Alex Codes
Alex Codes was a YC-backed AI coding assistant that brought AI models into Apple's Xcode IDE.
Acquired Alex Codes
Acquired · October 2025
Alex Codes was a Y Combinator-backed AI coding assistant for Apple's Xcode, founded in 2024 by Daniel Edrisian. OpenAI hired the team into its Codex division, announced September 2, 2025. New downloads ended October 1, 2025 and no new features were added, though existing users kept limited support.
Acquired by OpenAI.
Last known pricing: Free tier; paid Pro subscription
Is Alex Codes shut down?
Effectively, yes. Alex Codes was acquired by OpenAI and the standalone product was sunset on October 1, 2025. Its record is preserved in the ToolDirectory.AI graveyard, our hand-reviewed registry of AI tools that shut down or were acquired.
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Overview
What happened to Alex Codes
Alex Codes was an AI coding assistant built specifically for Apple's Xcode IDE, helping iOS and macOS developers generate, edit, and refactor code without leaving their editor. Y Combinator-backed and founded in 2024 by Daniel Edrisian, it filled a gap for AI assistance in Apple's developer ecosystem.
The app connected modern AI models directly into Xcode workflows, targeting Swift and Apple-platform development.
Key Features
- AI code generation and editing inside Xcode
- Swift and Apple-platform focus
- In-editor chat and refactoring
- Context awareness of the open project
- Native macOS application
What happened to Alex Codes
OpenAI hired the Alex team into its Codex division, the group building OpenAI's coding agent, in an announcement on September 2, 2025. New downloads ended on October 1, 2025, and no new features were added afterward. The team said it would maintain the product for existing users while it remained in use.
FAQ
Is Alex Codes still available? New downloads ended October 1, 2025. Existing users received limited maintenance, but no new features.
Who acquired Alex Codes? OpenAI, which hired the team into its Codex division, announced September 2, 2025.
What are alternatives to Alex Codes? GitHub Copilot, Cursor, and Xcode's built-in AI assistance cover similar workflows.
tl;dr
Alex Codes was a YC-backed AI coding assistant for Xcode. OpenAI hired the team into Codex in September 2025 and new downloads ended October 1, 2025.