HB Code and the ChatGPT desktop app
The ChatGPT desktop app is OpenAI's own app, and Codex is a mode in it. You choose ChatGPT or Codex when you start. HB Code is a separate app by another company, helpful bits GmbH. It runs Codex on your ChatGPT sign-in and Claude Code on your Claude account, on your own Mac or Windows PC.
The main difference
The ChatGPT desktop app is the maker's own product for Codex. Its docs say that Codex runs tasks in the cloud or on a connected computer. They also say that worktrees let it run independent chats in one project. HB Code is made by another company. OpenAI didn't make HB Code and doesn't endorse it. HB Code runs Codex in your project folders on your own computer only.
HB Code also runs Claude Code. Both agents work in one app, and a Codex session can send a message to a Claude Code session.
HB Code runs its own build of OpenAI's open-source Codex app-server, which comes inside the app. You get a newer Codex with an HB Code update.
Side by side
| Topic | HB Code | ChatGPT desktop app |
|---|---|---|
| License and source | HB CodeNot open source. The source isn't public. | ChatGPT desktop appThe Codex CLI is a separate product with a public repository under the Apache-2.0 license. The sources below name no license for the desktop app. |
| Price | HB CodeThe desktop app needs no payment. A phone gets a 10-day connected preview and then needs HB Code Pro from the App Store or Google Play. | ChatGPT desktop appIncluded in the ChatGPT plans. The pricing page lists Free at $0, Go at $8, and Plus at $20 per month, and Pro plans from $100 per month. |
| Desktop | HB CodemacOS 12 or later on Apple silicon, and Windows 10 version 1809 or later on x64. No Linux app. | ChatGPT desktop appmacOS and Windows. The Linux app is in preview, with packages for x64 and ARM64. |
| Phone and web | HB CodeiPhone with iOS 18 or later and Android 8.0 or later. No web app. | ChatGPT desktop appThe ChatGPT mobile app on iOS and Android, with Cloud or a connected Mac or Windows PC. The maker states that availability depends on rollout and workspace settings. |
| Coding agents | HB CodeClaude Code and Codex. | ChatGPT desktop appCodex, OpenAI's own agent. |
| Agent sign-in and billing | HB CodeClaude Code is the unchanged executable of Anthropic's Claude Agent SDK. Codex is HB Code's own build of OpenAI's open-source Codex app-server. Both run on your own Claude and ChatGPT sign-in, and HB Code includes neither plan. | ChatGPT desktop appYou sign in with ChatGPT for subscription access, or with an API key for usage-based access. |
| Account with the maker | HB CodeNone for work on the desktop. Remote access and the phone apps need an HB Code account. | ChatGPT desktop appA ChatGPT account. The phone signs in to the same ChatGPT account and workspace. |
| Where the agent works | HB CodeIn your project folders on your own computer. HB Code creates no worktrees and lists the ones that the repository has. No cloud. | ChatGPT desktop appIn the cloud or on a connected computer, with git worktrees for independent chats in one project. On Windows it runs natively or in WSL2. |
| How the phone reaches the desktop | HB CodeThrough HB Code's relay server over TLS. The connection isn't end-to-end encrypted. The server passes the content and doesn't store it. | ChatGPT desktop appThrough what the maker calls a secure relay layer, with the same ChatGPT account on the phone. Remote hosts run the ChatGPT desktop app on macOS or Windows. |
| Accounts and usage limits | HB CodeSeveral Claude accounts and ChatGPT subscriptions. Settings › Agents lists each one with its limit windows, and the phone apps show the same windows. | ChatGPT desktop appA usage dashboard on the web shows your current limits, and /status shows the remaining limits in a Codex CLI session. |
| Usage analytics in the app | HB CodeNo analytics or crash-report SDK in the desktop app or the phone apps. The desktop app sends one daily usage signal, with a random ID not linked to your account, only if you allow it. With remote access on, the server keeps device status data. | ChatGPT desktop appNot described in the sources below. |
ChatGPT desktop app: when it fits better
- You want the maker's own app for Codex.
- You want Codex to run tasks in the cloud.
- You want worktrees for independent chats in one project.
- You work on Linux, or you use ChatGPT Voice, Computer Use, plugins, or scheduled tasks.
HB Code: when it fits better
- You use Claude Code as well as Codex and want both in one app.
- You have more than one ChatGPT subscription and want each listed with its limit windows.
- You want a Codex session and a Claude Code session to send messages to each other, for example for a review.
Sources
- learn.chatgpt.com/docs/app
- learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing
- learn.chatgpt.com/docs/auth
- learn.chatgpt.com/docs/mobile
- learn.chatgpt.com/docs/remote-connections
- learn.chatgpt.com/docs/environments/git-worktrees
- learn.chatgpt.com/docs/linux/linux-app
- learn.chatgpt.com/docs/windows/windows-app
- learn.chatgpt.com/docs/features/voice
- learn.chatgpt.com/docs/enterprise/chatgpt-work-local-security
- learn.chatgpt.com/llms.txt
- github.com/openai/codex
We read these pages on October 9, 2026. Prices and features can change after that date. If a statement on this page is wrong or out of date, tell us and we'll correct it. Write to support