and how they compare (2026)
6 AI coding agents compared with Claude Code on what actually differs: where they run, which models they use, how far they go on their own, and what they cost. Checked against official pages.
Pick one. We'll point you to the tool that fits and the comparison worth reading.
Claude Code with Opus 5.5 and Sonnet 5.5 holds the top two spots on the Terminal-Bench 4.0 board (independent board, Oct 2026). It is also the most expensive and slowest per task, so Codex is the closest challenger.
| Claude Code | OpenAI Codex | Cursor | GitHub Copilot | Google Antigravity | OpenCode | Gemini CLI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | CLI + IDE + desktop + web/cloud | CLI + IDE + ChatGPT app + cloud | IDE (VS Code fork) + CLI + cloud agents | IDE extensions + CLI + app + cloud agent | Desktop app + agy CLI + IDE extensions | Open-source TUI + desktop + web | Open-source terminal agent (legacy) |
| Owner | Anthropic | OpenAI | Anysphere (SpaceX) | GitHub (Microsoft) | Anomaly | ||
| Default model | Opus 5.5 | GPT-6.1 Sol | No fixed default; Grok 4.7, Composer 2.5 included | Not documented; Free uses Auto | Gemini 3.8 Flash | None (bring your own) | Auto (Gemini 3) per docs |
| Entry price | Pro $20/mo (no free plan) | Go $8 (Luna only), Plus $20 | Plus $8/mo | Free; Pro $10/mo | Free; AI Pro $19.99 | Free; Go $10/mo | Paid API key or enterprise license |
| Top individual plan | Max 20x $200/mo | Pro $500/mo | Ultra $200/mo | Max $100/mo | AI Ultra $199.99/mo | Go Plus $40/mo | Per token |
| Open source | No (all rights reserved) | CLI yes (Apache-2.0) | No | Partly (VS Code chat, SDK are MIT) | No | Yes (MIT) | Yes (Apache-2.0) |
| Context window | 1M default (200K opt-out) | 1.05M on API; in-plan unclear | 200K-300K default, up to 1M | 1M on supported models | 1M (Gemini 3.8 Flash) | Model dependent | Model dependent |
| Cloud agents | Yes, cloud sessions (Pro and up) | Yes, Codex Cloud | Yes, Premium and up | Yes, 59-min sessions | Remote Control of local sessions | No (runs in GitHub Actions) | No |
| Memory file | CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, auto memory | AGENTS.md | AGENTS.md, .cursor/rules | copilot-instructions.md, AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md | AGENTS.md, GEMINI.md | AGENTS.md (CLAUDE.md fallback) | GEMINI.md |
| Usage model | 5-hour window + weekly caps, shared with Claude chat | 5-hour estimates; Pro has no 5h cap now | Weekly pool shared with Grok apps | AI Credits per token at list price | Unpublished 5-hour + weekly quotas | Pay per token, or Go dollar caps | Per token or license |
Forward Deployed Engineers ship AI agents inside real customer systems. Open roles at Anthropic, OpenAI, Cognizant and more.
OpenAI's coding agent, now part of ChatGPT: the same terminal-plus-cloud idea as Claude Code, with a cheaper default model and slightly lower benchmark scores.
Best for: ChatGPT subscribers, low cost per task, unattended cloud tasks
Claude Code vs OpenAI CodexAn AI code editor with agents, autocomplete and cloud agents, now bundling Grok models and billing Claude per token, versus Claude Code's terminal-first agent.
Best for: Reviewing changes visually, autocomplete, cloud agents and PR bots in one app
Claude Code vs CursorGitHub's assistant across five IDEs, a CLI, a desktop app and a cloud agent, with many models billed per token, versus Claude Code's flat-rate Claude agent.
Best for: Completions in your IDE, GitHub-native teams, model choice in one plan
Claude Code vs GitHub CopilotGoogle's agent platform (desktop app, agy CLI, IDE extensions) with a free tier and Gemini 3.8 Flash by default, versus Claude Code's paid, Claude-first agent.
Best for: Free or cheap agent work, GUI-first users, browser testing, Google users
Claude Code vs Google AntigravityA free, MIT-licensed coding agent that runs any of 75+ model providers or local models, versus Claude Code's closed tool built for Claude.
Best for: Open source fans, local or cheap models, avoiding vendor lock-in
Claude Code vs OpenCodeGoogle's open-source terminal agent, closed to consumers on June 18 2026 and replaced by Antigravity CLI, versus Claude Code, which is still shipping new versions daily.
Best for: Enterprise Gemini shops and people who need an Apache-2.0 CLI
Claude Code vs Gemini CLIIt depends on what you want to change. OpenAI Codex is the closest match and the cheapest per task. Cursor is the pick for an AI editor, GitHub Copilot for completions in your current IDE, Google Antigravity for a free tier, and OpenCode for open source and any model. On independent boards (Oct 2026), Claude Code still scores highest but costs the most per task.
Yes. Google Antigravity has a free tier, OpenCode is free with your own key or its free models, GitHub Copilot Free includes 2,000 completions a month, Cursor has a free tier, and Codex Free gets GPT-6 Luna in the ChatGPT desktop app. Claude Code itself is not on Claude's Free plan.
OpenCode (MIT), which runs 75+ providers and local models. The Codex CLI is also open source (Apache-2.0) but tied to OpenAI models. Gemini CLI is Apache-2.0 too, but closed to consumers since June 18 2026. Claude Code is not open source.
Cheapest paid entry: Cursor Plus and ChatGPT Go at $8 (limited models), then Copilot Pro and OpenCode Go at $10. Per task, Codex with GPT-6.1 Sol ran $1.55 vs $13.04 for Claude Code with Opus 5.5 on the Artificial Analysis index (independent, Oct 2026).
Cursor (API price from credit, Premium and up), GitHub Copilot (Opus 5.5 on Pro+ and up), Google Antigravity (Opus/Sonnet 5.5 on Google AI Pro and Ultra) and OpenCode (Anthropic API key). None of them accept a Claude Pro or Max login; only Claude Code and claude.ai do.
Mostly. Cursor and OpenCode read .claude/skills, Cursor also loads Claude Code hooks and agents, Copilot reads CLAUDE.md, OpenCode falls back to CLAUDE.md, and the Codex app imports Claude Code settings. Claude Code reads AGENTS.md too, so a shared AGENTS.md works almost everywhere.
Checked against official product, pricing and docs pages on 2026-10-21. Each comparison page lists its sources.
