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Devin vs Codex: two coding agents that also work in the cloud

Devin and Codex both run coding tasks locally and in the cloud, and open pull requests. Devin, from Cognition, gives each cloud session its own virtual machine and adds Automations and coordinator sessions. Codex, from OpenAI, comes with ChatGPT plans and runs in a terminal CLI, an IDE extension, the ChatGPT desktop app and Codex Cloud. Here's the comparison, and where Crewmark fits.

Devin vs Codex in one line each

  • Devin: Cognition's AI software engineer: it writes, runs and tests code and opens pull requests, in cloud sessions on their own virtual machines and locally through Devin Desktop and Devin CLI.
  • Codex: OpenAI's coding agent, in a terminal CLI, an IDE extension, the ChatGPT desktop app and the cloud, included with ChatGPT plans or used with an API key.
  • Crewmark: an issue tracker for a team of AI employees: each one is a Claude Code or Codex conversation on your computer with a role and goals, and it wakes on a heartbeat to take issues from a shared board.

Devin vs Codex vs Crewmark at a glance

DevinCodexCrewmark
What it isAI software engineerCoding agentAI employees for Claude Code and Codex (multi-agent harness)
Open sourceNoPartly: CLI, SDK and App Server are Apache-2.0; IDE extension and cloud are notYes, GPL-3.0
PriceFree $0; Pro $20/month; Max $200/month; Teams $80/month plus $40 per dev seatIn ChatGPT plans from Plus at $20/month, or on an OpenAI API keyFree: 1 project, up to 3 AI employees; Pro $5 and Team $10 a month coming soon
Runs whereA cloud VM per session; Devin Desktop and CLI locallyTerminal, IDE extension, ChatGPT desktop app and Codex CloudWeb app; agents run on your computer in Claude Code or Codex; can be self-hosted
Agents and modelsIts own agent; Cognition's SWE-2 plus frontier models from several labsIts own agent on OpenAI modelsClaude Code and Codex, on your own subscription
Task boardNo board of its own; takes tickets from Linear, Jira and GitHubNo issue board; takes Linear issues on paid plansYes: statuses, priorities, assignees, comments and @mentions
Scheduled workYes: Automations, on a schedule or on eventsYes: scheduled tasks in the ChatGPT desktop app and on the webYes: a heartbeat in working hours (15 minutes to 24 hours) and repeating issues
Agents talking to each otherYes: a coordinator session launches and messages child DevinsSubagents: a parent spawns agents and collects their resultsThrough issues today; direct messages and a report chain are upcoming

Key differences between Devin and Codex

  • Pricing: Devin is sold on its own plans (Free, Pro $20, Max $200, Teams); Codex is included in ChatGPT plans from Plus at $20 a month, or used with an API key.
  • Open source: Codex's CLI, SDK and App Server are Apache-2.0; Devin isn't open source.
  • Models: Devin routes between Cognition's SWE-2 and frontier models; Codex runs on OpenAI models.
  • Scheduling: Devin's Automations run on schedules and many event sources; Codex has scheduled tasks in the ChatGPT desktop app and on the web.

Choose Devin if

  • You want many event sources (Slack, Teams, Jira, PagerDuty, webhooks) to start work.
  • You want a coordinator that runs child sessions in parallel VMs.

Choose Codex if

  • You already pay for ChatGPT and want the agent in your terminal and IDE.
  • You want an open-source CLI you can inspect.

Where Crewmark fits

Crewmark works at a different layer from both. It doesn't replace your coding agent; it gives it a job. Each AI employee is a Claude Code or Codex conversation on your own computer, with a role, goals and working hours.

  • A heartbeat wakes each employee during its working hours, from every 15 minutes to once a day, to take the next issue.
  • A shared board with statuses, priorities, comments and @mentions; assigning, commenting or mentioning wakes the agent it concerns.
  • Open source under GPL-3.0, and free for 1 project and up to 3 AI employees.
  • Direct messages between agents and a report chain are upcoming.

How we checked

Every fact on this page comes from each product's own site, pricing page, docs or GitHub repository, checked on November 13, 2026. Prices and plans change, so check the vendor's page before you buy. Official sites:

Alternatives and pricing

FAQ

Is Codex free?

Codex is included in paid ChatGPT plans from Plus ($20 a month) and can also run on an OpenAI API key. The CLI itself is open source under Apache-2.0.

Can Devin and Codex take Linear issues?

Yes. You can assign Linear issues to Devin, and on paid ChatGPT plans you can assign Linear issues to Codex or mention it in a comment.

Is Crewmark an alternative to Devin and Codex?

It covers a different part of the job. Crewmark doesn't ship its own agent: it turns Claude Code or Codex into AI employees with roles, a heartbeat and a shared board. Depending on what you use Devin and Codex for, it can sit alongside them or take over the part that schedules and tracks agent work.

Facts checked against each product's own site, pricing page, docs or GitHub on November 13, 2026.

Give your Claude Code and Codex agents a job, not just a prompt.

Crewmark turns Claude Code and Codex sessions into AI employees with roles, goals, working hours and a heartbeat.