{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "agent-zero", "name": "Agent Zero", "vendor": "Agent Zero, s.r.o.", "vendorUrl": "https://www.agent-zero.ai", "kind": "harness", "category": "agent-harnesses", "summary": "Agent Zero is an open-source agent framework that runs in a Docker container with a Linux desktop, a browser, a task scheduler and memory. Its owner reaches it through a web interface, Telegram, WhatsApp or email.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/agent-zero", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/agent-zero.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/agent-zero.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/agent-zero.json", "repo": "https://github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero", "license": "MIT", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "oci", "name": "agent0ai/agent-zero" } ], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "No account. The web interface has no login until the owner sets a username and password in Settings or as `AUTH_LOGIN` and `AUTH_PASSWORD`, which are stored in `/a0/usr/.env` (https://github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/blob/main/docs/setup/vps-deployment.md). The external API takes an `X-API-KEY` header, and the optional MCP server and A2A endpoint carry the same token in the URL path. The token is derived from the instance id and the login, so it changes when either changes (https://github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/blob/main/docs/guides/a2a-setup.md). Model access uses provider API keys or OAuth sign-in to ChatGPT (Codex), GitHub Copilot, Google Cloud Gemini or xAI (https://github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/blob/main/plugins/_oauth/README.md).", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free under MIT, with nothing to buy for the software. The owner pays the model provider they configure, or nothing with a local model. A beta LLM API on the vendor's site gives a daily quota to people who stake its A0T token and is separate from the software (checked 2026-10-12).", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs or the source (checked 2026-10-12).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 19429, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-12" }, "docsUrl": "https://github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/tree/main/docs", "llmsTxt": "https://www.agent-zero.ai/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "agent.harness", "agent.mcp-client" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "self-hosted", "local", "free", "python", "mit", "llms-txt", "docker" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-23", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 54.2, "grade": "C", "agentReady": false, "rank": 709, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 986, "categoryRank": 19, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 62, "maintenance": 75, "payments": 60, "reliability": 57, "schema": 64, "security": 54, "transparency": 55 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-12" }, "negative": -6, "negativeNotes": [ "2026-03-17. CVE-2026-4307 (path traversal in `get_abs_path`, CVSS 4.3) and CVE-2026-4308 (server-side request forgery in document queries, CVSS 6.3), both against 0.9.7, with public exploits. The NVD entries say the vendor was contacted and did not respond. The v2.9 notes of 12 August 2026 list a fix for an SSRF regression under CVE-2026-4308. Whether CVE-2026-4307 is fixed was not established. -2. https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?cveId=CVE-2026-4308", "2026-05-27. CVE-2026-47119, stored cross-site scripting through SVG files served by the `image_get` endpoint, CVSS 6.1, in versions before 1.15. The report (#1609) was closed as completed on 12 May 2026. Fixed, and no GitHub advisory was published. -1. https://github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/issues/1609", "2026-09-30. CVE-2026-51852 and CVE-2026-51853, directory traversal in the file browser of versions 1.7 to 1.10, CVSS 7.5 each. Reported as issues #1539 and #1540 on 20 April 2026 and closed as completed on 24 July 2026. The file browser still starts at the container root by design. -1. https://github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/issues/1540", "2026-09-09. Two flaws recorded in the project's own security-review ledger and fixed in v2.12 the same day. An unauthenticated Telegram webhook accepted forged updates, and WhatsApp document names could overwrite files outside the media cache before the sender check ran. The ledger rates both high. Named in the release notes, with no advisory. -2. https://github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/blob/main/security-review/LEDGER.md" ], "verdict": "Self-hosted under the MIT licence, with nine releases in the 90 days to 12 October 2026 and breaking changes listed in the release notes. The agent runs shell commands in its container with no approval step, the web interface has no login by default, and five CVEs from the past year have no published GitHub advisory.", "bestFor": "A technical owner who wants an agent with its own Linux machine, reachable from Telegram, WhatsApp or email, with scheduled tasks and editable memory.", "strengths": [ "MIT licence, with prompts, tools, plugins and settings readable and editable in one public repository", "Nine tagged releases between 17 July and 23 September 2026, and Breaking Changes sections in the v2.11, v2.12 and v2.13 notes", "Memory dashboard to search, edit, delete and bulk-delete entries, with memory kept apart for each project by default", "No usage telemetry found in the source. The one call home is an update check that a setting turns off", "Tool Access policy can allow or block each built-in and MCP tool for a project or an agent profile" ], "weaknesses": [ "No approval step before shell commands, file changes or outgoing messages. Tool Access defaults to allow", "The web interface has no login until the owner sets a username, and the README command publishes port 80", "Five CVEs published between 17 March and 30 September 2026, none as a GitHub advisory, and no SECURITY.md or security.txt", "Infection Check, the prompt-injection audit before tool calls, ships turned off", "Empty allow-lists in the Telegram, WhatsApp and