# A Codex app alternative with Claude Code and Gemini CLI

Codex in the ChatGPT desktop app is OpenAI's coding agent with a desktop workspace, beside
ChatGPT's Chat and Work, since the Codex app
[merged into the ChatGPT app on July 9, 2026](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/whats-new). Moontors
is an agentic development environment (ADE) that runs Codex, Claude Code and Gemini CLI side by
side, each as its vendor's own command-line agent.

## At a glance

|                        | Codex in the ChatGPT app                                                                                                                                           | Moontors        |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------- |
| Agents                 | [Codex](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/auth)                                                                                                                       | Claude Code, Codex and Gemini CLI      |
| Platforms              | [macOS, Windows and Linux](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/quickstart); Linux [in preview](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/linux/linux-app)                          | macOS 13+, Windows 10+ (x64), Linux (x86-64); an Android app on [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.moontors.mobile), the iPhone's coming soon; no build is signed yet, and macOS and Windows ask before the first open; on Windows 11, Smart App Control, when it's on, blocks unsigned apps, Moontors among them; early preview (0.x) ([Known limits](/docs/known-limits/))   |
| Isolation              | [Local, worktree or cloud](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/environments/modes), per chat                                                                            | A git worktree per session, when you want one ([Worktrees](/docs/worktrees/))   |
| When the app is closed | [Cloud tasks keep working](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/cloud), even while your computer sleeps                                                                  | Sessions keep working in a background service ([Sessions and the board](/docs/sessions-and-board/))      |
| Sign-in                | [Every ChatGPT plan, Free included](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing); an [API key](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/auth) for local work, not for cloud tasks | A ChatGPT sign-in or an OpenAI API key for Codex, and each other agent's own ([Signing in](/docs/sign-in/)) |
| Data                   | [Anonymous usage and health data](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/config-file/config-advanced) sent by default, which you can turn off                              | No Moontors account and no Moontors servers. Moontors itself sends no telemetry; each agent's own usage data follows that agent's settings        |

## What each has that the other doesn't

Codex in the ChatGPT app:

- [cloud tasks](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/cloud), each in its own workspace, which keep
  working while your computer sleeps;
- the [ChatGPT mobile app](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/mobile) on the iPhone as well as Android,
  for cloud tasks as well as a connected Mac or Windows PC;
- a [diff pane](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/environments/local-environment) with inline
  comments and pull requests, and
  [code review](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/code-review) of GitHub pull requests;
- [computer use](https://learn.chatgpt.com/codex/use-cases/use-your-computer-with-codex) on macOS
  and Windows, in supported regions, and ChatGPT's Chat and Work
  [in the same app](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/whats-new).

Moontors:

- Claude Code and Gemini CLI beside Codex, on one board;
- local sessions that keep working after you quit the app, in a background service;
- an Android app on [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.moontors.mobile) that follows and answers your computer's own sessions, end to end, with no Moontors server between them; the iPhone's coming soon;
- no Moontors account.

## Where the Codex app is the better fit

- You only use Codex, and want OpenAI's own app with ChatGPT beside it.
- You want tasks to run in the cloud while your computer is off, or to follow them from an iPhone.
- You want pull requests and code review in the same app as the agent.
- You want computer use, or a [Linux build for ARM64](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/linux/linux-app).

## Questions

### Is there a Codex app alternative that runs other agents?

Moontors runs Codex, OpenAI's own command-line agent, beside Claude Code and Gemini CLI on one
board. Codex in the ChatGPT app runs [Codex](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/auth).

### Can I sign in to Codex with my ChatGPT account?

Yes, in the browser or with a device code, or with an OpenAI API key instead. See
[Signing in](/docs/sign-in/).

### Does Moontors run cloud tasks?

No. Moontors runs Codex on your computer, in a background service that keeps it working after you
quit the app. The ChatGPT app's [cloud tasks](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/cloud) run in
OpenAI's cloud.

## Related

- [What is an agentic development environment (ADE)?](/docs/what-is-an-ade/)
- [How to use Claude Code, Codex and Gemini CLI together](/docs/how-to/claude-code-codex-and-gemini-cli-together/)
- [How to keep coding agents running when the window closes](/docs/how-to/keep-agents-running-when-the-window-closes/)