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AI Coding CLI Comparison 2026: Codex vs Claude Code vs Cursor vs Cline vs Grok Build & More

Toolsbase Editorial Team
AI CodingCLICodex CLIClaude CodeTerminalComparison

As of July 2026, there are nine major AI coding agents that live in your terminal. This article compares Codex CLI, Claude Code, Cursor CLI, Antigravity CLI, Grok Build, Cline, Aider, Crush, and Factory Droid across five dimensions: pricing, supported models, editor integration, MCP support, and autonomy controls.

We maintain verified command references for eight of these tools — 928 entries in total — and keep them updated as each tool ships new releases. Everything command-related in this article comes from that data; pricing and model facts come from each vendor's official documentation (as of July 18, 2026).

Toolsbase is an independent site with no commercial ties to any of these vendors. For per-command details, see the reference pages linked at the end of this article.

1. What We Compare

The tools genuinely differ on five axes:

  • Pricing and free tiers: subscription-first, pay-as-you-go with your own API key (BYOK), or free tooling
  • Supported models: single-vendor only, multi-provider, or local LLM support
  • Editor/IDE integration: terminal-only, or shared settings and extensions across IDE and CLI
  • MCP support: whether you can extend the agent with Model Context Protocol servers (databases, browsers, internal tools)
  • Autonomy and approval controls: how far the agent runs on its own, and what sandboxing/approval brakes exist

2. The 9 Tools at a Glance

Vendor, licensing, and pricing first. All prices are USD per month.

Tool Vendor Licensing Pricing
Codex CLI OpenAI OSS (Apache-2.0) ChatGPT Go $8 / Plus $20 / Pro $100+. API pay-as-you-go available
Claude Code Anthropic Proprietary Pro $20 / Max $100–$200. API pay-as-you-go available (no free tier)
Cursor CLI Anysphere Proprietary Hobby free (limited) / Pro $20 / Pro+ $60 / Ultra $200
Antigravity CLI Google Closed source Individual $0 (preview) / Google AI Pro $19.99 / Ultra $100–$200
Grok Build xAI (now SpaceXAI) Source-available (Apache-2.0) SuperGrok $30 or X Premium+ $40. API pay-as-you-go available
Cline Cline Bot OSS (Apache 2.0) Free tool + BYOK. Optional ClinePass $9.99
Aider Aider-AI OSS (Apache-2.0) Free tool + BYOK
Crush Charmbracelet FSL-1.1-MIT (MIT after 2 years) Free tool + BYOK
Factory Droid Factory Proprietary Pro $20 / Plus $100 / Max $200 (no free tier). BYOK supported

Now the capabilities. Model listings reflect July 2026.

Tool Models IDE/editor integration MCP Autonomy controls
Codex CLI OpenAI-first (default gpt-5.6-sol); compatible endpoints configurable Official IDE extension (VS Code / Cursor / Windsurf) ✅ 3 sandbox modes × approval policy
Claude Code Claude only (Fable 5 / Opus 4.8 / Sonnet 5 / Haiku 4.5) VS Code / JetBrains / desktop ✅ Permission modes + OS-level sandbox
Cursor CLI Multi (GPT-5.6 Sol / Opus 4.8 / Gemini 3.1 Pro / Composer 2.5, etc.) Shares settings and MCP with Cursor IDE ✅ 3 Run Modes
Antigravity CLI 8 models, auto-routed (default Gemini 3.5 Flash; Claude and GPT-OSS included) Same agent harness as Antigravity IDE ✅ 4 permission presets
Grok Build Grok models (default grok-4.5); custom endpoints configurable ACP support (no official IDE extension) ✅ 4 permission modes + 5 sandbox profiles
Cline Multi-provider BYOK + open-model flat plan VS Code / JetBrains / ACP ✅ Plan/Act modes + auto-approve settings
Aider 18+ providers (local LLMs supported) Any editor via --watch-files ❌ Chat modes + --yes-always
Crush 15+ providers + local LLMs Terminal TUI only (LSP integration) ✅ Tool allowlist + --yolo
Factory Droid Multi (Claude / GPT / Gemini / Droid Core) VS Code / JetBrains / Zed ✅ 3 autonomy levels + org-side clamp

3. Tool-by-Tool Profiles

Codex CLI (OpenAI)

OpenAI's own CLI, with the code itself open source (Apache-2.0). The default model moved to gpt-5.6-sol in July 2026. Its signature design is two-axis autonomy control: a sandbox (read-only / workspace-write / danger-full-access) combined with an approval policy (-a, --ask-for-approval), plus codex exec for CI. MCP servers are registered with codex mcp add, and the official IDE extension (VS Code / Cursor / Windsurf) shares the same config.toml. It's included in ChatGPT plans and also works with API pay-as-you-go. The free-account allowance is limited, so Plus or above is the practical entry point.

