GILD verdict
Choose Codex if engineers want to keep their editors and run the same agent from the CLI and Codex Cloud.
Choose Devin Desktop if you want one editor that manages several agents, Codex among them, plus Devin cloud work. Pilot on accepted, reviewed changes and compare spend at the plan you would buy.
Codex is the cheaper team default when engineers keep their editors. It comes with ChatGPT plans and runs in ChatGPT's apps, a CLI, an IDE extension, and Codex Cloud. Devin Desktop, formerly Windsurf, is Cognition's dedicated editor, and it can run Codex CLI as one of its agents over ACP.
What teams report
Left or turned down 1
cactca, Windsurf subscriberOn Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)
After Cognition acquired Windsurf, cactca cancelled their Windsurf subscription and moved to Zed and Claude Code (Aug 5, 2025).
“I canceled my Windsurf subscription.”
cactca, Windsurf subscriber, Hacker News user cactcaHacker News, , post
Run both 2
DHH, CTOOn Codex
DHH ends every agent job with a Codex review at xhigh effort and calls Codex his favorite checker (Aug 26, 2026).
“Codex is very good. I use it all the time. It’s my favorite checker. It keeps finding stuff. It’s great. But one of the things I’ve found that I like so much about the current Claude models is they’re really good writers out of the box.”
DHH, CTO, 37signalsLex Fridman Podcast, , around 3:23:46 SalesforceOn Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)
Salesforce runs Windsurf and Cursor for code and test generation, beside Claude Code for automation, and reports code in production up 30% (Dec 16, 2025).
“Cursor and Windsurf for AI-assisted code and tests generation Claude Code a CLI-based tool for automation and scripting workflows…”
Darryn Dieken, Chief Availability Officer, SalesforceSalesforce Engineering, , write-up
Evaluated 1
DisneyOn Codex
Business Insider reported on Jul 29, 2026 that Disney is preparing to adopt Codex, with no timeline given.
“Disney is preparing to adopt OpenAI's Codex coding tool, according to the screenshot. The message didn't give a timeline for the tool's introduction.”
James Faris, Reporter, Business Insiderbusinessinsider.com, , reportSecond-hand, as businessinsider.com reported it
Choosing between Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) and Codex
Choose Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) if
- Engineers want an editor that runs several agents, including Codex CLI, and tracks them on one board.
- You want Devin cloud sessions funded from the same quota as local agent work.
- Admins want team-enforced allow, ask, and deny rules plus MCP and model allowlists across the editor.
Choose Codex if
- Codex comes inside the ChatGPT Business seat at US$20 per user per month billed annually, below Devin Desktop's US$40 Teams seat.
- Engineers want to keep their current editor and add an extension, or work from the CLI.
- You want local runs inside an OS-enforced sandbox with network access off by default.
Side by side
| Dimension | Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) | Codex |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Its own desktop editor for macOS, Windows, and Linux, with Devin cloud sessions | ChatGPT desktop, web, and mobile apps, a CLI, an IDE extension, and Codex Cloud |
| Individual priceList prices in US dollars. Included usage differs by plan and is not directly comparable. | Pro: US$20 per month | Included in ChatGPT Plus: US$20 per month |
| Team price | Teams: US$40 per month per full seat, with a US$80 monthly minimum | Included in ChatGPT Business: US$25 per user per month billed monthly, or US$20 billed annually (2+ users) |
| Beyond the plan | Extra usage at API list prices | ChatGPT credits, or API pricing when used with an API key |
| Permissions | Allow, ask, and deny rules for Devin Local; Enterprise admins can force a sandbox | OS-enforced sandbox and an approval policy; network access off by default |
| Project instructions | Rules in .devin/rules, or AGENTS.md | AGENTS.md, read before any work |
| Identity controls | SSO, SCIM, and role-based access on Enterprise | SAML SSO on Business; SCIM and role-based access on Enterprise |
| Cloud pull requests merged (MSR 2026 study)Public GitHub repositories with at least 100 stars, closed pull requests that someone other than the author reviewed. | Devin cloud sessions: 61.6% of 2,252 over 32 weeks from December 2024; Devin Local is outside the study14 | Codex Cloud: 77.9% of 2,002 over 12 weeks from May 2025, the highest of five agents14 |
What practitioners report, side by side
Each product's figures come from its own practitioners, for the group you pick.
Overall signal
All practitioners rate Codex +44, 27 points above Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) at +17. Most of the gap is in praise, with 59 of Codex's 106 sources positive against 28 of Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)'s 67. Codex has 12 negative and Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) 15.
The score counts the authors from all practitioners that take a side, one vote each with their latest view, and is how far positive votes lead negative ones, per 100 votes, so Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)'s +17 rests on votes split 26 positive, 22 mixed and 15 negative and Codex's +44 on 55, 30 and 12.
