Claude Code vs Codex vs Antigravity: choose by the work you need to finish

I use all three coding agents, but I have not run a controlled, identical-task benchmark. My preference for Claude Code is about the speed and comfort of the conversation and the ease of continuing from my phone. Codex has helped me with tasks involving a computer interface, though I have sometimes had mobile messages fail to appear in the active conversation. Google Antigravity can be fast and useful within a Google AI plan; in my use it has also looped, forgotten a script or step, spent too long analyzing, or timed out. Those are firsthand observations, not measured error rates or claims about every account or version.

If you are choosing one agent for a real project, start with the failure that would cost you the most: losing the thread during a long task, spending time recovering a stalled run, or approving code that was never checked in the product. Then run the same small, representative task on the candidates available to you. The winning answer is the one you can inspect, test and continue within your budget.

The short decision

• For long coding sessions you continue from a phone, start with Claude Code. Try one real desk-to-phone handoff. Check whether your account, machine and network support the documented Remote Control path.
• For a visible computer task alongside code, try Codex. Give it one bounded UI task and inspect the result. Confirm computer use is available in your setup. Claude Code can also do GUI work, so test both if this matters to you.
• If you already pay for a Google AI plan, try Antigravity as another coding option. Test a task with a script, an interruption and a restart. Check the current credits and limits in your own account.

These are starting points, not a code-quality ranking. Anthropic documents Claude Code Remote Control, OpenAI documents Codex computer use, and Google documents Antigravity Remote Control. Remote Control means reaching an agent session from another device; computer use means an agent operating a graphical interface. They solve different problems. I have not personally tested Antigravity's browser/GUI agent, so I cannot compare that capability with Codex or Claude from experience.

What I can and cannot say from using them

Claude Code is the agent I reach for first when the work needs a back-and-forth conversation over many steps. It feels quick to me, I find it easy to redirect, and its phone continuity fits how I work. My Claude Code review describes that experience. Anthropic's documentation supports the existence and requirements of its remote session feature; it does not prove my experience will transfer to your connection or project.

Codex is one option I use when I want the agent to work through a visible computer task. That is useful for checking a real interface after code changes. Claude Code has also done good GUI work in my use, so I would compare both on the actual task. My Codex mobile conversation has occasionally failed to show a message where I expected it, so I would test a phone handoff before making it the backbone of an urgent workflow. This is an intermittent observation, not a reported failure rate. Read my Codex review for the fuller account. OpenAI's documentation describes computer use and remote connections, but product availability depends on the surface and account; check those before buying for a specific capability.

Antigravity has been genuinely quick on some work, and the Google AI bundle can make it attractive when you already have that plan. It has also cost me recovery time when it loops, loses track of a script, over-analyzes or times out. I have not quantified those failures against the other two agents. My Antigravity review covers the experience. Google documents browser access to Antigravity sessions through Remote Control; that does not establish that I have used its browser/GUI agent. Google's current Antigravity plans describe a free individual option and higher limits through Google AI plans, but the limits and local subscription terms need checking at purchase time.

A 45-minute trial that can change the choice

Use a real, low-risk task in a disposable branch: for example, change one form, add validation and show the result in the browser. Give each agent the same acceptance criteria, repository instructions and time budget. Stop and record what happened after each attempt:

1. Did it understand the existing code and ask for information only when needed?
2. Did it run the relevant checks and show the rendered behavior, rather than merely report that the code looked right?
3. Could you find and review its diff, and recover cleanly after an interruption?
4. If you need phone access, did the same conversation remain usable after a real desk-to-phone handoff?
5. How much of your own time went into steering, retrying and fixing its result?

Keep the same task and time box for all three. Do not infer a universal winner from one run. This trial tells you which workflow fits your project now. For a more specific model-only test, use our Opus 5.5 versus GPT-6 Sol coding-agent pilot; that article tests a different decision and does not cover Antigravity or the full product experience.

Before committing to a plan

Check the provider's live plan page and the exact account you will use: Claude pricing, Codex pricing, and Antigravity pricing. Subscription inclusion, usage limits, credits and API billing can differ. The entry price alone does not capture interrupted work or review time. Keep a simple log of accepted changes, retries and your time spent checking them during the trial.

If you are choosing an agent for a team or a customer project, tell us the task, current tools, review owner and where a person must approve the result. Say whether you want a tool recommendation or help designing a small pilot. We can respond to the actual workflow; this article cannot choose for you without those constraints.

Source and experience note

The first-person judgments above are The AI Take editor's observations, supplied for this article and not independent benchmark results. Product capabilities and plan descriptions were checked against Anthropic Remote Control, Anthropic plans, OpenAI Codex computer use, OpenAI Codex plans, Google Antigravity Remote Control and Google Antigravity plans on 24 September 2026. Recheck availability and terms for your region and account before purchase.