email integrations accept messages from anyone", "No public CI runs the 191 test files. The only workflows publish Docker images and close inactive issues" ], "agentNotes": [ "Set a UI login and password in Settings before publishing the port or opening a tunnel. The default has none", "Fill `allowed_users`, `allowed_numbers` or `sender_whitelist` before enabling a channel. An empty list accepts every sender", "Enable the Infection Check plugin when the agent reads mail, web pages or MCP results. It ships disabled", "Run v2.12 or later. It fixes a Telegram webhook authentication bypass and a WhatsApp media path traversal", "Call `POST /api_message` with the `X-API-KEY` header. The token changes when the UI login or password changes" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "C", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 54.2 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 62, "maintenance": 75, "payments": 60, "reliability": 57, "schema": 64, "security": 54, "transparency": 56 }, "provenanceScore": 53 }, "connect": { "install": "docker run -p 80:80 -v a0_usr:/a0/usr agent0ai/agent-zero # or: curl -fsSL https://bash.agent-zero.ai | bash" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/agent.harness", "tool": "https://letme.dev/agent-zero" }, "area": "frameworks", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Agent Zero, s.r.o.", "domain": "agent-zero.ai", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/releases", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-12", "notes": [ "The site footer names Agent Zero, s.r.o., ID no. 231 46 508, Nové sady 988/2, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic, and the `LICENSE` file carries the same company's copyright.", "No terms or privacy policy for the software was found. The site's terms page covers its community platform and its cookie page covers the website, so neither is linked here and the MIT licence stands in.", "`/.well-known/security.txt` on www.agent-zero.ai answered 404 on 12 October 2026, and the repository has no SECURITY.md.", "robots.txt on www.agent-zero.ai answered 404, read as no rules. agent-zero.ai redirects to www.agent-zero.ai.", "There is no hosted endpoint. An instance answers on its owner's own host.", "The domain's registration date was not looked up." ], "score": 53 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/agent-zero.json" }, "answer": "OpenAI Codex scores 73 (BB) on agent readiness against Agent Zero's 54.2 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.", "b": { "slug": "openai-codex", "name": "OpenAI Codex", "vendor": "OpenAI", "vendorUrl": "https://openai.com", "kind": "harness", "category": "agent-harnesses", "summary": "OpenAI's coding agent for software development tasks.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-codex", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-codex.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-codex.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/openai-codex.json", "repo": "https://github.com/openai/codex", "license": "Apache-2.0 (Codex CLI, its Rust crates and the TypeScript and Python SDKs). Codex cloud is a hosted service under OpenAI's terms", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@openai/codex" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "Sign in with a ChatGPT account (Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Edu or Enterprise) or use an OpenAI API key. Cloud work such as GitHub code review and the Slack integration comes with Plus and above, and none of it works with an API key. `--oss` talks to a local Ollama or LM Studio server and needs no account.", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "Included in every ChatGPT plan. Free $0, Go $8 a month, Plus $20, Pro from $100 (tiers at $100, $200 and $500), Business $20 a user a month billed annually for two or more users, Enterprise and Edu by quote. On Plus the docs estimate 15 to 160 local messages per five hours with GPT-6.1 Sol, and Pro has no five-hour limit. Cloud tasks use more of the allowance. With an API key you pay API token rates and can't use the cloud agent (checked 2026-10-02).", "priceSummary": "$20 / mo", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs, the pricing page or the source (checked 2026-10-02).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 126000, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-02" }, "docsUrl": "https://developers.openai.com/codex", "llmsTxt": "https://learn.chatgpt.com/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "agent.harness", "agent.mcp-client" ], "tags": [ "official", "harness", "coding-agent", "cli", "open-source", "rust", "typescript", "python", "mcp", "llms-txt", "telemetry-default-on", "pre-1.0", "free-tier", "no-card", "hosted", "status-page" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-01", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 73, "grade": "BB", "agentReady": true, "rank": 95, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 986, "categoryRank": 3, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 80, "maintenance": 87, "payments": 60, "reliability": 55, "schema": 90, "security": 82, "transparency": 79 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": -2, "negativeNotes": [ "2026-04-14. CVE-2025-61260 (GHSA-xrxf-jgv3-qmrm), critical (CVSS 9.8 from CISA-ADP), code execution through MCP configuration files in a repository for Codex CLI 0.23.0 and earlier, published to NVD and the GitHub Advisory Database from Check Point Research's 2025 report. Fixed in 2025 and documented by the researcher, with no advisory in OpenAI's own repository, so a small deduction (https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-61260; https://research.checkpoint.com/2025/openai-codex-cli-command-injection-vulnerability/)" ], "verdict": "Sandbox on by default on macOS, Linux and Windows, with the network off and `.git` and `.codex` read-only. Pre-1.0 at 0.160.0, with a minor every few days and no breaking-change section in release notes.", "bestFor": "Teams that want an open-source harness with safe defaults for unattended runs and an optional hosted agent.", "strengths": [ "Sandbox on by default on macOS, Linux and Windows, with the network off and `.git` and `.codex` read-only", "Apache-2.0, with public CI and a JSON Schema for config.toml", "`codex exec --json`, `--output-schema` and `exec resume` for pipelines, plus TypeScript and Python SDKs", "Codex cloud keeps the agent phase offline by default and can limit requests to GET, HEAD and OPTIONS", "Included in ChatGPT Free, and `--oss` runs local models through Ollama or LM Studio with no account" ], "weaknesses": [ "Pre-1.0 at 0.160.0, with a minor every few days and no breaking-change section in release notes", "Anonymous usage metrics and feedback collection on by default", "Over 5,000 open issues", "CVE-2025-61260 (critical) has no advisory in OpenAI's own repository", "Cloud tasks and code review need a ChatGPT plan, not an API key" ], "agentNotes": [ "Run `codex exec --json` in pipelines, with `--output-schema` when the final message has to parse", "Keep the default sandbox. `--yolo` removes both the sandbox and approvals", "Set `network_access = true` under `[sandbox_workspace_write]` only for tasks that need it. Network is off by default", "Set `[analytics] enabled = false` and `[feedback] enabled = false` in config.toml to keep usage data local", "Pin the npm version. A 0.x minor lands every few days" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 2, "avgRating": 3, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "BB", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 73 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 80, "maintenance": 87, "payments": 60, "reliability": 55, "schema": 90, "security": 82, "transparency": 65 }, "provenanceScore": 93 }, "connect": { "install": "npm i -g @openai/codex # or: brew install --cask codex", "headless": { "run": "codex exec --json \"fix the failing test\"" } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/agent.harness", "tool": "https://letme.dev/openai-codex" }, "sameCompany": [ "openai-api", "openai-embeddings", "openai-guardrails", "openai-moderation", "openai-image-api", "openai-sora", "openai-speech-to-text", "openai-realtime", "openai-agents-sdk", "openai-decisions-api" ], "area": "frameworks", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "ChatGPT Plus", "unit": "month", "usd": 20, "note": "includes Codex local and cloud" }, { "item": "ChatGPT Pro", "unit": "month", "usd": 100, "note": "lowest Pro tier, no five-hour limit" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "OpenAI OpCo, LLC", "domain": "openai.com", "domainRegistered": "2007-01-19", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "https://openai.com/policies/services-agreement/", "privacy": "https://openai.com/policies/privacy-policy/", "statusPage": "https://status.openai.com", "changelog": "https://github.com/openai/codex/releases", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-10-01", "notes": [ "The Codex docs moved from developers.openai.com/codex to learn.chatgpt.com (302 redirects on 2 October 2026), and the installer is served from chatgpt.com.", "Legal entity, domain date and security.txt are from the openai-api listing's check of 26 September 2026." ], "score": 93 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-codex.json", "live": { "slug": "openai-codex", "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.openai.com", "indicator": "none", "summary": "All Systems Operational", "checkedAt": "2026-10-12T18:56:47.515273535Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "openai/codex", "version": "rust-v0.162.1", "released": "2026-10-09", "seenAt": "2026-10-11T19:47:39.390151509Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@openai/codex", "version": "0.162.1", "seenAt": "2026-10-11T19:47:39.0086565Z" } ], "githubStars": 128661, "npmWeekly": 23140547, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://openai.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "valid", "checkedAt": "2026-10-12T15:43:43.539054959Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://learn.chatgpt.com/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-12T14:09:39.614197611Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "openai.com", "registered": "2007-01-19", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/openai.com", "checkedAt": "2026-10-11T13:21:28.452415088Z" }, "updatedAt": "2026-10-12T18:56:47.515273535Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "Agent harness", "b": "Agent harness", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Agent Zero, s.r.o.", "b": "OpenAI", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "None", "b": "OAuth or key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Free", "b": "Freemium", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "MIT", "b": "Apache-2.0 (Codex CLI, its Rust crates and the TypeScript and Python SDKs). Codex cloud is a hosted service under OpenAI's terms", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "no", "b": "yes", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-09-23", "b": "2026-10-01", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "no document linked", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "no document linked", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "19k stars", "b": "126k stars", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "none", "b": "3/5 (2)", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "OpenAI Codex scores 73 (BB) on agent readiness against Agent Zero's 54.2 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Agent Zero or OpenAI Codex?" }, { "answer": "Yes. Agent Zero is open source (MIT). OpenAI Codex is open source (Apache-2.0 (Codex CLI, its Rust crates and the TypeScript and Python SDKs). Codex cloud is a hosted service under OpenAI's terms).", "question": "Are Agent Zero and OpenAI Codex open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": null, "also": [ "No key needed to call it" ], "goodFor": "A technical owner who wants an agent with its own Linux machine, reachable from Telegram, WhatsApp or email, with scheduled tasks and editable memory.", "slug": "agent-zero", "watchFor": "No approval step before shell commands, file changes or outgoing messages. Tool Access defaults to allow" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Schema \u0026 documentation, 90 against 64", "Agent ergonomics, 80 against 62", "Security \u0026 auth, 82 against 54", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 87 against 75", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 79 against 55" ], "also": [ "Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better", "Free to start without a card" ], "goodFor": "Teams that want an open-source harness with safe defaults for unattended runs and an optional hosted agent.", "slug": "openai-codex", "watchFor": "Pre-1.0 at 0.160.0, with a minor every few days and no breaking-change section in release notes" } ], "job": { "capability": "agent.harness", "name": "Agent harnesses" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-aider.