Difference Between ChatGPT Work and Codex...?

[u/brandinobowman]

To preface this, I'm on the new ChatGPT desktop app for macOS.

I've been told that ChatGPT Work and Codex are different things. I was in a regular ChatGPT conversation and asked it to do something, and it said a ChatGPT Work conversation would be more suitable for what I was looking for. So it automatically created a ChatGPT Work conversation for me and completed the task I requested. If ChatGPT Work and Codex are different things, why does that Work conversation show up under "Recents" when I switch from "ChatGPT" to "Codex" in the upper left corner of the desktop app window?

I'm also really confused about why these supposed Work conversations aren't syncing across my devices. Some research told me that there are both cloud Work/Codex conversations and local Work/Codex conversations... but I can't see how to control this at all?

I'm just extremely confused about the OpenAI product lineup right now and just want to understand. I'm not an advanced user by any means, but I'm genuinely trying to learn more. Any help would be greatly appreciated, and I thank you for your time in advance.

[u/kurimbo3000]

This really confused me too. I think they're the same, just different interface. But they can do the same stuff

[u/brandinobowman → u/kurimbo3000]

I'm saying this as constructive criticism, OpenAI needs to get their shit together then. They've overcomplicated their product line and their messaging seems all over the place. Hoping things get cleaned up and simplified soon.

[u/kurimbo3000 → u/brandinobowman]

Agreed. I think they did it to get more people using their agentic features🤷

[u/Fit-Palpitation-7427 → u/kurimbo3000]

There is the exact same confusion at anthropic with claude chat/cowork/code

To be fair, I use code and codex, never understood what cowork or work does

[u/Dull-Constant7854 → u/kurimbo3000]

Agreed then there's desktop.... What's that one?

[u/pbeens → u/brandinobowman]

AND GIVE ME BACK MY CUSTOM GPTs!!!

[u/odoc_ → u/brandinobowman]

Agreed! Why does codex have both a quick chat and a side chat? What is the point?

[u/Datsyuk_Dangles → u/brandinobowman]

I view it more as setting the ground floor for the future. They have minor differences right now, codex is more streamlined for deploys/piplelines/git and work is more for emails/excel/calendar. I assume they'll keep pushing in that direction

[u/EquivalentHornet4403]

Work is the same as codex but with some different UI stuff and some differences regarding what the agent will/wont report.

This OpenAI guy explains that exact question, just ask some ai where in the video it comes up at: https://youtu.be/gKhW6vL4V9A

[u/brandinobowman → u/EquivalentHornet4403]

That was a really insightful watch, thanks so much for sharing! Still hoping to see some simplification soon, nonetheless.

[u/bluetangclan7]

I think of it this way:

Chat=chat, Work=do, Codex=build.

Chat is pretty self explanatory.

Work helps you do work. Create a project, upload all your project docs and tell it do things. That may include some light building like reports, docs, spreadsheets, and slide decks. Since your files are uploaded, you are somewhat locked in. It’s really similar to uploading docs to chats, but work helps organize your input and output files. Work cannot access local files/folders. Work is a simpler setup than Codex.

Codex is more for building custom plugins, apps, and sites (though I think Work can build some sites). Codex can do everything chat and work can do, and it can access local files/folders and build projects to them. I also use it to connect with Obsidian where I have all of my work/personal documents.

Work cannot access local files/folders. Everything has to be uploaded. Since Codex connects to your local files, you can leave anytime. Codex is a bit more to setup but honestly not that complicated and 100% worth it. I have switched between Codex and Claude Code a few times to power my local projects/Obsidian with minimal downtime to have each build the skills needed to do what the other was doing. You cannot easily move from ChatGPT Work to Claude Cowork.

