Gemini CLI vs Codex
Updated : the last week a score, rank or safety result on this page changed.
- Maintenance 30%7174
- Adoption 30%6974
- Docs 20%6910
- Community 20%, not measured yet––
Gemini CLI scores 12 points higher. Gemini CLI leads on docs; Codex leads on maintenance and adoption.
What this does not tell you
Scores are percentiles of public GitHub signals. Nobody here tested these tools hands-on, so the higher score is not a verdict on which suits your project. Yellow marks the higher value.
Which one fits you
From measured data and licences, not from testing.
Pick Gemini CLI if
- You rely on thorough README docs (docs 69 vs 10).
Pick Codex if
- Recent activity and releases matter most to you (maintenance 74).
- You want the more widely adopted option (adoption 74).
Safety side by side
Automated scan, 2 Nov 2026. Not a manual audit.
- CautionGemini CLI9 critical-severity known vulnerabilities in runtime dependencies (OSV). Agent file pipes a script into a shell
- CautionCodex4 critical-severity known vulnerabilities in runtime dependencies (OSV)
Why different labels?
A label partly reflects how much of each tool is visible and scannable, not only how risky it is. A tool without a lockfile cannot get a dependency check.
- Gemini CLI: 9 critical-severity known vulnerabilities in runtime dependencies (OSV); Skill/agent file instructs piping a remote script into a shell: .gemini/skills/agent-tui/SKILL.md — curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pproenca/agent-tui/master/install.sh | sh
- Codex: 4 critical-severity known vulnerabilities in runtime dependencies (OSV)
Repo facts
Yellow = the higher value, where higher is better.
| Fact | Gemini CLI | Codex |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 70 | 58 |
| Stars | 108,661 | 132,785 |
| Last push | 2 Nov | 1 Nov |
| Releases, 90 days | 10+ | 10+ |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Open source | Open source | Open source |
| Language | TypeScript | Rust |
| Type | AI tool | AI tool |
| Runs locally | yes | yes |
| Hosted option | unknown | mentioned |
“Runs locally” and “Hosted option” are read from each README automatically (or from the official docs where noted); “unknown” means no evidence was found, not that it is absent.
Questions about Gemini CLI vs Codex
Answers use this week's StackGrade data.
Gemini CLI or Codex: which scores higher on StackGrade?
Gemini CLI scores 12 points higher in Week 45: Gemini CLI 70, Codex 58 out of 100. The score combines maintenance, adoption and docs (percentiles of public GitHub signals): Gemini CLI 71, 69 and 69; Codex 74, 74 and 10. Community (20% weight) is not measured yet. It is not a hands-on test, so a higher score does not say which tool suits your project.
Is Gemini CLI or Codex safer to use?
Safety labels from the automated scan of 2 Nov 2026: Gemini CLI: Caution, 9 critical-severity known vulnerabilities in runtime dependencies (OSV); Codex: Caution, 4 critical-severity known vulnerabilities in runtime dependencies (OSV). It is an automated scan, not a manual audit.
Which is more widely used, Gemini CLI or Codex?
By GitHub stars: Codex 132,785, Gemini CLI 108,661. Adoption score (percentile among all 52 tracked tools): Gemini CLI 69, Codex 74. Stars are one public signal and do not measure real-world use.
Which licences do Gemini CLI and Codex use?
Gemini CLI: Apache-2.0; Codex: Apache-2.0. Read each licence text before commercial use.
Should I pick Gemini CLI or Codex?
Pick Gemini CLI if you rely on thorough README docs (docs 69 vs 10). Pick Codex if recent activity and releases matter most to you (maintenance 74); you want the more widely adopted option (adoption 74). This comes from measured public data and licences only, not from hands-on testing.
Full comparison table, every criterion
| Gemini CLIgoogle-gemini/gemini-cli | Codexopenai/codex | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 70 | 58 |
| Rank | #4 overall · #1 in use case | #16 overall · #6 in use case |
| Maintenance (30%) | 71 | 74 |
| Adoption (30%) | 69 | 74 |
| Docs (20%) | 69 | 10 |
| Community (20%) | not measured | not measured |
| Safety | Caution
| Caution
|
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Open source | Open source | Open source |
| Language | TypeScript | Rust |
| Stars | 108,661 | 132,785 |
| Last push | ||
| Type | AI tool | AI tool |
| Runs locally | yes (README: "npm install -g") | yes (README: "brew install") |
| Hosted option | unknown | mentioned (official docs: developers.openai.com/codex/cloud) |
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