OpenCode

What is OpenCode?

OpenCode is an open-source AI coding agent. It puts a capable coding agent in your terminal — with desktop and IDE surfaces too — and, crucially, it isn't tied to any one model vendor. Its pitch is right on the homepage: "the open source AI coding agent. Free models included, or connect any model from any provider, including Claude, GPT, Gemini and more."

It's become one of the most popular developer tools of 2026 for a reason. Sometime mid-year it overtook Anthropic's Claude Code on GitHub stars (roughly 180K), backed by hundreds of contributors and a fast release cadence. Where a closed agent locks you into one vendor's model, OpenCode treats the model as a swappable component — so you can chase the best price, run something locally, or switch providers without changing tools.

Key Features

How to Use OpenCode

Installation is a single command:

curl -fsSL https://opencode.ai/install | bash

From there:

1. Pick a model. Log in with a Copilot or ChatGPT account, drop in an API key, or point it at a local model — your choice.
2. Open your project. Launch the TUI in your repo; LSP context loads automatically so the agent understands your code.
3. Delegate work. Give it a task, and let it plan, build, and run subagents in the background while you keep working.
4. Share or switch. Share the session link for review, or swap models mid-project when a task needs a cheaper or stronger brain.

The docs are thorough and the defaults are sensible, so you're productive fast. If you want the full head-to-head with the incumbent, read our OpenCode vs Claude Code comparison.

Pricing

Here's the headline: the OpenCode software is free. It's open source, it bundles some free models, and for paid models you pay the provider directly — the wrapper costs nothing. Two optional paid extras exist for convenience:

Pros and Cons

Best Alternatives

OpenCode competes with both closed agents and other open tools. Here's the lay of the land.

The short version: Claude Code wins on polish and ecosystem, Cursor if you want a GUI editor, and Aider for the most minimal terminal pair-coder. But for a full-featured, free, model-agnostic agent with a great TUI, OpenCode is the pick — and it slots neatly alongside agent-IDE tools like our Google Antigravity review.

Frequently Asked Questions

❓ What is OpenCode?

An open-source AI coding agent with a terminal-first TUI, plus desktop and IDE surfaces. It's model-agnostic, connecting to 75+ providers including Claude, GPT, Gemini, and local models.

❓ Is OpenCode free?

Yes — the software is free and open source with some free models bundled. You pay providers directly for paid models. Optional paid extras are the Go tier ($10/mo for open-weight models) and the Zen curated model service.

❓ Which models can it use?

75+ providers via Models.dev, including Claude, GPT, Gemini, and local open-weight models. You can switch models per task.

❓ OpenCode vs Claude Code?

OpenCode is open-source, model-agnostic, and free software; Claude Code is Anthropic's polished, model-locked agent with a deeper official ecosystem. See our full OpenCode vs Claude Code comparison.

Final Verdict

4.7/5. OpenCode proves that an open-source tool can lead the category, not just chase it. The polished TUI, real model freedom, LSP-aware context, subagents, and a privacy-first design make it the most flexible terminal coding agent available — and the fact that the software is free while it out-stars the incumbent tells you the community agrees. You do trade a bit of turnkey polish and official-integration breadth for that freedom, and output quality rides on whichever model you choose. But if you want to own your stack, run local models, or simply not pay for the wrapper, OpenCode is the one to install first.