# HB Code vs Codex on mobile

> Codex on mobile runs OpenAI's Codex in the ChatGPT app. HB Code runs Claude Code and Codex on your desktop and opens those sessions on your phone.

Codex on mobile runs OpenAI's Codex from the ChatGPT mobile app in Codex Cloud or on a connected Mac or Windows computer. HB Code is a desktop app for Mac and Windows with companion apps for iPhone and Android. It runs both Claude Code and Codex on your computer and opens those sessions on your phone.

## The main difference

Codex on mobile runs OpenAI's Codex agent and ChatGPT Work in the ChatGPT apps. The desktop app and the Codex CLI can import setup and chats from Claude Code or Cursor. HB Code runs both Claude Code and Codex on your computer and shows both in its phone apps.

With Codex on mobile, tasks run in Codex Cloud or on a connected Mac or Windows computer that runs the ChatGPT desktop app. A connected host can use Git worktrees or WSL2 on Windows, and the desktop app can connect to projects on an SSH host. HB Code runs every session directly in the project folders on your Mac or Windows computer without a cloud environment. It lists the Git worktrees that your repository already has and creates no new worktrees on its own.

Codex on mobile is included with your ChatGPT plan, and your phone pairs with the ChatGPT desktop app through a QR code. Both devices sign in to the same ChatGPT account and workspace to connect through OpenAI's relay layer. HB Code needs no payment and no HB Code account for work on your desktop. Phone access uses an HB Code account and includes a 10-day preview before it requires HB Code Pro.

## Side by side

| Topic | HB Code | Codex on mobile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| License and source | Not open source. The source isn't public. | In the openai/codex GitHub repository, Codex CLI and the Codex app-server are open source under the Apache-2.0 License, along with the Codex SDK. OpenAI lists Codex Cloud and the IDE extension as not open source. |
| Price | The 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 Work and Codex come with Free ($0/month), Go ($8/month), Plus ($20/month), and Pro ($100 or $200 or $500/month) plans. They also come with Business ($20/user/month billed annually or $25/user/month billed monthly) as well as Edu and Enterprise plans. Local Codex sessions also support pay-per-use OpenAI API key billing, while mobile remote access uses a ChatGPT account. |
| Desktop | macOS 12 or later on Apple silicon, and Windows 10 version 1809 or later on x64. No Linux app. | Remote access supports macOS and Windows hosts running the ChatGPT desktop app, and mobile setup can't start from the CLI or IDE extension. Another Mac or Windows device running the desktop app can also control a host when Control other devices is available. A Linux desktop app is in preview for Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and Arch Linux on x64 and ARM64. |
| Phone and web | iPhone with iOS 18 or later and Android 8.0 or later. No web app. | ChatGPT on iOS and Android runs tasks in Codex Cloud or controls a connected Mac or Windows host. Another Mac or Windows desktop app can also control a host, and availability depends on rollout and workspace settings. The web app uses Codex Cloud, while Local computer access with Work Cloud or dots continues chats across desktop and mobile plus the web. |
| Coding agents | Claude Code and Codex. | Runs OpenAI's Codex agent and ChatGPT Work. The ChatGPT desktop app can import setup and recent project chats from Claude Code or Claude Cowork, as well as Cursor. Codex CLI can also import from Claude Code or Cursor. |
| Agent sign-in and billing | Claude 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. | Local Codex supports signing in with a ChatGPT account for subscription access or with an OpenAI API key for usage-based billing. Mobile remote access and Codex Cloud require signing in with a ChatGPT account. API keys and Codex access tokens don't enable Local computer access with Work Cloud. |
| Account with the maker | None for work on the desktop. Remote access and the phone apps need an HB Code account. | Requires a ChatGPT account with Codex access. Both the desktop host and the phone sign in to the same ChatGPT account and workspace. You also complete any required multi-factor authentication or SSO and passkey steps. |
| Where the agent works | In your project folders on your own computer. HB Code creates no worktrees and lists the ones that the repository has. No cloud. | Tasks run in Codex Cloud or on a connected Mac or Windows host. A connected host provides repository files, shell commands, MCP servers, skills, browser access, Computer Use, and OS-enforced sandboxing. Host environments support Git worktrees and WSL2 on Windows, and the desktop app can also connect to projects on an SSH host. |
| How the phone reaches the desktop | Through 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. | In the desktop app's Connections settings, Control this Mac or PC shows a QR code that pairs your phone with the host. OpenAI's relay layer connects your authorized ChatGPT phones and computers without exposing the host to the public internet. Separately, the Codex CLI terminal interface can connect to an experimental codex app-server WebSocket listener on another machine. |
| Accounts and usage limits | Several Claude accounts and ChatGPT subscriptions. Settings › Agents lists each one with its limit windows, and the phone apps show the same windows. | Local messages and cloud chats share your plan's allowance, with five-hour and weekly limits on Plus and Standard Business. Pro plans have no five-hour limit, and you can check limits in the web usage dashboard or with /status in Codex CLI. You can extend usage with credits or an API key, and the CLI and IDE extension share one cached login at a time. |
| Usage analytics in the app | No 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. | Local Codex includes opt-in OpenTelemetry export for audit and monitoring events, and telemetry stays off by default. When enabled, it redacts user prompt text unless you turn prompt logging on in your configuration. |

