Claude Code vs OpenCode: Which to Pick

Pick OpenCode if you want an open-source terminal agent that works with almost any model provider and costs nothing by itself. Pick Claude Code if you want Anthropic's own agent, bundled with a Claude plan, with deeper built-in workflow features. OpenCode can also reach Claude models, so the real choice is the harness, not the model. Facts below were checked on 31 October 2026.

The short version

What each one is

OpenCode

The site calls it "the open source AI coding agent." It is available as a terminal interface, a desktop app and an IDE extension. Its landing page lists:

• Multi-session: start multiple agents in parallel on the same project.
• Log in with GitHub to use a Copilot account.
• Log in with OpenAI to use a ChatGPT Plus or Pro account.
• 75+ LLM providers through Models.dev, including local models.

The site makes big-number claims about its reach, including "over 220,000 GitHub stars" and "over 16M developers every month." The GitHub API showed about 223,000 stars on 31 October 2026, which matches the first number. We cannot check the monthly-developer figure, so treat it as the project's own claim.

The repository is now under the anomalyco organization and the license is MIT. There are two major versions in circulation. The docs note that OpenCode 1 and OpenCode 2 both use the opencode command and cannot be installed side by side under their default command. That detail matters when you follow older tutorials, because the Homebrew opencode formula currently installs version 2, while the OpenCode tap installs version 1.

Claude Code

Anthropic's description: an agentic coding tool that reads your codebase, edits files, runs commands, and integrates with your development tools. It runs in the terminal, VS Code, JetBrains, a desktop app and the browser. The repository is public but the license reads all rights reserved, with Anthropic's Commercial Terms.

Side-by-side facts

Models and how you pay

This is the largest practical difference.

OpenCode separates the agent from the model. You choose where tokens come from:

• The built-in free models, with no account.
• OpenCode Zen, which the docs describe as a curated list of models tested and verified by the OpenCode team, with billing through opencode.ai.
• Any of 75+ providers through your own API keys, including local models.
• A ChatGPT Plus or Pro login, or a GitHub Copilot login, as the site advertises.

The /connect command in the interface sets this up. There are no plans to buy for OpenCode itself.

Claude Code ties you to Claude. You can pay in two ways: a Claude plan, or token billing through a Console account or API key.

Anthropic's cost page says that across enterprise deployments the average is around $13 per developer per active day, or $150 to $250 per developer per month, with 90 percent of users under $30 per active day.

Can you use Claude models in OpenCode? Yes, by adding an Anthropic API key as a provider, and then you pay per token. Whether a Claude subscription may be used through a third-party tool is a question for Anthropic's terms, which we did not read for this page.

The same caution applies to the ChatGPT and Copilot logins OpenCode advertises. Vendors change what their subscriptions permit, and one vendor in this space, Kiro, states in its FAQ that routing its subscription through third-party harnesses is not permitted. Read the terms of whichever plan you plan to connect.

Using it day to day

Getting started

OpenCode:

curl -fsSL https://opencode.ai/install | bash
cd your-project
opencode
# then in the interface:
/connect
/init

/init analyzes the project and creates an AGENTS.md file at the root. The docs say to commit it, since it helps the agent understand the project structure and coding patterns.

Claude Code:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
cd your-project
claude

On first use it prompts you to log in. It reads CLAUDE.md at the start of every session, and if the repo already has an AGENTS.md for other agents, it can read that in place.

Because OpenCode writes AGENTS.md and Claude Code can read it, one file can serve both. That is the cheapest way to trial them side by side.

Agents and modes

OpenCode ships two primary agents. You switch between them with the Tab key.

• Build is the default, with all tools enabled.
• Plan is restricted. It denies file edits, writes and patches except for Markdown plan files, and it can ask clarifying questions.

There are also built-in subagents, General and Explore, that primary agents invoke or that you call by @-mentioning them.

Claude Code has a plan mode that reads files and runs read-only shell commands without editing source. Its subagents run in their own context windows with their own system prompt, tool access and permissions, and you can define your own.

Permissions

OpenCode permissions are set globally with * and overridden per tool, with pattern-matched rules where the last matching rule wins. A common pattern is to put the catch-all rule first and the specific rules after. The external_directory permission controls any tool call that touches paths outside the working directory.

Claude Code permission rules match the whole command text. It understands shell operators such as &&, ||, ; and pipes, and every subcommand of a compound command must be allowed for it to run without a prompt. A sandbox adds a further restriction on what commands can touch.

Both are reasonable. If you want the safest default for a team, compare the managed-settings options on Claude Code with OpenCode's organization config, which can provide default MCP servers through a .well-known/opencode endpoint.

MCP

OpenCode defines servers in its config under mcp, each with a unique name, type: "local" or remote, a command for local ones, optional environment variables, and an enabled flag. Organizations can ship defaults that users opt into. Claude Code adds servers with claude mcp add and carries them across all its surfaces.

Extension model

Claude Code has the longer list of first-party extension points: skills, hooks (shell commands, HTTP endpoints, MCP calls, prompts, subagents at lifecycle events), subagents, plugins and the Agent SDK. Custom commands were merged into skills.

