Agents

Same model, different agent, different result.

Agent wrappers change how well a model reads code, uses tools, recovers from errors and finishes multi-step work.

Agent comparison snapshot

Demo data

Metric	Codex	Claude Code	Cursor Agent	Windsurf
Task Success	94	92	87	84
Codebase Understanding	93	95	84	82
Tool Use	96	90	82	80
Autonomy	91	88	79	78
Recovery after Error	90	91	77	76
Cost	78 / Medium	74 / High	82 / Medium	86 / Medium
Overall	92.3	90.5	82.9	81.2

Codex

OpenAI

92.3

Strong default for implementation-heavy work with local files and tests.

Task Success94

Codebase Understanding93

Tool Use96

Autonomy91

Recovery90

Cost (Medium)78

Best for

Repo editsDebugging loopsBuild/test driven coding

Weaknesses

Needs clean task boundaries
Connector availability matters

Claude Code

Anthropic

90.5

Excellent when the bottleneck is reading and preserving intent.

Task Success92

Codebase Understanding95

Tool Use90

Autonomy88

Recovery91

Cost (High)74

Best for

Careful refactorsLong reviewsSpec-heavy coding

Weaknesses

Can over-discuss simple patches
Long sessions cost more

Cursor Agent

Cursor

82.9

Strong for developer-in-the-loop workflows.

Task Success87

Codebase Understanding84

Tool Use82

Autonomy79

Recovery77

Cost (Medium)82

Best for

IDE-native editsFast code suggestionsSmall features

Weaknesses

Less suited to unattended multi-step delivery
Context depends on IDE state

Windsurf

Codeium

81.2

Good balance for iterative coding inside an editor.

Task Success84

Codebase Understanding82

Tool Use80

Autonomy78

Recovery76

Cost (Medium)86

Best for

IDE workflowsAutocomplete plus agent workSmall app changes

Weaknesses

Large architectural changes need supervision
Tooling varies by setup

OpenHands

Open source

77.1

Flexible, but needs operational ownership.

Task Success76

Codebase Understanding74

Tool Use78

Autonomy81

Recovery72

Cost (Low)89

Best for

Self-hosted agentsResearch setupsCustom automation

Weaknesses

Requires setup
Quality depends heavily on selected model

Aider

Open source

77.2

Reliable for compact coding loops and local control.

Task Success80

Codebase Understanding78

Tool Use74

Autonomy70

Recovery78

Cost (Low)88

Best for

Terminal codingPatch reviewGit-centered edits

Weaknesses

Less visual context
Best with disciplined prompts

Devin-like Agent

Autonomous agent class

82.3

Useful when autonomy matters more than tight human steering.

Task Success83

Codebase Understanding80

Tool Use86

Autonomy92

Recovery75

Cost (Premium)62

Best for

Async tasksMulti-repo explorationLong-running prototypes

Weaknesses

Expensive
Needs acceptance checks
May overbuild

Custom Local Agent

Internal

76.1

Best when privacy and customization beat top-end model quality.

Task Success72

Codebase Understanding76

Tool Use82

Autonomy74

Recovery70

Cost (Low)94

Best for

Private codeOffline toolsDomain-specific workflows

Weaknesses

You own maintenance
Needs evaluation harness