Codex vs Conan: How They Actually Differ
Codex is the cross-platform coding agent with verified plans, GPT-5 model access, and GitHub pull-request review. Conan is a native macOS front end for Claude Code with no public pricing or platform list. Pick Codex for a full agent across surfaces, pick Conan if you live on a Mac and use Claude Code.
Compiled 2026-08-31 from our catalogue entries for Codex and Conan.
The short answer
- Pick Codex if
- You want a coding agent with published plans, GPT-5 model access, and surfaces that span web, macOS, Windows, Linux, CLI, and a VS Code extension.
- Pick Conan if
- You work on macOS and want a native graphical interface over Anthropic's Claude Code CLI.
- Cheapest way in
- Codex Free at $0/month. Conan's pricing is not on file.
- What we could not compare
- Conan pricing, any platform list beyond macOS, and feature parity on model choices, since Conan is described as a cockpit rather than a standalone agent.
Codex and Conan sit in the same category but solve different problems. Codex is a coding agent in its own right, with surfaces across CLI, IDE, desktop, web, and cloud, and a published pricing ladder from a free tier up through a $200/month plan. Conan is a Mac-native GUI wrapped around Anthropic's Claude Code CLI — a graphical front end rather than a standalone agent.
The two also differ on model choice and ecosystem reach. Codex is locked to OpenAI's GPT models and ships with GitHub pull-request review, AGENTS.md support, and MCP tooling. Conan is locked to Claude models and only available on macOS. Pricing for Conan is listed as not recorded, and no verified plan list is on file.
Side by side
Every cell is a field on our catalogue entry for that tool, copied as recorded. Rows where the two differ come first; blank fields say so rather than being filled in.
| Codex | Conan | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Freemium | Not recorded |
| Starts at | Free — $0 /month | Not recorded |
| Runs on | web, mac, win, linux, cli, vscode-ext | Not recorded |
| Category | AI Coding Agents | AI Coding Agents |
| Public source code | No public repo listed | No public repo listed |
| Public docs | Not listed | Not listed |
- Public source code: From the repository link on each catalogue entry, not a licence audit.
Where Codex is the better fit
- The same agent runs across CLI, IDE, desktop, web, and cloud, so work started in one surface can continue in another.
- Cloud code review on GitHub pull requests that comments inline and proposes fixes, plus reading of the AGENTS.md standard and MCP tool support.
- A published plan ladder from $0/month through $200/month, included with ChatGPT plans up through Pro, plus a token-based API Key option.
Where Conan is the better fit
- Native macOS application rather than a cross-platform Electron or web wrapper.
- Graphical cockpit interface purpose-built around Anthropic's Claude Code CLI.
- Tailored for the Claude Code workflow on Mac, giving the command-line tool a native graphical surface.
Which one should you pick?
It spans web, mac, win, linux, cli, and a VS Code extension, and lists verified plans including a free $0/month tier.
The fact sheet describes it as a native macOS cockpit built specifically around Claude Code.
Cloud PR review and cross-platform availability are listed as Codex capabilities; Conan's availability is limited to macOS.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Conan a coding agent or a front end?
- Per the fact sheet, it is a native Mac front end wrapped around Claude Code, not a standalone agent.
- Does Conan work on Windows or Linux?
- The platforms field is not recorded; the description limits availability to macOS.
- Can Codex use Claude or Gemini models?
- No. The fact sheet says Codex is locked to OpenAI's GPT models.
- What is the cheapest way to start with Codex?
- The Free plan at $0/month is listed on the verified plan sheet.
- Does Conan have public pricing?
- No. Pricing is listed as not recorded, and no verified plans are on file.
What we compared
This page states nothing that is not in the two catalogue entries below. The exact text used to write it is reproduced here so you can check our reading, and both tools link through to their own pages and to the vendor.
- /tools/codex — checked 2026-07-02 · official site
- /tools/conan — checked 2026-06-16 · official site
Show the source text
## Codex (/tools/codex) Tagline: OpenAI's coding agent — works in the terminal, IDE, and cloud, reviews GitHub pull requests, and runs on GPT-5 models. Category: AI Coding Agents Pricing model: freemium Starts at: Free — $0 /month Platforms: web, mac, win, linux, cli, vscode-ext Public repo: none listed Docs: none listed Verified plans (read 2026-08-21): Free $0 /month | Go $8 /month | Plus $20 /month | Pro 5x $100 /month | Pro 20x $200 /month | Business / Enterprise Not published | API Key Pay only for the tokens Codex uses, based on API pricing Strengths on file: Runs one agent across CLI, IDE, desktop, and cloud — work moves between surfaces.; Strong GitHub integration: a cloud code review on a pull request that catches real bugs and proposes fixes.; Reads the shared AGENTS.md standard and supports MCP tools.; Included with ChatGPT plans, from the free tier up through Pro. Limits on file: Locked to OpenAI's GPT models — no Claude or Gemini out of the box.; Fewer built-in customization primitives (hooks, sub-agents) than some rivals. Codex is OpenAI's agentic coding tool. It runs the same agent across a terminal CLI, an IDE extension, a desktop app, and a cloud environment, so work started in one surface can continue in another. It reads the shared AGENTS.md instructions file, speaks the Model Context Protocol (MCP), and can spin up a cloud code review on a GitHub pull request that comments inline and proposes fixes. Codex runs on OpenAI's GPT models — currently GPT-5.5 as the recommended frontier model — and is included with ChatGPT plans, from the free tier up through Pro. ## Conan (/tools/conan) Tagline: A native Mac cockpit for Claude Code Category: AI Coding Agents Pricing model: not recorded Starts at: Not recorded Platforms: not recorded Public repo: none listed Docs: none listed Verified plans: none on file Strengths on file: It is a native macOS application rather than a cross-platform Electron or web wrapper.; It functions as a graphical cockpit interface for Anthropic's Claude Code CLI.; It is purpose-built around Claude Code, the agentic coding assistant from Anthropic. Limits on file: Availability is limited to macOS users because it is a native Mac application.; It only supports Claude models since it is built specifically on top of Claude Code. Conan is a native macOS application that acts as a graphical cockpit for Anthropic's Claude Code CLI. It's a native Mac app rather than a cross-platform Electron or web wrapper, and it's purpose-built around Claude Code, the agentic coding assistant from Anthropic — giving that CLI a graphical interface. It fits Mac users who work with Claude Code and want a native GUI over the command line. It's not for you if you're outside that setup: availability is limited to macOS, and it only supports Claude models since it's built specifically on top of Claude Code. Pricing details are not publicly documented in the available product information. Among AI coding agents, Conan isn't a standalone agent but a Mac-native front end wrapped around one specific tool, Claude Code.
Change log
- 2026-08-31 — First published, compiled from the catalogue entries for Codex and Conan.