A Codex app alternative with Claude Code and Gemini CLI
As of October 9, 2026
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. 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
Section titled “At a glance”| Codex in the ChatGPT app | Moontors | |
|---|---|---|
| Agents | Codex | Claude Code, Codex and Gemini CLI |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows and Linux; Linux in preview | macOS 13+, Windows 10+ (x64), Linux (x86-64); an Android app on Google Play, 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) |
| Isolation | Local, worktree or cloud, per chat | A git worktree per session, when you want one (Worktrees) |
| When the app is closed | Cloud tasks keep working, even while your computer sleeps | Sessions keep working in a background service (Sessions and the board) |
| Sign-in | Every ChatGPT plan, Free included; an API key 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) |
| Data | Anonymous usage and health data 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
Section titled “What each has that the other doesn’t”Codex in the ChatGPT app:
- cloud tasks, each in its own workspace, which keep working while your computer sleeps;
- the ChatGPT mobile app on the iPhone as well as Android, for cloud tasks as well as a connected Mac or Windows PC;
- a diff pane with inline comments and pull requests, and code review of GitHub pull requests;
- computer use on macOS and Windows, in supported regions, and ChatGPT’s Chat and Work in the same app.
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 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
Section titled “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.
Questions
Section titled “Questions”Is there a Codex app alternative that runs other agents?
Section titled “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.
Can I sign in to Codex with my ChatGPT account?
Section titled “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.
Does Moontors run cloud tasks?
Section titled “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 run in OpenAI’s cloud.