OpenAI Codex vs Gemini CLI (2026): Which Vibe Coding App Is Better?

Both are popular terminal coding agents. Here is how OpenAI Codex and Gemini CLI stack up on price, strengths and weaknesses, and which one we would pick.

OpenAI Codex

OpenAI's coding agent for the terminal, IDE and cloud, included with ChatGPT plans

9.1 /10

Pricing: Free plan, paid from $8/mo

Pros

Included with ChatGPT plans you may already pay for
Open-source CLI plus cloud tasks that open pull requests
Reads AGENTS.md, the cross-tool instructions file

Cons

Fewer extension points than Claude Code (no plugin marketplace)
Usage limits depend on your ChatGPT plan

Visit OpenAI Codex ↗

Gemini CLI

Google's open-source terminal agent, retired for consumer accounts in June 2026 (enterprise and API keys only)

6.8 /10

Pricing: Open source

Pros

Open source (Apache-2.0) and auditable
Large context window for big repositories
Still supported for enterprise licences and paid API keys

Cons

Retired for free, AI Pro/Ultra and individual accounts on 18 June 2026
Google's development focus has moved to the Antigravity CLI

Visit Gemini CLI ↗

OpenAI Codex vs Gemini CLI at a glance

	OpenAI Codex	Gemini CLI
Editor score	9.1 / 10	6.8 / 10
Pricing model	Freemium	Open source
Starting price	$8/mo	Free
Reader upvotes	1	0
Best for	terminal, agent, openai	terminal, google, open source
Agent Skills support	Yes	Yes
Subagents support	Yes	Yes
MCP support	Yes	Yes
AGENTS.md support	Yes	Yes
Plugins support	No	Yes
Hooks support	No	Yes
Rules support	No	No
Agent skills in this directory	58	51
Subagents & agents in this directory	43	20
MCP servers in this directory	74	73

Our pick

OpenAI Codex edges it with a score of 9.1 versus 6.8. OpenAI Codex is the better fit if you value: included with chatgpt plans you may already pay for, open-source cli plus cloud tasks that open pull requests. Choose Gemini CLI instead if you need: open source (apache-2.0) and auditable, large context window for big repositories.