A $230 physical macropad built for OpenAI's Codex, versus a software control layer that drives Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, and GLM from one surface — and costs nothing to try. Different bets. Here's the real tradeoff, with the receipts.
Software layer is free today. Hardware DIY kit ships to early backers later. No subscription.
Neither is wrong. One is a finished physical product for one tool; the other is a software layer for all of them — and you can run it for free before you ever commit to a piece of hardware.
Every claim above, in one table. If a cell is empty, we didn't have a clean answer to give you.
| Metric | Codex Micro | Fleetkey (software) |
|---|---|---|
| Price to start | $230 + shipping | $0 — free download |
| Agents driven | 1 (Codex) | 4 — Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, GLM |
| Hardware today | Yes — mechanical, shipping | No (DIY kit to early backers, later) |
| Software today | Tied to the hardware | Free, runs on your machine now |
| Subscription | No | No |
| Switching harnesses | Back to the trackpad | Same panel, next window |
| Local / telemetry | Hardware peripheral | Local-only, loopback (ws://127.0.0.1) |
How to read this: Codex Micro wins on "real hardware you can hold today" — that is a genuine win and we won't take it from them. Fleetkey wins on "covers every agent, costs nothing to try." If you only ever run Codex, the Micro is a beautiful dedicated remote. The moment you run a second harness, a single-agent panel leaves the chat.
We're not going to pretend the $230 macropad is bad. It's a real, finished product. Here's where each one actually wins.
It exists as shipping hardware today. It's premium, mechanical, and purpose-built with OpenAI for Codex. If you live in Codex all day and want a beautiful dedicated remote, this is the finished thing. Fleetkey's hardware is not built yet — its free software layer is what runs now.
One surface for every harness, not one. The moment you switch from Codex to Claude Code or OpenCode, a single-agent remote is just a paperweight and you're back on the trackpad. Fleetkey drives whichever window is active — and the software layer is free, so finding out costs you nothing.
Codex Micro lights up for Codex. Fleetkey lights up for all of these — and shows you which one is waiting on you.
Honest caveat: support depends on what each harness exposes. On a harness without a native hook, a control degrades to a plain keystroke — still faster than the mouse, but not magic.
The control layer that drives all four harnesses is free to download and run locally. Want the physical DIY kit when it's ready? Early backers get first pick at cost — no obligation, no subscription.