Does Pieces write or review code for me?

The sheet describes Pieces as a context-and-memory layer rather than a coding agent, sitting beside editors and agents rather than in place of them.

Can Codex review my pull requests?

Yes. The sheet describes a cloud code review on a GitHub pull request that catches real bugs and proposes fixes inline.

What models does Codex run on?

The sheet says Codex is locked to OpenAI's GPT models, with GPT-5.5 listed as the recommended frontier model.

Does Pieces have published pricing?

The sheet lists pricing model as freemium but has no verified plans on file and no starting price recorded.

Can Codex use Claude or Gemini?

The sheet says Codex is locked to OpenAI's GPT models with no Claude or Gemini out of the box.

Codex vs Pieces: How They Actually Differ

Codex is a coding agent that runs across CLI, IDE, and cloud and reviews GitHub pull requests. Pieces is a local-first memory layer for snippets, screenshots, and browsing context. Pick Codex if you want an agent that writes and reviews code. Pick Pieces if you want a private scratchpad to feed your tools.

Compiled 2026-08-29 from our catalogue entries for Codex and Pieces.

The short answer

Pick Codex if: you want a single agent that spans the terminal, IDE, desktop, and cloud, and you want cloud code review on GitHub pull requests that comments inline and proposes fixes.
Pick Pieces if: you want a local-first workspace to save snippets, screenshots, and browsing context, with a conversational assistant that can reference what you have stored.
Cheapest way in: Codex has a Free tier at $0 /month; Pieces' starting price is not recorded on file.
What we could not compare: Pieces has no verified plan prices on file, and the sheet does not list any starting price, so a side-by-side cost comparison is not possible from this data.

Codex and Pieces sit in the same directory category but do different jobs. Codex is OpenAI's coding agent: one agent that works in a CLI, an IDE extension, a desktop app, and a cloud environment, and that can spin up a code review on a GitHub pull request. It reads the shared AGENTS.md file, supports MCP tools, and runs on OpenAI's GPT models.

Pieces is described on the sheet as a context-and-memory layer rather than a coding agent. It captures snippets, screenshots, and browsing context into a local-first workspace, ships plugins for VS Code and JetBrains plus a browser extension, and adds a conversational assistant that can reference what you have saved. The sheet is explicit that it sits beside editors and agents, not in place of them.

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	Pieces
Starts at	Free — $0 /month	Not recorded
Runs on	web, mac, win, linux, cli, vscode-ext	mac, win, linux, vscode-ext, jetbrains-plugin
Category	AI Coding Agents	AI Coding Agents
Pricing model	Freemium	Freemium
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

One agent that spans CLI, IDE, desktop, and cloud, so work started in one surface can continue in another.
Cloud code review on GitHub pull requests that catches bugs and proposes fixes inline.
Reads the shared AGENTS.md instructions standard and supports MCP tools.
Included with ChatGPT plans from the free tier up through Pro.

Full Codex entry · Codex pricing, verified

Where Pieces is the better fit

Local-first unified workspace that stores code snippets, code screenshots, and browsing context in one place.
Dedicated plugins for VS Code and JetBrains, plus a browser extension.
Desktop application available on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Conversational assistant that can reference previously saved snippets and context.

Full Pieces entry

Which one should you pick?

Solo founder shipping a product who wants AI to write and review code

Codex

The sheet describes a single agent that works across CLI, IDE, desktop, and cloud, plus cloud code review on GitHub pull requests, which is what a shipping founder needs day to day.

Developer juggling snippets, screenshots, and tabs across IDE and browser

Pieces

The sheet frames Pieces as a persistent, private scratchpad with VS Code, JetBrains, and browser plugins plus a desktop app that an AI assistant can query.

Small team already running on ChatGPT and GitHub

Codex

The sheet notes Codex is included with ChatGPT plans from free through Pro, and that it can comment inline on GitHub PRs and propose fixes.

Frequently asked questions

Does Pieces write or review code for me?: The sheet describes Pieces as a context-and-memory layer rather than a coding agent, sitting beside editors and agents rather than in place of them.
Can Codex review my pull requests?: Yes. The sheet describes a cloud code review on a GitHub pull request that catches real bugs and proposes fixes inline.
Do I have to install the Pieces desktop app?: The sheet states that full functionality requires installing the companion Pieces desktop app in addition to the IDE plugins.
What models does Codex run on?: The sheet says Codex is locked to OpenAI's GPT models, with GPT-5.5 listed as the recommended frontier model.
Does Pieces have published pricing?: The sheet lists pricing model as freemium but has no verified plans on file and no starting price recorded.
Can Codex use Claude or Gemini?: The sheet says Codex is locked to OpenAI's GPT models with no Claude or Gemini out of the box.

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/pieces — checked 2026-06-14 · 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.

## Pieces (/tools/pieces)
Tagline: AI dev companion for snippets, screenshots of code, and conversational context across IDEs and browsers.
Category: AI Coding Agents
Pricing model: freemium
Starts at: Not recorded
Platforms: mac, win, linux, vscode-ext, jetbrains-plugin
Public repo: none listed
Docs: none listed
Verified plans: none on file
Strengths on file: Captures and stores code snippets, screenshots, and browsing context in a unified local-first workspace.; Provides dedicated plugins for VS Code and JetBrains IDEs alongside a browser extension.; Runs as a desktop application on macOS, Windows, and Linux.; Includes a conversational assistant that can reference previously saved snippets and context.
Limits on file: Free tier restricts the number of cloud-synced snippets and active AI features.; Full functionality requires installing the companion Pieces desktop app in addition to IDE plugins.
Pieces is an AI dev companion for saving snippets, code screenshots, and conversational context across your IDEs and browser.
Its idea is a local-first memory for your workflow: it captures snippets, screenshots, and browsing context into one workspace, with plugins for VS Code and JetBrains plus a browser extension, and a conversational assistant that can reference what you've saved.
It's for developers who want a persistent, private scratchpad the AI can draw on, running as a desktop app on macOS, Windows, and Linux. Two notes: the free tier limits cloud-synced snippets and active AI features, and full functionality needs the companion desktop app alongside the IDE plugins.
It's a context-and-memory layer rather than a coding agent — it sits beside the editors and agents, not in place of them.

Change log

2026-08-29 — First published, compiled from the catalogue entries for Codex and Pieces.