OpenCode has agents, subagents, MCP and config, plus whatever the open-source community adds. Because the code is open, you can change the agent itself. Whether it has direct equivalents of every Claude Code hook is a question we did not answer.

Data and privacy

The OpenCode site says it does not store any of your code or context data so it can work in privacy-sensitive environments. The FAQ is more precise: your data and information is only stored when you use their free models. If you bring your own provider key, your prompts go to that provider under that provider's terms.

For Claude Code, Anthropic's data-usage page says that Free, Pro, Max and Ultra accounts have a setting allowing data to be used for model improvement, including Claude Code use (five-year retention if you allow it). Team, Enterprise, API and third-party platform use falls under commercial terms with no training on Claude Code inputs unless the customer opts into a program.

In both cases, the answer depends on the account type and provider you choose.

Where OpenCode is stronger

• Any model, from many vendors, including local ones.
• MIT license: audit it, fork it, or contribute.
• A free way to start with no account.
• Reuse of existing ChatGPT or Copilot logins, as advertised.
• Multi-session parallel agents on the same project.

Where Claude Code is stronger

• A deeper built-in workflow set: hooks, skills, subagents, plugins and an SDK.
• Official IDE extensions and a desktop app, plus a web version.
• Scheduled cloud tasks, Remote Control and session handoff.
• A vendor-supported install path with background updates.
• Cost and usage attribution by skill, subagent, plugin and MCP server.

Which to pick

Choose OpenCode when:

• You want model freedom and no lock-in.
• Open source is a requirement.
• You want a free start.

Choose Claude Code when:

• You already pay for Claude, or you want Anthropic's agent.
• You rely on hooks and skills in your process.
• You want the same agent in your terminal, IDE and browser.

Choose both when:

• You want to compare Claude models in two harnesses on the same task. Keep an AGENTS.md so both read the same instructions.

Moving between them

From OpenCode to Claude Code: AGENTS.md keeps working, because Claude Code can read it. Copy your MCP definitions into claude mcp add commands, and recreate any custom agents as subagents. From Claude Code to OpenCode: run /init, move your CLAUDE.md content into AGENTS.md, and add your MCP servers to the config.

A short checklist

• Which providers do you want the freedom to use?
• Do you need open source for audit reasons?
• Have you read the terms of any subscription you plan to route through a third-party tool?
• Which version of OpenCode are you following a tutorial for, v1 or v2?
• Do you need CI and scheduled runs? Check each tool's docs for your platform.

Three ways to pay, worked through

The prices come from the sections above. Token spend in OpenCode depends on the provider and model you connect, so we give a structure and not a total.

If you already pay for a ChatGPT or Copilot plan, OpenCode's login route can mean no new bill at all. If you pay for nothing yet, the free models cost nothing but stop being the right tool the moment the code is private. If you write code most days, a flat Claude plan is easier to budget than tokens, provided you stay inside its windows.

What the two version lines mean for you

OpenCode 1 and OpenCode 2 share the opencode command and cannot sit side by side under their default name. In practice:

1. Check opencode --version before you follow any tutorial. Steps written for one line may not match the other.
2. The Homebrew opencode formula installs version 2, while the OpenCode tap installs version 1. A team that installs by different routes can end up on different majors without noticing.
3. Pin the install method in your onboarding doc, in the same place you pin the Node or Python version.
4. Keep AGENTS.md free of version-specific commands, so it works for both the line and for Claude Code.

Questions to settle before a team adopts either

• Who pays, and where does the key live? A shared API key in a dotfile is a leak waiting to happen. Claude Code's Console and plan sign-in and OpenCode's /connect both keep credentials per user.
• Which models are approved? OpenCode's 75+ providers are a strength for individuals and a policy question for a company. Decide the list and write it into the organization config.
• Which MCP servers are allowed? Both tools run local MCP servers with your user's rights. Review each server's source before approving it.
• What happens on a branch? Both can edit files and run commands. Require a branch and a pull request, whichever tool is used.
• Who updates the tool? Claude Code's native installs update themselves. For OpenCode you decide when to upgrade, which gives control and also stale installs.

A one-week trial

Use one repository and one branch per tool, both starting from the same commit. On day one, run /init in OpenCode and let Claude Code read the resulting AGENTS.md, so the instructions are equal. Over the week give each tool the same three tasks: a bug fix, a refactor across files and a test for untested code. Record tokens or plan usage, the number of times you had to correct it, and how long review took. If OpenCode with your usual model matches Claude Code with its default, you have found your savings. If it does not, you have found out what the plan is paying for.

Our take

Going by the documents, OpenCode is the more flexible tool and Claude Code is the more complete product. Flexibility shows in the provider list, the MIT license and the free start. Completeness shows in the extension model, the number of surfaces and the vendor behind it.

If you do not yet know which model you will prefer in six months, OpenCode lowers the cost of changing your mind. If you already know you want Claude, Claude Code removes a layer between you and the model's maker, and the plan bundles the agent with the chat product.

We have not tested either on a shared task, so we make no claim about speed or output quality. The OpenCode version split is worth checking before you install, since v1 and v2 share a command name.

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• Aider vs Claude Code
• Open source AI agents
• How we compare