Coding Agents · Comparison · No score yet
Cursor vs Codex
A fact sheet for builders. ShipRanked has not published test scores for Cursor or Codex, and this page does not name a winner.
In one paragraph
ShipRanked has not published a test score for Cursor or Codex, so this comparison does not name a winner. Cursor runs as Desktop IDE. Public price: Free, Plus $8/mo, Premium $30/mo, Super $100/mo, Ultra $200/mo. Codex runs as Terminal, IDE, desktop, and web. Public price: Included with ChatGPT plans. API-key use is usage-based. Both are queued for “Add a feature and tests” and “Fix a seeded bug”. That queue is not a ranking. A published score is the median of three runs, from 0 to 100, and the top 3 stays empty until those runs are fresh.
Side by side
Facts checked October 15, 2026. Best-fit is not a verdict. Both tools are still in the test queue.
Price
Cursor. Free, Plus $8/mo, Premium $30/mo, Super $100/mo, Ultra $200/mo
Codex. Included with ChatGPT plans. API-key use is usage-based.
Where it runs
Cursor. Desktop IDE
Codex. Terminal, IDE, desktop, and web
Model choice
Cursor. Included usage covers Cursor models: Grok 4.7, Grok 4.6, Grok 4.5, and Composer 2.5. Free and Plus do not include third-party models or your own API keys. Premium and above can use third-party models at API list price.
Codex. OpenAI models. The pricing page lists GPT-6.1 Sol, GPT-6 Astra, GPT-6 Sol, GPT-6 Luna, GPT-5.6 Sol, GPT-5.6 Luna, and GPT-5.5. The default depends on the CLI or IDE version. Sign in with ChatGPT, or use an API key. Not a bring-any-provider tool.
Open source
Cursor. Closed source
Codex. The CLI is Apache-2.0. Hosted Codex is included with ChatGPT plans.
Best-fit job
Cursor. Not measured. Queued for Add a feature and tests; Fix a seeded bug.
Codex. Not measured. Queued for Add a feature and tests; Fix a seeded bug.
Where to read the queue
Add a feature plus tests to a seeded repo
The agent gets the TaskBoard repo at a pinned commit and a written feature spec. It may edit application code and add tests. A hidden suite the agent does not see decides the pass.
Fix a seeded bug in a repository
A known bug is planted in TaskBoard. The agent has to find and fix it. The rest of the suite has to stay green, and the fix should not be a rewrite.