GitHub
- Slack
- Visual Studio Code
- Cursor
- Windsurf
- Xcode
- JetBrains IDEs
- MCP
Zed
9 integrations- Claude Agent
- Codex
- OpenCode
- MCP servers
- Language Server Protocol
- Debug Adapter Protocol
- Jupyter
- Git
- GitHub
Company
- CompanyOpenAI CodexNot listedZedZed Industries
- FoundedOpenAI CodexNot listedZed2021
- Monthly usersOpenAI Codex4M+ weekly usersZedNot listed
- ListingOpenAI CodexNot claimedZedClaimed
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Related comparisons
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- Rated5.0Paid
OpenAI Codex vs Cursor
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- Rated5.0Freemium
Zed vs Cursor
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenAI Codex better than Zed?
It depends on your workflow. OpenAI Codex is built for delegating coding tasks to an agent. Zed is built for fast native editing, running AI agents alongside a conventional editor, real-time pair programming.
What are the key feature differences between OpenAI Codex and Zed?
OpenAI Codex: OpenAI's coding agent that writes, reviews and runs code from terminal, IDE, desktop or cloud. Zed: A fast, Rust-built code editor for coding with teammates and AI agents.
Does OpenAI Codex or Zed have a free plan?
Yes, both do. OpenAI Codex is freemium and Zed is freemium, and each has a free plan or trial.
Which is cheaper, OpenAI Codex or Zed?
Both can be used for free. Paid plans differ in limits and features, so compare the tiers in the pricing table above.