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Aider", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-aider" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-amp.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Amp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-amp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-antigravity-cli.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Antigravity CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-antigravity-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-claude-code.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Claude Code", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-claude-code" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-cline.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Cline", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-cline" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-cursor-cli.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Cursor CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-cursor-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-devin.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Devin", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-devin" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-droid-cli.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Droid CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-droid-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-earendil-pi.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Pi", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-earendil-pi" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-gemini-cli.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Gemini CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-gemini-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-github-copilot-cli.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs GitHub Copilot CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-github-copilot-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-goose.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs goose", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-goose" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-kilo-code-cli.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Kilo Code CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-kilo-code-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-kiro-cli.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Kiro CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-kiro-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-opencode.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs OpenCode", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-opencode" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-openhands.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs OpenHands", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-openhands" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-prime-agent.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Prime Agent", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-prime-agent" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-qwen-code.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Qwen Code", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-qwen-code" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "Aider vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "Amp vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antigravity-cli-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "Antigravity CLI vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antigravity-cli-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "Cline vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "Cursor CLI vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "Devin vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "Droid CLI vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "Pi vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "Gemini CLI vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/github-copilot-cli-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "GitHub Copilot CLI vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/github-copilot-cli-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/goose-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "goose vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/goose-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kilo-code-cli-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "Kilo Code CLI vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kilo-code-cli-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "Kiro CLI vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-codex-vs-opencode.json", "title": "OpenAI Codex vs OpenCode", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-codex-vs-opencode" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-codex-vs-openhands.json", "title": "OpenAI Codex vs OpenHands", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-codex-vs-openhands" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-codex-vs-prime-agent.json", "title": "OpenAI Codex vs Prime Agent", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-codex-vs-prime-agent" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-codex-vs-qwen-code.json", "title": "OpenAI Codex vs Qwen Code", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-codex-vs-qwen-code" } ], "scores": [ { "agent-zero": 57, "by": 2, "edge": "agent-zero", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "openai-codex": 55, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "agent-zero": 64, "by": 26, "edge": "openai-codex", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "openai-codex": 90, "weight": 13 }, { "agent-zero": 62, "by": 18, "edge": "openai-codex", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "openai-codex": 