OpenCode vs Claude Code: Which One to Choose
Content checked 2026-10-20; table data is live from the catalog
Pick opencode if…
you want an MIT-licensed coding agent that is not tied to one vendor — 75+ LLM providers or local models — with a read-only plan agent built in.
Pick Claude Code if…
you only use Claude models, already have a paid Claude plan, and want Anthropic's own client with @claude on GitHub.
Facts side by side
| opencode | Claude Code | |
|---|---|---|
| Positioning | The open source coding agent for your terminal | Use natural-language commands to work on code and Git workflows from your terminal, IDE, or GitHub. |
| Source review | 47/100 · Major gaps 20 releases since the review — the score may be stale | Insufficient evidence 20 releases since the review — the score may be stale |
| Delivery | CLI · Desktop app | CLI |
| Cost | Free software; you pay for model usage | Free software; you pay for model usage |
| Setup effort | Low · running in minutes | Low · running in minutes |
| Full support on | — | Claude Code |
| License | MIT | Not stated |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Stars | ★ 218k+674.4/day over 7 days | ★ 153k+310.0/day over 7 days |
| Updated | today | 1d ago |
| Latest stable release | v1.19.3 · 2026-10-16 | v2.1.303 · 2026-10-18 |
Source review (FARS), dimension by dimension
At least one side has no usable source-review score, so dimensions cannot be compared.
Claude Code: not enough source evidence to score (e.g. the repo ships no source, or the evidence missed the docs). This is not a review result of 0.
Key differences
- Models: OpenCode uses the AI SDK and Models.dev to support 75+ LLM providers plus local models, Anthropic included; Claude Code needs a Claude account or a third-party route such as Bedrock, Google Cloud or Foundry. [1][2]
- Open source: OpenCode is MIT-licensed open source; the Claude Code repo does not contain the CLI source. [1][2]
- Built-in agents: OpenCode ships build (full access) and plan (read-only: denies file edits by default, asks before bash), switched with Tab, plus a general subagent. [1]
- Desktop: OpenCode has a desktop app (beta) for macOS, Windows and Linux; Claude Code runs in the terminal, IDEs and on GitHub. [1][2]
Who it is not for
opencode
- Teams needing long-term maintenance guarantees
- Users who want a GUI-only, no-terminal workflow
Claude Code
- Developers who want non-Anthropic models or a multi-provider setup
- Compliance teams needing documented permission boundaries and failure recovery, which the README omits
FAQ
Can OpenCode use Claude models?
Yes. Anthropic is one of the providers in OpenCode's providers docs; add credentials with
/connect.
[1]
How do I install OpenCode?
curl -fsSL https://opencode.ai/v2/install | bash, or npm i -g @opencode/cli@latest, Homebrew and other package managers.
[1]
Does OpenCode have a read-only planning mode?
Yes. The built-in plan agent denies file edits by default and asks before running bash commands.
[1]