## Codex on mobile: when it fits better

- You want OpenAI's own ChatGPT mobile and desktop apps for Codex without a separate remote-access subscription.
- You want to run Codex tasks in Codex Cloud as well as on a connected Mac or Windows computer.
- You want Codex-managed Git worktrees or WSL2 support, or you connect the desktop app to projects on an SSH host.
- You use the Linux desktop app preview, Computer Use, dots, or Work Cloud to continue tasks on the web.

## HB Code: when it fits better

- You use both Claude Code and Codex and want to run and control both agents from one desktop and phone app.
- You switch between several Claude accounts and ChatGPT subscriptions and want to see the usage limit windows for each account.
- You want one session to send a task to another session, or you use the Browser Bridge extension in your own Chrome.
- You want your coding agents to generate speech audio or short explainer videos with your own Gemini API key.

## Sources

- https://developers.openai.com/codex
- https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/mobile
- https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/remote-connections
- https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/app
- https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing
- https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/auth
- https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/open-source
- https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/app-server
- https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/import
- https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/linux/linux-app
- https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/windows/windows-app
- https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/environments/git-worktrees
- https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/features/voice
- https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/dots/getting-started
- https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/enterprise/cloud-local-access
- https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/enterprise/chatgpt-work-local-security
- https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/agent-approvals-security
- https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/changelog
- https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/whats-new
- https://github.com/openai/codex
- https://github.com/openai/codex/blob/main/README.md
- https://github.com/openai/codex/blob/main/LICENSE

We read these pages on October 24, 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](https://www.hbcode.ai/support)

## More comparisons

- [Compare HB Code and cmux](https://www.hbcode.ai/alternatives/cmux.md)
- [Compare HB Code and T3 Code](https://www.hbcode.ai/alternatives/t3-code.md)
- [Compare HB Code and Claude Code Remote Control](https://www.hbcode.ai/alternatives/claude-code-remote-control.md)
- [Compare HB Code and Claude Desktop](https://www.hbcode.ai/alternatives/claude-desktop.md)
- [Compare HB Code and the ChatGPT desktop app](https://www.hbcode.ai/alternatives/codex-app.md)
- [Compare HB Code and Happy](https://www.hbcode.ai/alternatives/happy.md)
- [Compare HB Code and Happier](https://www.hbcode.ai/alternatives/happier.md)
- [Compare HB Code and Vibe Kanban](https://www.hbcode.ai/alternatives/vibe-kanban.md)
- [Compare HB Code and Nimbalyst](https://www.hbcode.ai/alternatives/nimbalyst.md)
- [Compare HB Code and Claude Squad](https://www.hbcode.ai/alternatives/claude-squad.md)
- [Compare HB Code and Conductor](https://www.hbcode.ai/alternatives/conductor.md)
- [Compare HB Code and Paseo](https://www.hbcode.ai/alternatives/paseo.md)
- [All comparisons](https://www.hbcode.ai/alternatives.md)

## Guides

- [How to check usage limits and use more than one account](https://www.hbcode.ai/claude-code-usage-limits.md)
- [How to check what Claude Code or Codex did](https://www.hbcode.ai/claude-code-ui.md)
- [How to run several Claude Code and Codex sessions](https://www.hbcode.ai/claude-code-sessions.md)
- [How to use Claude Code or Codex on your phone](https://www.hbcode.ai/claude-code-mobile.md)
- [How to see what the subagents of Claude Code do](https://www.hbcode.ai/claude-code-subagents.md)
- [How to try Claude Code and Codex on the same task](https://www.hbcode.ai/claude-code-vs-codex.md)
- [How to run Codex in a desktop app on Mac and Windows](https://www.hbcode.ai/codex-desktop-app.md)
- [Download HB Code](https://www.hbcode.ai/downloads)