Codex can currently be used with a free OpenAI account. This was mentioned in their announcement yesterday (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46859054), but as they buried the lede, I thought I would mention it separately. They haven't shared how long the free tier will last.
I've been using LLM code agents since the Gemini CLI announcement seven months ago (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44376919). My workflow is centered around Emacs and the terminal, so I skipped Cursor and other GUI-based tools. I'm not sure I would've taken the time to try agents at all if Gemini CLI hadn't been free initially.
While Gemini was a good start, subscribing to Claude Code completely changed how I work.
However, I was surprised to find that the new Codex CLI works incredibly well. It offers a terminal interface that doesn't make my fans spin up or render at single-digit FPS, unlike Claude Code. It also supports other TUIs like OpenCode.
So far, I'm pleasantly surprised, and you may be too.
I've been using LLM code agents since the Gemini CLI announcement seven months ago (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44376919). My workflow is centered around Emacs and the terminal, so I skipped Cursor and other GUI-based tools. I'm not sure I would've taken the time to try agents at all if Gemini CLI hadn't been free initially.
While Gemini was a good start, subscribing to Claude Code completely changed how I work.
However, I was surprised to find that the new Codex CLI works incredibly well. It offers a terminal interface that doesn't make my fans spin up or render at single-digit FPS, unlike Claude Code. It also supports other TUIs like OpenCode.
So far, I'm pleasantly surprised, and you may be too.