A lead of a fifth of the votes reads positive and a lead of half strong positive, with the same lines below zero. The dots show each source, positive, mixed, negative. Use a task pilot to measure accepted work and review time.
Footprint on the Agentic Software Development stack
They differ on one of 12 layers. On Tool execution, Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) supports it and Codex is core. Coverage is each product's placement on this stack, as its product page shows it. Core is a job the product owns; Supports and Touches are jobs it helps with. Coverage says nothing about how well a product does them.
| Layer | Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) | Codex |
|---|---|---|
| Build | ||
| Tool execution | Supports | Core |
The 11 layers where they match
| Layer | Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) | Codex |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | ||
| Work planning | Supports | Supports |
| Build | ||
| Codebase context | Core | Core |
| Coding | Core | Core |
| Agent runtime | Core | Core |
| Validate | ||
| Debugging | Supports | Supports |
| Testing | Supports | Supports |
| Code review | Supports | Supports |
| Application security | Touches | Touches |
| Ship | ||
| Source control | Touches | Touches |
| CI/CD | Touches | Touches |
| Operate | ||
| Observability | Touches | Touches |
What practitioners praise
Among all practitioners, Codex alone has seven praise themes that reach 5 sources from 3 authors. Code Quality and Developer Experience lead, at 27 of 33 and 20 of 36. Both carry Value for Money. It is praised in 5 of the 8 Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) sources that discuss it, against 11 of 15 for Codex. Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) alone has four praise themes that reach 5 sources from 3 authors. Codebase Context and Agent Execution lead, at 15 of 17 and 12 of 13.
| Praised for | Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) | Codex |
|---|---|---|
| Value for Money | 5 of 8 | 11 of 15 |
| Codebase Context | 15 of 17 | Not a theme in its sources |
| Agent Execution | 12 of 13 | Not a theme in its sources |
| Editor Experience | 10 of 14 | Not a theme in its sources |
| Tab Completion | 5 of 11 | Not a theme in its sources |
| Code Quality | Not a theme in its sources | 27 of 33 |
| Developer Experience | Not a theme in its sources | 20 of 36 |
| Pull Request Review | Not a theme in its sources | 12 of 12 |
| Long-Running Autonomy | Not a theme in its sources | 12 of 17 |
| Codebase Understanding | Not a theme in its sources | 10 of 11 |
| Fast Runs | Not a theme in its sources | 6 of 12 |
| Stability | Not a theme in its sources | 1 of 6 |
Each count is the sources that praise a theme, or raise it as a concern, out of those that discuss it. A row pairs the two products when both carry a theme under the same or an equivalent name.
A count ending in "so far" has under 5 sources from 3 authors among all practitioners. "Not a theme in its sources" means GILD found no theme of that name in that product's sources.
What practitioners raise as concerns
Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)'s sources raise Requires Strong Review more often than Codex's. It is raised in 18 of the 19 Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) sources that discuss it, against 9 of 23 for Codex. Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) alone has three concern themes that reach 5 sources from 3 authors. Agent & Editor Reliability and Vendor Direction lead, at 10 of 10 and 9 of 12. Codex alone has three concern themes that reach 5 sources from 3 authors. Inconsistent Results and Speed lead, at 15 of 16 and 13 of 22.
| Raised as a concern | Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) | Codex |
|---|---|---|
| Requires Strong Review | 18 of 19 | 9 of 23 |
| Usage / Cost | 9 of 13 | 22 of 39 |
| Needs Close Steering | 3 of 8 | 6 of 9 |
| Agent & Editor Reliability | 10 of 10 | Not a theme in its sources |
| Vendor Direction | 9 of 12 | Not a theme in its sources |
| Context Management | 6 of 9 | Not a theme in its sources |
| Inconsistent Results | Not a theme in its sources | 15 of 16 |
| Speed | Not a theme in its sources | 13 of 22 |
| Communication & Steering | Not a theme in its sources | 7 of 12 |
14 sources
- Devin docs: Self-serve plans
- Devin Desktop docs: Install
- Devin Desktop docs: Devin Local agent
- Devin Desktop docs: Agent Client Protocol
- Devin Desktop docs: Devin in Devin Desktop
- Devin Desktop docs: Admin controls reference
- Devin Desktop docs: FAQ on the move from Windsurf
- Codex docs: Overview
- Codex docs: Pricing
- Codex docs: IDE extension
- Codex docs: Cloud
- Codex docs: Agent approvals & security
- Codex docs: AGENTS.md
- Pinna, Gong, Williams, and Sarro, MSR 2026: Comparing AI Coding Agents: A Task-Stratified Analysis of Pull Request Acceptance (Feb 9, 2026)