The Two Agentic AI Tools You Need to Learn

There is a hard line between AI that answers your questions and AI that actually does your work. In this walkthrough I define that line, then break down the two agentic tools I think you need to master to stay ahead of the curve in 2026: Claude Code and Codex. Neither requires you to be a developer anymore, and by the end you will know which one to download first.

1. AI assistants vs agentic AI (0:00)

First, definitions. We are comparing AI assistants against agentic AI, not to be confused with AI agents, which is another category. Assistants have been around for the last three years with the rise of ChatGPT, which became the golden standard of what an AI application should be: very user-friendly, a direct conversation interface, no code required. You ask questions, you get answers.

2. Why chatbots are reactive (0:51)

These are reactive applications. Ask them to do something and they will not really go do it for you. With Claude Chat the barrier is blurrier, because it has tools that let it create Word documents, Excel documents, and reports. ChatGPT is a bit behind on that front. But compared to agentic AI, both are miles behind. Low barrier to entry, yes, but you do not get the proactive execution that is the signature of agentic AI.

3. The two providers changing the workflow (1:31)

OpenAI and Anthropic, the makers of ChatGPT and Claude Chat, each offer another tool that changes how you operate with AI entirely. Those two tools are what I define as agentic AI: systems that connect to your entire SaaS workspace and are great at writing code.

4. Agentic AI means execution, not advice (1:59)

Why learn coding tools if you are not a developer? Because AI coding is the use case that has evolved the most, and everything you do, marketing, project management, even video editing, is being broken down into code. Within a couple of months these same tools will be able to edit videos end to end, manage projects end to end or at least help you manage them, and support your marketing campaigns. They are at the heart of what you should be experiencing as AI applications.

5. Claude Code and Codex (2:48)

Claude Code was the first agentic system on the market. Codex is the Claude Code equivalent from OpenAI. Their key trait is that they are proactive: instead of telling you what to do, they actually do it, provided you give them access to the applications they need. CRMs, marketing campaign analytics, anything you can get your hands on. Think of these two tools as having an extra employee. The learning curve is a bit steeper, and learning the basics of code helps, but you do not need to become a developer, and it will put you miles ahead of the competition.

6. Desktop apps make the learning curve easier (4:00)

Four months ago these tools lived in the terminal. Now both have fully fledged desktop applications, which means literally anyone can access agentic power with a simple download button. I have not touched a terminal in weeks. For Claude Code, download the application from claude.ai; you must use the desktop application to use Claude Code this way. Codex has its own application too, and it is extremely good.

7. Pricing reality: the $100 tier (5:13)

Being quite honest with you: the $20 plan for Claude Code is barely usable. As soon as you step into serious usage, you hit your limits. That is why I compare at the $100 level, where both tools are equivalent.

8. Why Codex shines on macOS (5:31)

If you run macOS, I would highly suggest Codex. The team behind the OpenAI application are macOS engineers from the original team, which makes the app truly native to macOS. The experience is literally no harder than using ChatGPT, but with 10x the leverage.

9. Geopolitics, Claude Code, and OpenCode (6:03)

There is also a values dimension: if you are not comfortable giving money to a company investing heavily in defense, you can opt for Claude Code. And the ecosystem is widening: applications like OpenCode now give people access to open source models with the same kind of capacities as Codex and Claude Code.

10. What to try next (6:39)

Download either of these two applications on the $20 plan and have a shot at it. That is enough to feel the difference. I will be creating one-hour courses on how to make the most out of both tools in the near future.

Pitfalls and tips

• Do not judge agentic AI from the chatbot experience. Assistants are reactive by design; the shift only clicks once a tool executes multi-step work for you.
• The $20 Claude Code plan runs out fast. Fine for a first taste, but budget for the $100 tier if you get serious.
• Access is everything. These tools are only as proactive as the applications you connect them to.

Where to go next

Once you pick your tool, learn to multiply it: Use Cowork Subagents to 10x Your Productivity shows parallel workers in action, and How to Choose the Right Claude Model makes sure you run them on the right engine.