The Codex app (ChatGPT desktop app) and AgentVera compared
OpenAI’s Codex runs in the ChatGPT desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux (preview); the Codex CLI opens it with codex app. There you run Codex chats in parallel, each optionally in its own git worktree, with an integrated terminal, a built-in browser, code review, scheduled tasks, plugins and skills, and the same app holds ChatGPT chat and Work. Codex is included in ChatGPT plans from Free to Enterprise. If Codex is the only agent you use, the app is the natural choice. AgentVera is an independent desktop app that runs the same Codex CLI, plus Claude Code and other agent CLIs, in real terminals, with flows, a team kanban and account switching around them. Both work on the same repository, so you can use them together.
ChatGPT desktop app (Codex) and AgentVera side by side
| Feature | ChatGPT desktop app (Codex) | AgentVera |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | macOS (Apple Silicon download), Windows (natively in PowerShell with the Windows sandbox, or in WSL2) and Linux in preview (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora and Arch, x64 and ARM64). The ChatGPT mobile app can control a connected Mac or Windows host. | macOS, Windows and Linux desktop app. |
| Supported agents | Codex, OpenAI’s coding agent, with OpenAI models; the same app also runs ChatGPT chat and Work. You sign in with your ChatGPT account. | 18 CLI coding agents, including Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Copilot, Cursor Agent, opencode, Amp and Aider, plus plain terminals. Each uses its own CLI install and login. |
| Open source / license | The Codex CLI is open source under Apache-2.0; we found no license statement for the desktop app on OpenAI’s pages. | Closed source. |
| Pricing model | Codex is included in ChatGPT Free, Go ($8/month), Plus ($20/month), Pro (from $100/month), Business ($25 per user/month, $20 billed yearly), Edu and Enterprise. Codex can also run on an API key at API rates. | Free plan with unlimited agents; Pro and Team plans are paid. |
| Git worktrees | Yes. Pick Worktree under the composer and Codex creates a git worktree from the branch you choose; Handoff moves a chat between the worktree and your local checkout. Scheduled tasks can run in background worktrees. | Yes. Create a worktree per task from the Git panel and start an agent in it; night-shift tasks get their own worktree. You are warned when two agents edit the same file. |
| Kanban | not confirmed | Team kanban shared across your organization; hand a card to Claude, Codex or another agent and the reply lands on the card (Pro and Team). |
| Flows and pipelines between agents | Subagents take parts of a task in parallel and report back to the main chat; scheduled tasks run on their own or inside an existing chat; Team Tasks run recurring or event-triggered work for a team in the cloud. | Flows pass one agent’s output to the next; a team view of open agents led by a manager; a parallel team that ends in one PR; staged task line; night shift (Pro and Team). |
| Acceptance checks | Code Review shows a pull request’s description, changed files, comments and checks; with the ChatGPT Codex connector, Codex can review GitHub pull requests automatically and leave comments there. | Verify extracts acceptance criteria from your request and a separate read-only verifier checks each one after the agent’s turn; automatic code review. |
| Database manager / SSH | Connects the app to projects on an SSH host; the ChatGPT mobile app can start, steer and approve work on a connected computer. | Database manager for PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB and SQLite (Pro and Team); SSH/SFTP panel; agent SSH and database access with your rules. |
| Token savings | not confirmed | Context profiles, automatic /compact, bundled RTK output compression, automatic per-task model routing and a project map (code graph) for agents. |
| Team features | Business, Edu and Enterprise workspaces: admin rollout, roles and workspace permissions, managed configuration, workspace analytics and Team Tasks. | Organizations, team kanban, client boards, AgentVera Runner on your own server, automatic account switching. |
A dash means we could not confirm the feature on ChatGPT desktop app (Codex)’s own pages. It may exist or arrive later; check their site.
When to pick ChatGPT desktop app (Codex)
- Codex is the only agent you use, and you want OpenAI’s own app with your ChatGPT sign-in.
- You want Codex, ChatGPT chat and Work, files, the browser and computer use in one app.
- You want to start, steer and approve Codex work from the ChatGPT mobile app.
- You want Code Review for pull requests and scheduled tasks that run in their own worktrees.
When to pick AgentVera
- You use more than Codex: AgentVera runs Codex next to Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Copilot, Cursor Agent and others, 18 CLIs in all, each with its own login.
- You want agents to hand work to each other: flows, a team view led by a manager, a parallel team that ends in one PR, night shift.
- You hit usage limits and want the agent to move to the next Codex or Claude account in a chain on its own (Pro and Team).
- You want a team kanban whose cards you hand to an agent, an MCP manager for every CLI, a database manager and an SSH/SFTP panel in one app.
Moving from ChatGPT desktop app (Codex) to AgentVera
- Download AgentVera and open the project folder you use in the ChatGPT desktop app.
- Install the Codex CLI if you do not have it yet and sign in with the same ChatGPT account; AgentVera starts it in a real terminal.
- Your AGENTS.md files live in the repository, so Codex in AgentVera follows the same project instructions.
- Worktrees the app created are ordinary git worktrees: open them from the Git panel. Add Claude Code or other agents next to Codex when you need them.
Questions
What is the Codex app called now?
OpenAI’s docs call it the ChatGPT desktop app: you choose ChatGPT or Codex inside it, and the Codex CLI opens it with codex app.
Is the Codex app free?
Codex is included in every ChatGPT plan, from Free and Go to Plus, Pro, Business, Edu and Enterprise; the paid plans start at $8 a month for Go. AgentVera has a free plan with unlimited agents; Pro and Team are paid.
Can I use the Codex app and AgentVera together?
Yes. AgentVera runs the same Codex CLI with your ChatGPT sign-in. Both work on plain git branches and worktrees in the same repository.
Is AgentVera made by OpenAI?
No. AgentVera is an independent app, not affiliated with OpenAI. It starts the Codex CLI you install, with its own login.
Is AgentVera open source?
No. AgentVera is a closed-source desktop app with a free plan. The Codex CLI is open source under Apache-2.0.
Sources
Facts about ChatGPT desktop app (Codex) come from its own pages, checked on the date below. Products change quickly; check them for the current state.
- OpenAI docs: ChatGPT desktop app
- OpenAI docs: pricing
- OpenAI docs: Windows app
- OpenAI docs: Linux app
- OpenAI docs: worktrees
- OpenAI docs: code review
- OpenAI docs: scheduled tasks
- OpenAI docs: remote connections
- OpenAI docs: subagents
- github.com/openai/codex
Last checked:
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Try AgentVera next to ChatGPT desktop app (Codex)
The free plan has unlimited agents. Open the same repository, add the CLIs you already use and compare for yourself.