→ Codex CLI cheat sheet (v0.144.5, 64 entries)

Claude Code (Anthropic)

Anthropic's proprietary CLI, running Claude models exclusively (Fable 5 / Opus 4.8 / Sonnet 5 / Haiku 4.5, also via Bedrock and Vertex AI). Our reference for it spans 246 entries — the largest of the nine tools — split across 104 slash commands, 98 CLI flags, and 44 shortcuts, which says a lot about its surface area. Hooks, subagents, and Agent Skills provide the extension story; permission modes plus an OS-level sandbox provide the brakes. The VS Code and JetBrains extensions and the desktop app share the same experience. There is no free tier: you need a Pro/Max plan or API pay-as-you-go.

→ Claude Code cheat sheet (v2.1.212, 246 entries)

Cursor CLI (Anysphere)

The Cursor IDE agent, taken to the terminal. It shares mcp.json and settings with the IDE, and runs the same agent in CI and GitHub Actions. Models are multi-provider — GPT-5.6 Sol, Opus 4.8, Gemini 3.1 Pro, Grok 4.5, and Cursor's own Composer 2.5 — with automatic selection (Auto) as the default. Autonomy is governed by three Run Modes: Auto-review (an allowlist → sandbox → classifier pipeline), Allowlist, and Run Everything. If your IDE is Cursor and you want the same agent in your terminal, this is the obvious first pick.

→ Cursor cheat sheet (95 entries)

Antigravity CLI (agy, Google)

Announced at Google I/O 2026 as the successor to Gemini CLI, which was discontinued for individual users on June 18, 2026. It's the TUI face of the same agent harness as Antigravity IDE and desktop, sharing settings and auth. The model lineup is the interesting part: alongside the default Gemini 3.5 Flash (auto-routed), it offers Claude Sonnet 4.6 / Opus 4.6 and GPT-OSS 120B — eight options in total. Approval works through four permission presets (request-review / proceed-in-sandbox / always-proceed / strict). There's an Individual $0 preview tier, with higher limits on Google AI Pro / Ultra. Note that Gemini API keys are not supported for metered use. Migration steps are covered in our Gemini CLI to Antigravity CLI migration guide.

→ Antigravity CLI (agy) cheat sheet (v1.1.0, 105 entries)

Grok Build (xAI)

The official Rust-based CLI from xAI (renamed SpaceXAI in July 2026), with grok as the binary name. The default model is grok-4.5, released in July 2026. As a late entrant it ships a notably tidy control stack: four permission modes, five sandbox profiles, and a Plan Mode. ACP (Agent Client Protocol) support lets you embed it in editors like Zed (there is no official IDE extension). The repository is Apache-2.0 but effectively a one-way mirror of an internal monorepo (external PRs are not accepted). You'll need SuperGrok or X Premium+, or API pay-as-you-go.

→ Grok Build cheat sheet (v0.2.101, 108 entries)

Cline

The terminal edition of the popular open-source (Apache 2.0) VS Code agent, standalone since Cline CLI 2.0 shipped in February 2026. The tool is free; models are BYOK pay-as-you-go against OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, OpenRouter, and others, with the optional ClinePass ($9.99) covering a flat-rate set of open models. Plan/Act mode switching, per-operation auto-approve settings (--auto-approve), and an MCP Marketplace are the distinguishing features, and ACP support opens it to Zed, Neovim, and more. A good fit if you want to extend your Cline IDE investment into terminals and CI.

→ Cline CLI cheat sheet (Cline CLI 2.0, 74 entries)

Aider

The veteran of terminal AI pair programming (OSS, Apache-2.0). Its strengths are Git integration (auto-commits by default) and editor-agnostic workflows via --watch-files, which watches AI comments in your source files. It supports 18+ providers including local LLMs. On the flip side, it has no native MCP support (as of July 2026 — the only tool of the nine without it), and releases have paused since v0.86.2 in February 2026, so the update cadence has clearly slowed. Best for people with an established, lightweight workflow they want to keep.

