Quick Verdict
Cursor leads on SWE-bench (91.2% vs 72.8%)
Pricing
| Cursor | OpenAI Codex | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $20-200/mo | $20-200/mo |
| Open source | No ❌ | Yes ✅ |
| Best for | Daily interactive coding | Parallel task execution |
Performance & Benchmarks
Cursor scores 91.2% and OpenAI Codex scores 72.8% on SWE-bench. Here’s what that actually means for daily use.
Cursor is built for daily interactive coding. It’s a commercial product with $20-200/mo pricing. SWE-bench: 91.2%
OpenAI Codex is built for parallel task execution. It’s open source with $20-200/mo pricing. SWE-bench: 72.8%
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Cursor | OpenAI Codex |
|---|
Pros & Cons
Cursor
Pros:
- Best editor experience
- Fast inline editing
- Composer for multi-file
Cons:
- Closed source
- VS Code fork lock-in
OpenAI Codex
Pros:
- Parallel Git worktree execution
- Cloud sandboxed agents
- Included in ChatGPT Plus
Cons:
- OpenAI models only
- Cloud-dependent for parallel mode
Verdict
Cursor leads on SWE-bench (91.2% vs 72.8%)
Cursor is recommended for: Everyday interactive development and quick edits OpenAI Codex is recommended for: Parallel ticket processing and batch tasks
For a full overview of all 15 agents, see the Complete Guide to AI Coding Agents.