The Two Agentic AI Tools You Need to Learn

What you need

• A Claude account (claude.ai) or an OpenAI account

• A computer where you can install a desktop app (Codex is strongest on macOS)

• A paid plan: start at the $20 tier to try it

Step by step

1. 1

   See what assistants can and cannot do

   0:19

   Think of ChatGPT and Claude Chat as reactive assistants: you ask a question, you get an answer, but they mostly do not do the work for you. Claude Chat can create Word or Excel documents and reports, yet both stay far behind agentic tools when it comes to acting.

2. 2

   Understand what agentic AI adds

   1:47

   Agentic AI is the step above assistants: systems that connect to your whole SaaS workspace and are very good at writing code. Even if you are not a developer, marketing, project management and video editing are being broken down into code, so these tools will increasingly handle that work.

3. 3

   Give it tasks, not questions

   3:15

   Treat Claude Code or Codex as proactive: instead of telling you what to do, they do it, once you give them access to the apps they need (a CRM, marketing campaign analytics, and so on). Think of it as an extra employee. Expect a steeper curve: learn the basics of code, not how to become a developer.

4. 4

   Install the desktop app, skip the terminal

   4:04

   Both tools now have full desktop applications, so you no longer need the terminal. Download the Claude Code desktop app from claude.ai. For Codex, get the OpenAI app, which is especially good on macOS.

   Claude / Claude CodeCopy

   https://claude.ai

   OpenAI / CodexCopy

   https://openai.com

5. 5

   Pick a plan with real usage in mind

   5:13

   Know that the $20 Claude Code plan is barely usable for serious work: you will hit limits quickly. For a fair comparison, look at the $100 tier, where both tools are equivalent. Start on $20 to test, then move up if you rely on it.

6. 6

   Choose between Claude Code and Codex

   5:33

   On macOS, choose Codex: it is built by former macOS engineers and feels native, no harder than ChatGPT. If you are not comfortable paying a company that invests heavily in defense, choose Claude Code. Want open source models with similar capabilities? Look at OpenCode.

   OpenCodeCopy

   https://opencode.ai

7. 7

   Run your first task

   6:42

   Download one of the two apps on the $20 plan and give it a real task from your work, connected to a tool you actually use, instead of asking it a question.

Watch next

• 7:20Claude Code for Beginners (2026 Guide)Take your first steps in Claude Code: edit your own files in plain English and build something.
• 26:07Master Codex Desktop in 30 MinutesSet up Codex properly with the right model, connected apps, skills, subagents and scheduled tasks.
• 6:48Build a CRM with Claude Code (2026 Guide)Give your agent a real job: build a CRM around your own sales process.