→ Aider cheat sheet (v0.86.x, 77 entries)

Crush (Charmbracelet)

A terminal-only agent from Charm, the company behind the well-known terminal UI libraries. Licensed FSL-1.1-MIT (auto-converts to MIT two years after each release). Its provider list is the broadest of the nine — 15+, including Ollama / LM Studio local models and OpenAI/Anthropic-compatible custom APIs, with LSP integration backing up code understanding. Approval is a simple allowlist (allowed_tools) plus --yolo. It has shipped releases two to three times a week through 2026, making it one of the most actively developed tools here (26.6k GitHub stars).

Factory Droid

An enterprise-leaning proprietary CLI. Its headline feature is governance: three autonomy levels (low / medium / high) that an organization can clamp via maxAutonomyLevel, combined with command allowlists and blocklists. It also ships a plan-first Spec mode and a multi-agent Mission mode. Models are multi-provider — Claude, GPT, and Gemini, plus the open-weights Droid Core tier. There's no free tier; it's Pro and up (BYOK supported), aimed at teams with strict control requirements.

→ Factory Droid CLI cheat sheet (v0.173.0, 159 entries)

4. Which One Should You Pick?

Situation First picks Why
You already pay for ChatGPT / Claude / Google AI Codex CLI / Claude Code / Antigravity CLI You get the full capability of your existing plan at no extra cost
You want API-key metering, no new subscription Cline / Aider / Crush Free tools + BYOK. Codex CLI and Claude Code also support API pay-as-you-go
You want one CLI that switches across providers Cursor CLI / Factory Droid / Antigravity CLI / Crush Multi-provider by design
You want to run on local LLMs Crush / Aider Ollama / LM Studio support; Codex CLI works via compatible endpoints
You want IDE and terminal on shared settings Cursor CLI / Codex CLI / Claude Code / Antigravity CLI IDE extensions, shared harness, shared config
You need org-level autonomy governance Factory Droid / Claude Code / Grok Build Org-side clamps, Team/Enterprise management, enforced settings
You're migrating off Gemini CLI Antigravity CLI The official successor — see the migration guide

If you're undecided, start with whatever comes bundled with the subscription you already pay for. The interaction model — interactive TUI, slash commands, a non-interactive mode — is broadly the same across all nine tools, so switching later costs far less than re-committing to a model subscription.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which AI coding CLIs are completely free?

The tool itself is free for Cline, Aider, and Crush (model usage is billed separately via your own API keys). Antigravity CLI has an Individual $0 preview tier with weekly quotas. Codex CLI's free-account allowance is limited; ChatGPT Plus or above is the practical minimum.

Which ones work with just an API key, no subscription?

Cline, Aider, and Crush — plus Codex CLI, Claude Code, and Grok Build, which all support API pay-as-you-go. Factory Droid combines subscriptions with BYOK. The two to watch out for are Antigravity CLI (no Gemini API key support) and Cursor CLI (core features route through Cursor's backend), neither of which can run on an API key alone.

Do any of these tools lack MCP support?

Only Aider has no native MCP support as of July 2026 (its official configuration reference lists no MCP options). The other eight all connect to MCP servers.

Why isn't Gemini CLI in this comparison?

Gemini CLI was discontinued for individual users (free, AI Pro, and AI Ultra) on June 18, 2026, so we compare its successor, Antigravity CLI, instead. See our Gemini CLI to Antigravity CLI migration guide for the migration steps.

How current is this comparison?

Everything reflects July 18, 2026: pricing and models from official vendor sources, commands and features from our verified references (linked below). The references track each tool's releases continuously, and we plan to revise this article annually.

Summary

  • If you already have a subscription, start with its first-party CLI (ChatGPT → Codex CLI, Claude → Claude Code, Google AI → Antigravity CLI, X Premium+ → Grok Build)
  • For BYOK and open source, Cline and Crush are today's front-runners; Aider is lightweight but factor in its missing MCP support and slowed updates
  • For governance, Factory Droid; for IDE-first workflows, Cursor CLI — the differentiation between the nine tools is real and fairly clean

For the full command, slash-command, and shortcut listings, see the references we maintain with verified data: