GPT-5.4 vs GPT-5.3 Codex: what 4 developers chose.
168 opinions. 4 developers named a direct preference: GPT-5.4 3–1. Approval is 72% vs 74%.
GPT-5.4 wins the direct preference 3–1, but both tools score best on the same topic. Use the decision cards below to choose on workflow.
Choose GPT-5.4 if you…
- Want the model with the most evidence: 114 opinions from 105 authors
- Care most about code quality: 37 positive mentions against 14 negative
- Work in large codebases: 6 positive mentions and 0 negative
Choose GPT-5.3 Codex if you…
- Want speed: 3 positive mentions and 0 negative
- Are cost-sensitive: 9 positive cost mentions against 1 negative
- Need orchestration: one user rated it better than GPT-5.4 there
GPT-5.4 and GPT-5.3 Codex: where each one wins.
Net sentiment per topic: praise minus complaints, as a share of mentions. Positive means more praise than complaints. Hover a dot for the raw counts.
Net sentiment = praise minus complaints, as a share of each tool's mentions. The dot lanes are only for readability; position is the score.
View data table
| Topic | GPT-5.4 | GPT-5.3 Codex | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Code quality | +45 | +39 | 51 / 23 |
| Reliability | +18 | -14 | 17 / 7 |
| Cost & pricing | +71 | +80 | 14 / 10 |
The same decision, from both sides.
Paraphrased from comments where a developer named a preference or described a switch. Each links to the original.
Picked GPT-5.4 3 developers
5.3 Codex needed 5.2 for design work, while GPT-5.4 handled both design and execution better.
Calls GPT-5.4 a significant jump over 5.3 Codex, getting tasks right first try with more refined, less spaghetti-like edits.
Ran a zero-shot RTS game test and found GPT-5.4 output better than 5.3 Codex and Opus 4.6.
Picked GPT-5.3 Codex 1 developers
GPT-5.3 Codex is much better at orchestration and does what it claims, while GPT-5.4 suits exploration and brainstorming.
The numbers.
| Metric | GPT-5.4 | GPT-5.3 Codex |
|---|---|---|
| Approval | 72% | 74% |
| Last 90 days | – | – |
| Opinions | 114 | 54 |
| Developers | 105 | 51 |
| First-hand opinions | 101 | 51 |
| Direct picks | 3 | 1 |
| Type | Model | Model |
| Made by | — | — |
Related matchups.
How to read this comparison.
Approval is the positive share of opinions that took a side, with the rank based on the lower bound of a 90% confidence interval. Direct picks count comments where a developer explicitly preferred one tool or described switching. Small samples are noisier; check the opinion counts.
Get the monthly report
Which AI coding tools gained or lost developer approval on Hacker News, and why people switched. One email a month.