Codex Security vs Ptero

A side by side look at Codex Security and Ptero: pricing, features and what each one is best for.

In this comparison

	Codex Security Code Generation Visit Codex Security	Ptero Code Generation Visit Ptero
What it costs
Pricing	Open source	Open source
Pricing details	The CLI and SDK are Apache-2.0 and free to install from npm as @openai/codex-security. Scans are billed as model usage against your own key, and OPENAI_API_KEY, Amazon Bedrock, OpenRouter and Fireworks all work as providers. Set a soft ceiling with --max-cost; the docs are explicit that it is an estimate, not a hard spending cap. Note that some cybersecurity requests and protected findings require approval through Trusted Access for Cyber.	Completely free with no paid tier. Their Terms of Service state that Ptero will always be free, with no premium plans, subscriptions or paywalls. The free allowance is 500,000 tokens per hour, tied to a guest identity and device and reset on the hour. Starring their GitHub repository doubles it. Self-hosting is possible under the Apache 2.0 licence.
Free option	Free tier	Free tier
Plans	CLI and TypeScript SDK (Apache-2.0)$0/mo	Free$0/mo
What it is
What it does	OpenAI's application security agent. An Apache-2.0 CLI and TypeScript SDK that finds vulnerabilities, validates them before reporting, and proposes fixes.	Free AI chat with 15 models and no account needed to start. Open source under Apache 2.0, with a built-in code editor, file analysis and local chat history.
The details
GitHub stars	10,937stars	1,229stars
Language	TypeScript	PHP
License	Apache License 2.0	Apache License 2.0
Last commit	30 Sept 2026	12 Sept 2026

What it costs

Pricing: Open source
Pricing details: The CLI and SDK are Apache-2.0 and free to install from npm as @openai/codex-security. Scans are billed as model usage against your own key, and OPENAI_API_KEY, Amazon Bedrock, OpenRouter and Fireworks all work as providers. Set a soft ceiling with --max-cost; the docs are explicit that it is an estimate, not a hard spending cap. Note that some cybersecurity requests and protected findings require approval through Trusted Access for Cyber.
Free option: Free tier
Plans: CLI and TypeScript SDK (Apache-2.0)$0/mo

What it is

What it does: OpenAI's application security agent. An Apache-2.0 CLI and TypeScript SDK that finds vulnerabilities, validates them before reporting, and proposes fixes.

The details

What it costs

Pricing: Open source
Pricing details: Completely free with no paid tier. Their Terms of Service state that Ptero will always be free, with no premium plans, subscriptions or paywalls. The free allowance is 500,000 tokens per hour, tied to a guest identity and device and reset on the hour. Starring their GitHub repository doubles it. Self-hosting is possible under the Apache 2.0 licence.
Free option: Free tier
Plans: Free$0/mo

What it is

What it does: Free AI chat with 15 models and no account needed to start. Open source under Apache 2.0, with a built-in code editor, file analysis and local chat history.

The details