# OpenAI Codex

> For computer control, images, and as an end-to-end test orchestrator.

- Verdict: My default
- Vendor: OpenAI
- Layer: [Build and test](https://cloudlesslabs.com/stack/layers/dev.md). Job: Second AI agent
- Last reviewed: 18 October 2026, by Nicolas Dao (Cloudless Labs, Sydney)
- Web page: https://cloudlesslabs.com/stack/openai-codex/. The whole stack in one file: https://cloudlesslabs.com/stack/brief.md

Claude Code writes the code; Codex clicks through the app like a user would.

## Use it when

- Computer control, image generation and image understanding, where it does better.
- Driving Playwright through complex UI scenarios as an e2e test orchestrator.

## Instead, consider

- [Claude Code](https://cloudlesslabs.com/stack/claude-code/index.md): Everything else.

## Where it fits

- [Building with AI agents](https://cloudlesslabs.com/stack/use-cases/ai-dev.md): pick 2. Clicks through the app and drives Playwright.

## Related

- [Build and test](https://cloudlesslabs.com/stack/layers/dev.md): every tool in this layer, with its verdict
- [The whole stack in one file](https://cloudlesslabs.com/stack/brief.md): every use case and tool, for questions that span many
- [Map of every Markdown file on cloudlesslabs.com, with what each one answers](https://ask.cloudlesslabs.com)