Short answer: yes, Codex has an official GUI. OpenAI’s ChatGPT desktop app (often called the Codex app) runs Codex chats in parallel on macOS and Windows, with Linux in preview, and Codex is included in every ChatGPT plan, the free one too. If you work in an editor, the Codex IDE extension runs in VS Code, Cursor and Windsurf. If you want a free third-party window that also runs other agents, Tesseract, Nimbalyst, Orca, Canopy and Zed run Codex on Windows, macOS and Linux, and Conductor does on the Mac. AgentVera runs Codex next to 17 other CLI agents, each with its own login.
One disclosure before the list: we make AgentVera, one of the apps below. We are not affiliated with OpenAI. I’ll say plainly where the others fit better, and for many Codex-only users that is OpenAI’s own app.
Which Codex GUIs exist?
Platforms, agents and prices below were checked on each tool’s own site, docs or repository on 3 November 2026.
| Tool | Windows | macOS | Linux | Agents | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT desktop app, Codex (OpenAI) | Yes (Microsoft Store; native or WSL2) | Yes | Preview (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch) | Codex, plus ChatGPT chat | In ChatGPT plans, Free included |
| Codex IDE extension (OpenAI) | Where the editor runs | Where the editor runs | Where the editor runs | Codex in VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf | Your Codex access (ChatGPT plan or API key) |
| Tesseract | Yes | Yes | Yes | Codex and 13 more, including Claude Code and Gemini CLI | Free |
| Nimbalyst | Yes | Yes | Yes | Claude Code, Codex; OpenCode and Copilot in alpha | App free (MIT) |
| Orca | Yes | Yes | Yes | Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Copilot, OpenCode and any other CLI | Free (MIT) |
| Canopy | Yes | Yes (Apple Silicon) | Yes | Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenCode | Free, source-available |
| Zed | Yes | Yes | Yes | Zed’s agent; Codex, Claude Agent, Gemini CLI and others over ACP | Personal free; Pro $10/month (GPL-3.0) |
| AgentVera | Yes | Yes | Yes | Codex, Claude Code and 16 more CLIs | Free plan; paid Pro and Team |
| Conductor | No | Yes | No | Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode | Free; Pro $50/month |
| Claude Squad | Through WSL | Yes | Yes | Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Aider, OpenCode, Amp | Free (AGPL-3.0); terminal UI |
Codex also runs in the cloud from ChatGPT, and the IDE extension can hand a longer task to it. That is a hosted agent rather than a window for the CLI on your machine, so it is left out of the table.
Which one fits?
Codex only: OpenAI’s own app
The ChatGPT desktop app is the natural start if Codex is your only agent. You run several Codex chats at once, each optionally in its own git worktree, with Handoff to move a chat between the worktree and your checkout, an integrated terminal, a built-in browser, code review for pull requests and scheduled tasks. On Windows it comes from the Microsoft Store and runs the agent natively in PowerShell with the Windows sandbox, or in WSL2. You sign in with your ChatGPT account. Our Codex app comparison goes into more detail.
Inside your editor
The Codex IDE extension brings Codex into VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf and VS Code Insiders, with your open file or selection as context and edits you review in place; JetBrains IDEs and Xcode have their own integrations. Zed runs Codex as an external agent over the Agent Client Protocol, with optional worktrees per thread.
Codex next to other agents, for free
Tesseract runs Codex beside an editor, a terminal and a live preview; you sign in with ChatGPT or an API key. Nimbalyst puts docs and visual editors next to Claude Code and Codex. Orca runs any CLI agent with worktrees and SSH, and Canopy has a worktree sidebar with a browser tab per worktree. On a Mac, Conductor is another option, and Claude Squad is a tmux-based terminal UI.
Many agents, account limits or a team
That is where AgentVera fits.
Where AgentVera fits
AgentVera is a desktop app that runs terminal coding agents side by side, each in its own real terminal, so Codex looks and behaves the way it does in your terminal. What it adds around Codex:
- 18 CLI agents with your own logins. Codex, Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Copilot, Cursor, opencode, Qwen Code and others, each with its own page. Codex uses your ChatGPT sign-in; no API key from us.
- Windows, Linux and macOS. A native Windows installer that starts the script behind
codex.cmddirectly, so prompts and JSON settings arrive intact; an AppImage and a.debon Linux; a Mac build. - Git worktrees. Create one from the Git panel and start Codex in it, so two agents never edit the same checkout.
- Account chains at the usage limit (Pro). Put several Codex accounts in a chain, each with its own
CODEX_HOME. When one runs low, the agent moves to the next and the conversation carries on. Claude Code accounts get chains too. See account switching. - An MCP manager. Add MCP servers once, from a catalog of 23 ready servers or your own, and they go to Codex and every other CLI agent that takes MCP, instead of editing
config.tomlby hand. See the MCP manager. - A free plan. The grid, worktrees and all agents are free; Pro and Team add features such as account chains and a team kanban.
Where it fits less well: if Codex is your only agent and you want ChatGPT, Codex, code review and the mobile app in one place, OpenAI’s app does that. AgentVera is closed source.
Wrapping up
For Codex alone, OpenAI’s ChatGPT desktop app is the official GUI on Windows and macOS, with Linux in preview, and the IDE extension covers VS Code, Cursor and Windsurf. Tesseract, Nimbalyst, Orca, Canopy and Zed are free ways to run Codex next to other agents. If you want Codex, Claude Code and Gemini CLI in one grid with your own logins, worktrees and account chains, download AgentVera for Windows, Linux or macOS.
Related reading: Codex vs Gemini CLI, the same question for Google’s agent in Gemini CLI GUI, how to use Gemini CLI, and Claude Code GUI for Windows and Linux.