OpenAI Codex vs GitHub Copilot

Short answer: neither wins at everything.

Pick OpenAI Codex if you want to try a coding agent for free with your ChatGPT account.

Pick GitHub Copilot if your code lives on GitHub and you want unlimited code completion for $10 a month.

OpenAI Codex vs GitHub Copilot side by side

	OpenAI Codex	GitHub Copilot
What it is	Coding agent from OpenAI	Coding agent from GitHub (Microsoft)
Made by	OpenAI	GitHub (Microsoft)
Price	Included with ChatGPT incl. Free and Go (limited); Codex cloud on Plus and up	Pro $10/mo with 1,500 AI credits; agent use consumes credits
Free plan	Yes	Not listed in our data
Good at	Free to try; open-source command line; Open source (command line, Apache-2.0)	Unlimited code completion on Pro
Watch out for	Fuller usage needs Plus or Pro	Credits expire monthly
Who it's for	Developers	Developers on GitHub
Where it runs	terminal (command line), cloud, ChatGPT apps	code editor, command line, cloud agent on GitHub
Status	Current	Current. GitHub removed Gemini 3.7 Flash, GPT-5.5, GPT-5.4, GPT-5.4 mini, GPT-5 mini and Grok 4.5 from most Copilot experiences on Oct 19, 2026 (suggested: Gemini 3.8 Flash, GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-6 Luna, Grok 4.7; Enterprise admins may need to enable alternatives). Next: GitHub removes Claude Opus 4.8 (kept for individual annual plans), Claude Opus 5 and GPT-5.6 Terra from Copilot on Nov 16, 2026; suggested: Opus 5.5, GPT-6.1 Sol or GPT-6 Luna
Sources	help.openai.com · github.com · chatgpt.com	docs.github.com · github.blog · github.blog (2) · github.blog (3)

Related comparisons

Still not sure? Answer 4 quick questions and WhichBot will point you to one AI to open, or check the AI you already use.

Questions people ask

Is OpenAI Codex or GitHub Copilot better?

It depends on what you do. Pick OpenAI Codex if you want to try a coding agent for free with your ChatGPT account. Pick GitHub Copilot if your code lives on GitHub and you want unlimited code completion for $10 a month.

Is OpenAI Codex free?

Yes. OpenAI Codex has a free plan. Plans: Included with ChatGPT incl. Free and Go (limited); Codex cloud on Plus and up.

How does WhichBot decide?

Hector uses a written rubric: everyday usefulness, cost and free plans, privacy, reliability, ease of use, availability and safety. Rankings are one input, not the answer.

Facts come from the companies' own pages, linked above, and were last checked Oct 28, 2026. Prices are US and can change. Picks are Hector's: no paid picks, sponsors always labeled, and no sponsorship from AI labs. Our policy.