CompareSwarm vs Codex cloud
Swarm vs Codex cloud
Codex cloud runs each coding task in OpenAI's cloud, with nothing for you to install, on a ChatGPT plan. Swarm runs agents on machines you own, open source, on your ChatGPT plan, your Claude plan or API keys, and adds research, design and media agents. Pick Codex cloud for zero upkeep; pick Swarm when the work should stay on your machines or use more than OpenAI's models.
Side by side
| Swarm | Codex cloud | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Self-hosted, headless AI agent platform | Coding tasks run in OpenAI's cloud, each in its own workspace |
| License | Open source, Apache 2.0 | Proprietary service (the Codex CLI is Apache 2.0) |
| Where it runs | A headless service on your own Ubuntu 24.04 x86-64 machines (no macOS yet) | OpenAI's cloud only |
| Interfaces | MCP tools for your AI, TypeScript SDK, HTTP API, CLI (swarmctl). No GUI beyond a setup page | ChatGPT on web, desktop and mobile; codex cloud CLI commands |
| Agents | Its own coder, finder, designer and reviewer, plus image, video and sound agents | Codex on OpenAI models |
| Your ChatGPT or Claude plan | ChatGPT plan, Claude plan through Claude Code, or API keys (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, OpenRouter, Fireworks) | Needs a ChatGPT plan; no cloud features on an API key |
| Several machines | Yes: one fleet MCP server over your Tailscale network | Not applicable: hosted |
| Isolation | Each job on its own branch; optional container per project; folder environments in their own container | An isolated workspace per task, with restricted internet access |
| Secrets | Typed in once; agents see stand-ins, the real value goes only to allowed hosts and is scrubbed from responses | Network secrets: programs get a placeholder and a proxy adds the real value for allowed destinations |
| Automation | Schedules (cron or interval), trigger tokens for your app or CI, workflows with reviewer, send-back and script steps | Scheduled tasks and app events in ChatGPT; Slack |
| Media generation | Images, video and sound | Not documented for Codex cloud |
| Price | Free. Models on your own plan or key | Included in ChatGPT Plus ($20), Pro and Business plans |
Pick Codex cloud when
- You want nothing to install or maintain, and tasks that keep going from any device.
- You are happy with OpenAI's models and your code in OpenAI's environment.
Pick Swarm when
- Your code, toolchain and data should stay on machines you control.
- You want Claude, Gemini or open models too, or to switch per role.
- You need research, UI design, images, video or sound alongside code.
- You want to read and change the source: Swarm is open source.
Both keep real secrets away from the code that runs: Codex cloud through placeholders and a proxy, Swarm through stand-ins and its gateway.
Checked 24 October 2026 on learn.chatgpt.com/docs/cloud, Codex pricing, github.com/openai/codex. Products change quickly; tell us at contact if something here is out of date.
Questions
Can Swarm use my ChatGPT plan like Codex does?
Yes. Swarm signs in with your ChatGPT account once and runs its agents on your plan's models, on your own machine.
Can I use Codex and Swarm together?
Yes. Codex (the CLI) connects to Swarm's MCP server and can hand jobs to Swarm's agents.
Is Swarm a hosted service?
Not yet. You run it on your own Linux machine; hosted Swarm is coming.
Updated 24 October 2026