Darce vs Codex CLI
Updated October 2026
Codex CLI is OpenAI's open source terminal coding agent. Darce is an open source terminal coding agent for 250+ models, OpenAI's included.
Facts about Codex CLI are as of October 2026 and based on its public documentation; check its docs for the latest.
At a glance
| Darce | Codex CLI | |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT | Apache 2.0 |
| Models | 250+ via OpenRouter, including GPT, Claude, Gemini, Qwen, DeepSeek | OpenAI models by default; other providers configurable |
| How you pay | Free tier (daily allowance), or $15 / $65 per month | Sign in with a ChatGPT plan, or use an OpenAI API key |
| Safety model | Every command risk-scored; risky ones ask with the reason; classifier checks scripts | OS-level sandboxing plus approval modes |
| Reverting | /undo, /rewind, including files changed by shell commands | No built-in undo today: its snapshot-based /undo was removed in April 2026, and OpenAI suggests committing to git before a task (see agent checkpoints compared) |
| Parallel work | /swarm, /derby | Cloud tasks with Codex in ChatGPT |
| Try without an account | Yes, a free trial | Needs a ChatGPT account or API key |
Who Codex CLI is for
If you already pay for ChatGPT and want OpenAI's models in a first-party agent with sandboxed command execution, Codex CLI is a natural fit. It also connects to OpenAI's cloud Codex tasks.
Who Darce is for
Darce suits you if you want OpenAI's models and everyone else's, switchable mid-task, without a ChatGPT plan. Its safety comes from per-command risk scoring and approvals rather than an OS sandbox, combined with checkpoints so /undo can reverse what commands did. /derby lets you race GPT against Claude and Gemini on your own task.
Use OpenAI models in Darce
darce --model openai/gpt-6.1-solBottom line
Pick Codex CLI for a first-party OpenAI agent included with ChatGPT plans. Pick Darce for any model, model races, parallel swarms, and approvals that ask before anything it can't undo.
Next: Getting started · Safety · Claude Code alternative