# Do coding agents recommend OpenAI Realtime API? > OpenAI Realtime API was chosen in 12% of 308 judged voice agents sessions, ranking third. Measured with Claude Code, Codex and Cursor. Source: https://armature.tech/library/do-coding-agents-recommend-openai-realtime-api Published: 2026-09-03 Publisher: Armature, Inc. (https://armature.tech) --- > OpenAI Realtime API was chosen in 12% of 308 judged voice agents sessions, ranking third. It was also raised as a candidate in 87 further sessions without being chosen. This page reports what happened when Claude Code, Codex and Cursor had to solve a problem in voice agents inside a realistic codebase. Not what a chat assistant says about OpenAI Realtime API. What an agent actually installed. ## The numbers | | | | --- | --- | | Category | Voice agents | | Sessions in the category | 308 | | Sessions where OpenAI Realtime API was chosen | 37 | | Install share | 12% | | Rank in category | 3 of 18 | | Codebases it won in | 10 | | Raised as a candidate, not chosen | 87 | | Chosen when considered | 30% | | Site | openai.com | ## By agent The three agents treat OpenAI Realtime API very differently. Codex chose it in 29% of its sessions in this category and Claude Code in 0%, a spread of 29 points. | Agent | Sessions | Chose OpenAI Realtime API | Share | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Claude Code | 94 | 0 | 0% | | Codex | 110 | 32 | 29% | | Cursor | 104 | 5 | 5% | A single blended install share would report the midpoint and hide both ends. If most of your users run Claude Code, your real position here is 0%, not 12%. ## By who was asking OpenAI Realtime API performs similarly across the four kinds of buyer, from 10% to 17%. That is unusual: the category leader changed with the persona in 14 of the 18 categories we measured. | Who is asking | Sessions | Chose OpenAI Realtime API | Share | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Vibe coder | 62 | 6 | 10% | | Junior developer | 42 | 7 | 17% | | Senior engineer | 128 | 14 | 11% | | Enterprise team | 76 | 10 | 13% | ## What OpenAI Realtime API was up against The full ranking in voice agents, from the same sessions: | # | Product | Runs won | Share | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Vapi | 74 | 24% | | 2 | Retell AI | 55 | 18% | | 3 | OpenAI Realtime API **(this page)** | 37 | 12% | | 4 | LiveKit Agents | 35 | 11% | | 5 | ElevenLabs Agents | 30 | 10% | | 6 | Twilio ConversationRelay | 28 | 9% | | 7 | Built in-house (no product adopted) | 18 | 6% | | 8 | Azure Voice Live API | 10 | 3% | ## What this means OpenAI Realtime API was raised in 87 sessions and chosen in 37. That ratio is balanced enough that the ceiling is presence rather than integration: the product converts reasonably when it is on the table, and it is not on the table often enough. ## Where these numbers come from The 308 sessions in voice agents are part of a published set of 5,292, run with real coding agents inside realistic codebases and judged blind. The full method is on one page: [how we measured this](/library/how-we-measured-this). Every voice agents run can be replayed on [the board](/leaderboards/voice-agents). If you work on OpenAI Realtime API: the judge recorded a reason for every session where it was raised and passed over. Those reasons are in the transcripts. ## Common questions ### Do coding agents recommend OpenAI Realtime API? Yes. OpenAI Realtime API was chosen in 37 of the 308 judged sessions in voice agents, a 12% install share, ranking third in its category. ### Does Claude Code recommend OpenAI Realtime API? In 0 of the 94 sessions in voice agents run with Claude Code, which is 0%. ### Do different coding agents treat OpenAI Realtime API differently? Yes, and by a wide margin. Codex chose it in 29% of its runs and Claude Code in 0%. ### How was this measured? Real coding agents at pinned versions were run in sandboxes inside 51 realistic codebases and asked to solve real tasks. A simulated project owner approved or questioned each recommendation before any code was written, and a judge from a model family that builds none of the agents read every session blind. ### How often is OpenAI Realtime API considered but not chosen? It was raised as a candidate in 87 sessions without being chosen, and chosen in 37. That is a 30% conversion from considered to chosen. ## Read next - [How to get picked for voice agents by coding agents](https://armature.tech/library/voice-agents-coding-agents-playbook) (Markdown: https://armature.tech/library/voice-agents-coding-agents-playbook.md) - [Do coding agents recommend Vapi?](https://armature.tech/library/do-coding-agents-recommend-vapi) (Markdown: https://armature.tech/library/do-coding-agents-recommend-vapi.md) - [Do coding agents recommend Retell AI?](https://armature.tech/library/do-coding-agents-recommend-retell-ai) (Markdown: https://armature.tech/library/do-coding-agents-recommend-retell-ai.md) - [Do Claude Code, Codex and Cursor pick the same tools?](https://armature.tech/library/do-claude-code-and-codex-agree) (Markdown: https://armature.tech/library/do-claude-code-and-codex-agree.md) --- Armature helps software products get discovered and used by coding agents. Service: https://armature.tech/discoverability · Results: https://armature.tech/leaderboards/sectors · Contact: contact@armature.tech