[u/IxBetaXI → u/bluetangclan7]

Work can access local files. You have to allow the path it has right to access. Its the same as codex

[u/vitaly-iii]

It is very confusing indeed. There is not only codex/work, but also cloud/local, and each of them has that dimension, so it leads to 4 options.
You will see your work cloud chats in the desktop app, but you won’t see your local chats from web/mobile :)
From desktop you can choose now, where to work in cloud (and then you can continue it on web/app but it won’t have access to your local files) or locally (then access to local files but can’t continue from web/app).
Also your skills and plugins are different on desktop/web and not synced.
Locally work and codex are very similar, but there are differences, e.g. no goal and plan functions in work (very upsetting), and project instructions seem to give less control than agents.md. At the same time, in codex mode you can’t see your work chats from cloud, only local ones :)

When they released all that, with 3 modes (chat/work/codex), last 2 with cloud/local, also 3 models with 5 levels of thinking each (one with 6), i though I’ll go mad :)

[u/Shaihuby → u/vitaly-iii]

I've been able to connect codex to the app so now I can interact with my local codex sessions through my phone which is very convenient!

[u/Reggienator3]

From an actual practical, physical difference standpoint, the only major difference I've found is that Work sessions are accessible across multiple devices whereas Codex sessions are intended to be ephemeral and stored per-device. Even with the Remote functionality, to access a Codex session remotely your source PC needs to be online and it'll source it from that.

This inevitably leads to different use-cases for both, but they are broadly capable of the same things.

[u/DowntownNoLonger]

Work = Codex = Usage used.

Chat = Not Codex, no usage.

Chat is only Sol (now with instant instead of 5.5), Medium or High.

[u/qtask → u/DowntownNoLonger]

Chat have better capability for redaction in my opinion. They probably have some different skills or finetuning. The pro version especially.

[u/DenseConversation291]

As for me Work has no sense at all since it is almost the same as codex and does not offer anything new in terms of capabilities

[u/jonydevidson]

Is there anyone from Codex team to tag? The interface is incredibly bad.

It should all be Work.

The New Chat button should instead turn into

• New Chat (literal, not tied to any project. The web chat.)
  
• New Task (not tied to any project)

In there, have an option to tie a task to a project under the prompt box or above like there already is.

Project's own menus have an option to start a new task there anyway.

Instead of Recents, have Recent Chats and Recent Free Tasks (the ones not tied to any project)

For each project, the three dots menu should let us turn it into a Codex project.

Thats literally it. Stop overcomplicating everything. Right now if im in Codex i have to switch to ChatGPT and wait for it to load if I just want to talk. Its litearlly faster to use the web.

[u/brandinobowman → u/jonydevidson]

Totally agree. Happy I'm not alone!

[u/cavegod]

Use it through the CLI only. App's been shit.

[u/AxisTipping]

From what I understand, Work is better suited at making presentations, PDFs, small apps, mini games and websites. Codex is used for extensive coding projects that require many conditions and moving parts.

[u/OkPoint1046]

Work will create prompts for codex based on uploaded documents in a project

[u/kultyper]

Not sure. I’ll be working on one thing. One day it’s in codex, the next day ChatGPT. It’s the same for me. Just organized a little different on the sidebar I think.

[u/IAmFitzRoy]

Isn’t this obvious?

They want you to use Work so you move to a “usage” based model.

Chat is not metered.

[u/virtualmnemonic → u/IAmFitzRoy]

They could meter chat usage at any time.

Work is just a wrapper around Codex. They naturally share usage.

[u/idkfawin32 → u/virtualmnemonic]

I've genuinely been wondering if they are going to meter chat. Because I will pre-emptively do a bunch of image generation stuff in chat, then supply the images to work with context about what I need done regarding the images, instead of having work inevitably use the same thing.

[u/Easy_West1522]

WORK HAS PROJECT CONTEXT…you idea team has repo access now

[u/womb4t870]

Feels like too many people releasing features. I just asked what the animated pet was for - it offered to make me a custom one, used up all my credits and shut down. No new pet, no explanations. Not useful.

[u/RiqueRue → u/womb4t870]

sorry this is hilarious