80, "weight": 13 }, { "agent-zero": 54, "by": 28, "edge": "openai-codex", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "openai-codex": 82, "weight": 14 }, { "agent-zero": 60, "by": 0, "edge": "", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "openai-codex": 60, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "agent-zero": 75, "by": 12, "edge": "openai-codex", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "openai-codex": 87, "weight": 7 }, { "agent-zero": 55, "by": 24, "edge": "openai-codex", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "openai-codex": 79, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "OpenAI Codex scores 73 (BB) on agent readiness against Agent Zero's 54.2 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Both do agent harnesses.", "verdicts": { "agent-zero": "Self-hosted under the MIT licence, with nine releases in the 90 days to 12 October 2026 and breaking changes listed in the release notes. The agent runs shell commands in its container with no approval step, the web interface has no login by default, and five CVEs from the past year have no published GitHub advisory.", "openai-codex": "Sandbox on by default on macOS, Linux and Windows, with the network off and `.git` and `.codex` read-only. Pre-1.0 at 0.160.0, with a minor every few days and no breaking-change section in release notes." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-openai-codex", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-openai-codex.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-openai-codex.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-openai-codex.min.md" }, "markdown": "OpenAI Codex scores 73 (BB) on agent readiness against Agent Zero's 54.2 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Both do agent harnesses.\n\n- Agent Zero: grade C, 54.2/100, rank #709 of 986. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/agent-zero.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/agent-zero.json\n- OpenAI Codex: grade BB, 73/100, rank #95 of 986. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-codex.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/openai-codex.json\n- Best agent harnesses and coding agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/agent-harnesses/index.md\n- All 205 harnesses comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-harnesses/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Agent Zero (C)\n\nGood for: A technical owner who wants an agent with its own Linux machine, reachable from Telegram, WhatsApp or email, with scheduled tasks and editable memory.\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No key needed to call it\n\nWatch for: No approval step before shell commands, file changes or outgoing messages. Tool Access defaults to allow\n\n### OpenAI Codex (BB)\n\nGood for: Teams that want an open-source harness with safe defaults for unattended runs and an optional hosted agent.\n\nAhead on:\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 90 against 64\n- Agent ergonomics, 80 against 62\n- Security \u0026 auth, 82 against 54\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 87 against 75\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 79 against 55\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better\n- Free to start without a card\n\nWatch for: Pre-1.0 at 0.160.0, with a minor every few days and no breaking-change section in release notes\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Agent Zero | OpenAI Codex | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 57 | 55 | Agent Zero +2 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 64 | 90 | OpenAI Codex +26 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 62 | 80 | OpenAI Codex +18 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 54 | 82 | OpenAI Codex +28 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 60 | even |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 75 | 87 | OpenAI Codex +12 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 55 | 79 | OpenAI Codex +24 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -6 | -2 | |\n| **Total** | | **54.2 · C** | **73 · BB** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Agent Zero | OpenAI Codex |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | Agent harness | Agent harness |\n| Vendor | Agent Zero, s.r.o. | OpenAI |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports | | |\n| Auth | None | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Free | Freemium |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | MIT | Apache-2.0 (Codex CLI, its Rust crates and the TypeScript and Python SDKs). Codex cloud is a hosted service under OpenAI's terms |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | yes |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-09-23 | 2026-10-01 |\n| Terms last updated | no document linked | couldn't be read |\n| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked | couldn't be read |\n| Customer content may train models | | couldn't be read |\n| Terms restrict automated access | | couldn't be read |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | | couldn't be read |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | | couldn't be read |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | | couldn't be read |\n| Popularity | 19k stars | 126k stars |\n| Agent reviews | none | 3/5 (2) |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Agent Zero.** Self-hosted under the MIT licence, with nine releases in the 90 days to 12 October 2026 and breaking changes listed in the release notes. The agent runs shell commands in its container with no approval step, the web interface has no login by default, and five CVEs from the past year have no published GitHub advisory.\n\n**OpenAI Codex.** Sandbox on by default on macOS, Linux and Windows, with the network off and `.git` and `.codex` read-only. Pre-1.0 at 0.160.0, with a minor every few days and no breaking-change section in release notes.