OpenAI o3 vs OpenAI Codex
A side-by-side comparison to help you choose the right tool.
90
OpenAI o3 scores higher overall (90/100)
But the best choice depends on your specific needs. Compare below.
| Feature | OpenAI o3 | OpenAI Codex |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 90 | 86 |
| Pricing | Available through OpenAI products and API access paths; pricing depends on plan or API usage. | Access depends on OpenAI product plan or API usage; advanced agent access is concentrated in higher tiers and previews. |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Best for | Researchers and analysts solving complex multi-step problems, Developers who need deeper reasoning than a fast general-purpose model, Users working with charts, files, and visual reasoning tasks | Developers who want AI to work more directly on real code tasks, Teams exploring terminal-first coding agents, Engineers already invested in OpenAI's ecosystem |
| Platforms | web, ios, android, api | web, mac, windows, linux, api |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Languages | en | en |
| Pros |
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| Cons |
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| Visit site | Visit site |
- Pricing
- Available through OpenAI products and API access paths; pricing depends on plan or API usage.
- Free plan
- No
- Best for
- Researchers and analysts solving complex multi-step problems, Developers who need deeper reasoning than a fast general-purpose model, Users working with charts, files, and visual reasoning tasks
- Platforms
- web, ios, android, api
- API
- Yes
- Languages
- en
- Pricing
- Access depends on OpenAI product plan or API usage; advanced agent access is concentrated in higher tiers and previews.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Best for
- Developers who want AI to work more directly on real code tasks, Teams exploring terminal-first coding agents, Engineers already invested in OpenAI's ecosystem
- Platforms
- web, mac, windows, linux, api
- API
- Yes
- Languages
- en
90Choose OpenAI o3 if:
- You are Researchers and analysts solving complex multi-step problems
- You are Developers who need deeper reasoning than a fast general-purpose model
- You are Users working with charts, files, and visual reasoning tasks
86Choose OpenAI Codex if:
- You are Developers who want AI to work more directly on real code tasks
- You are Teams exploring terminal-first coding agents
- You are Engineers already invested in OpenAI's ecosystem
- You want to start free
FAQ
- What is the difference between OpenAI o3 and OpenAI Codex?
- OpenAI o3 is openai's high-end reasoning model designed for harder coding, analysis, science, and multi-step problem solving with tool use. OpenAI Codex is openai's coding agent experience for writing, editing, understanding, and operating on codebases with a more agentic workflow.
- Which is cheaper, OpenAI o3 or OpenAI Codex?
- OpenAI o3: Available through OpenAI products and API access paths; pricing depends on plan or API usage.. OpenAI Codex: Access depends on OpenAI product plan or API usage; advanced agent access is concentrated in higher tiers and previews.. OpenAI Codex has a free plan.
- Who is OpenAI o3 best for?
- OpenAI o3 is best for Researchers and analysts solving complex multi-step problems, Developers who need deeper reasoning than a fast general-purpose model, Users working with charts, files, and visual reasoning tasks.
- Who is OpenAI Codex best for?
- OpenAI Codex is best for Developers who want AI to work more directly on real code tasks, Teams exploring terminal-first coding agents, Engineers already invested in OpenAI's ecosystem.