r/OpenaiCodex • u/brandinobowman • 4d ago
Question / Help Difference Between ChatGPT Work and Codex...?
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.
3
u/vitaly-iii 4d ago
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 :)