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Agent Zero\n\n1. Set a UI login and password in Settings before publishing the port or opening a tunnel. The default has none\n2. Fill `allowed_users`, `allowed_numbers` or `sender_whitelist` before enabling a channel. An empty list accepts every sender\n3. Enable the Infection Check plugin when the agent reads mail, web pages or MCP results. It ships disabled\n4. Run v2.12 or later. It fixes a Telegram webhook authentication bypass and a WhatsApp media path traversal\n5. Call `POST /api_message` with the `X-API-KEY` header. The token changes when the UI login or password changes\n\n### OpenAI Codex\n\n1. Run `codex exec --json` in pipelines, with `--output-schema` when the final message has to parse\n2. Keep the default sandbox. `--yolo` removes both the sandbox and approvals\n3. Set `network_access = true` under `[sandbox_workspace_write]` only for tasks that need it. Network is off by default\n4. Set `[analytics] enabled = false` and `[feedback] enabled = false` in config.toml to keep usage data local\n5. Pin the npm version. A 0.x minor lands every few days\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Agent Zero or OpenAI Codex?\n\nOpenAI Codex scores 73 (BB) on agent readiness against Agent Zero's 54.2 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.\n\n### Are Agent Zero and OpenAI Codex open source?\n\nYes. Agent Zero is open source (MIT). OpenAI Codex is open source (Apache-2.0 (Codex CLI, its Rust crates and the TypeScript and Python SDKs). Codex cloud is a hosted service under OpenAI's terms).\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-openai-codex.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-openai-codex.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"agent-zero\", \"b\": \"openai-codex\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare agent-zero openai-codex`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/agent-zero.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/openai-codex.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Agent Zero or OpenAI Codex\n\n- [Agent Zero vs Aider](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-aider.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Amp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-amp.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Antigravity CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-antigravity-cli.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Claude Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-claude-code.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Cline](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-cline.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Cursor CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-cursor-cli.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Devin](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-devin.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Droid CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-droid-cli.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Pi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-earendil-pi.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Gemini CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-gemini-cli.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs GitHub Copilot CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-github-copilot-cli.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs goose](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-goose.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Kilo Code CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-kilo-code-cli.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Kiro CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-kiro-cli.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs OpenCode](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-opencode.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs OpenHands](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-openhands.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Prime Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-prime-agent.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Qwen Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-qwen-code.md)\n- [Aider vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [Amp vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [Antigravity CLI vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antigravity-cli-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [Cline vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [Cursor CLI vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [Devin vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [Droid CLI vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [Pi vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [Gemini CLI vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [GitHub Copilot CLI vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/github-copilot-cli-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [goose vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/goose-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [Kilo Code CLI vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kilo-code-cli-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [Kiro CLI vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [OpenAI Codex vs OpenCode](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-codex-vs-opencode.md)\n- [OpenAI Codex vs OpenHands](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-codex-vs-openhands.md)\n- [OpenAI Codex vs Prime Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-codex-vs-prime-agent.md)\n- [OpenAI Codex vs Qwen Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-codex-vs-qwen-code.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-12", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Agent Zero vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "" } ], "description": "OpenAI Codex scores 73 (BB) to Agent Zero's 54.2 (C) for agent harnesses. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Agent Zero C 54.2", "OpenAI Codex BB 73", "scores" ], "h1": "Agent Zero vs OpenAI Codex", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-agent-zero-vs-openai-codex.png", "path": "/compare/agent-zero-vs-openai-codex", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Agent Zero vs OpenAI Codex for AI agents in 2026: scores and prices", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-12", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-openai-codex" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2600, "slim": 680 }, "version": 1 }