Which product has a free option?

Both do. Codex has a Free plan at $0/month, and Tines 3B has a free tier that lets individual builders build and run workflows at no cost.

What does Codex cost?

Listed plans, read 2026-08-21: Free $0/month, Go $8/month, Plus $20/month, Pro 5x $100/month, Pro 20x $200/month. Business and Enterprise pricing is not published. With an API Key, you pay only for the tokens Codex uses, based on API pricing.

Can I use Codex with Claude or Gemini?

No. Out of the box Codex is locked to OpenAI's GPT models, with no Claude or Gemini.

Can I self-host Tines 3B?

No. It is a cloud-hosted service with no self-hosting option.

Which one offers more customization?

The fact sheet records that Codex has fewer built-in customization primitives, such as hooks and sub-agents, than some rivals. Tines 3B's customization options are not recorded, so we cannot compare them directly.

Codex vs Tines 3B: How They Actually Differ

Codex suits solo founders and small teams who want a coding agent in the terminal, IDE, desktop, or cloud, with GitHub pull request review and a $0 free tier. Tines 3B suits builders who prefer no-code browser workflows connecting agents, apps, and external tools through MCP, also with a free tier.

Compiled 2026-10-24 from our catalogue entries for Codex and Tines 3B.

The short answer

Pick Codex if: You write code and want one agent to work across a terminal CLI, IDE extension, desktop app, and cloud environment, with AGENTS.md support and cloud code review on GitHub pull requests.
Pick Tines 3B if: You want to build and run no-code workflows entirely in the browser, connecting agents, apps, and external tools through native MCP support.
Cheapest way in: Codex has a Free plan at $0/month. Tines 3B has a free tier that lets individual builders build and run workflows at no cost, though its paid plan prices are not recorded.
What we could not compare: Tines 3B's pricing model, starting price, paid plans, and platforms are not recorded. Codex's Business and Enterprise pricing is not published, so enterprise pricing cannot be compared for either product.

Codex is OpenAI's agentic coding tool. The same agent runs in 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 AGENTS.md instructions, supports MCP, and can spin up a cloud code review on a GitHub pull request that comments inline and proposes fixes. It runs on OpenAI's GPT models, with GPT-5.5 listed as the recommended frontier model, and it is included with ChatGPT plans from the free tier up through Pro.

Tines 3B is a no-code automation platform that runs entirely in the browser. You build workflows that connect agents, apps, and external tools, with native MCP support for connecting MCP-compatible tools and data sources. A free tier covers individual builders, and enterprise security and IT teams have adopted it at scale. It is cloud-hosted with no self-hosting option, and team collaboration, advanced integrations, and higher execution limits require paid plans.

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	Tines 3B
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

One agent runs across CLI, IDE extension, desktop app, and cloud, so work can continue between surfaces.
Cloud code review on a GitHub pull request that catches real bugs, comments inline, and proposes fixes.
Reads the shared AGENTS.md standard and supports MCP tools; included with ChatGPT plans from the free tier up through Pro.

Full Codex entry · Codex pricing, verified

Where Tines 3B is the better fit

Runs entirely in the browser, so workflows are built and run on a web-based no-code platform.
Native MCP support lets workflows plug directly into MCP-compatible tools and data sources.
A free tier lets individual builders build and run workflows at no cost, and enterprise security and IT teams have adopted it at scale.

Full Tines 3B entry

Which one should you pick?

Solo founder shipping and reviewing code

Codex

You get the same coding agent in the terminal, IDE, desktop, and cloud, plus a cloud code review on GitHub pull requests that comments inline and proposes fixes.

Founder automating work across apps and tools

Tines 3B

You build workflows entirely in the browser without code, connecting agents, apps, and external tools through native MCP support.

Small team already paying for ChatGPT

Codex

Codex is included with ChatGPT plans from the free tier up through Pro, so it can sit inside a subscription you already have.

Security or IT team standardising browser workflows

Tines 3B

Enterprise security and IT teams have adopted it at scale for workflow automation. Plan for the trade-offs: it is cloud-hosted with no self-hosting option, and team collaboration, advanced integrations, and higher execution limits need paid plans.

Builder testing a free workflow this week

Tines 3B

The free tier covers individual builders who want to assemble and run workflows at no cost. If you need published plan prices for Tines 3B, they are not on file.

Frequently asked questions

Which product has a free option?: Both do. Codex has a Free plan at $0/month, and Tines 3B has a free tier that lets individual builders build and run workflows at no cost.
What does Codex cost?: Listed plans, read 2026-08-21: Free $0/month, Go $8/month, Plus $20/month, Pro 5x $100/month, Pro 20x $200/month. Business and Enterprise pricing is not published. With an API Key, you pay only for the tokens Codex uses, based on API pricing.
Can I use Codex with Claude or Gemini?: No. Out of the box Codex is locked to OpenAI's GPT models, with no Claude or Gemini.
Does Tines 3B connect to external tools?: Yes. It has native support for MCP, which lets workflows plug directly into MCP-compatible tools and data sources.
Can I self-host Tines 3B?: No. It is a cloud-hosted service with no self-hosting option.
Which one offers more customization?: The fact sheet records that Codex has fewer built-in customization primitives, such as hooks and sub-agents, than some rivals. Tines 3B's customization options are not recorded, so we cannot compare them directly.

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/tines-3b — checked 2026-08-12 · 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.

## Tines 3B (/tools/tines-3b)
Tagline: The secure environment for agents, apps, and automations
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: Tines is a web-based no-code automation platform that runs entirely in the browser.; Tines offers a free tier that lets users build and run workflows at no cost.; Tines has added support for the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for connecting to external tools.; Tines is widely adopted by enterprise security and IT teams for workflow automation.
Limits on file: Tines is a cloud-hosted service and is not self-hostable.; Team collaboration, advanced integrations, and higher execution limits require paid plans.
Tines 3B is a no-code automation platform that runs entirely in the browser, letting users build workflows that connect agents, apps, and external tools.

Its distinctive edge is native support for the Model Context Protocol (MCP), which lets workflows plug directly into MCP-compatible tools and data sources.

A free tier covers individual builders who want to assemble and run workflows, and enterprise security and IT teams have adopted it at scale. The trade-offs are honest: it is cloud-hosted with no self-hosting option, and team collaboration, advanced integrations, and higher execution limits sit behind paid plans.

It sits alongside other browser-based no-code workflow automation tools aimed at connecting apps and automating repetitive tasks without writing code.

Change log

2026-10-24 — First published, compiled from the catalogue entries for Codex and Tines 3B.