Continue vs OpenAI Codex CLI
Continue and OpenAI Codex CLI are both terminal AI coding tools. Here's how they line up on the things that actually decide it — price, platform, and what they plug into.
| Continue | OpenAI Codex CLI | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free tier |
| Platform | windows, mac, linux | windows, mac, linux |
| Works with | claude, chatgpt, gemini | chatgpt |
| In one line | Open-source AI coding agent, now centered on Continuous AI — source-controlled AI checks that run on pull requests in CI via the `cn` CLI. The VS Code/JetBrains BYOK extensions still install but are in maintenance mode (final 2.0.0). | OpenAI's free, open-source terminal coding agent — runs agentic file editing, shell commands, and multi-step tasks powered by o4-mini. |
Which should you pick?
On budget alone, Continue is the lower-cost entry (free), so it's the safer place to start if you're not ready to pay. They both work with chatgpt, so if that's your setup either one fits. For the full picture, read the reviews below — the verdict is where the real difference shows up.