OpenCode vs Claude Code: Which AI Coding Agent Should You Use in 2026?

OpenCode vs Claude Code is one of the most common questions developers ask when choosing a terminal AI coding agent in 2026. Both tools read your repository, edit files, run commands and work through multi-step tasks from the command line. The difference is philosophy: Claude Code is Anthropic’s own agent, built around Claude models and a Claude subscription, while OpenCode is a free, MIT-licensed open-source agent that works with dozens of model providers, including local models. This comparison covers features, pricing, model choice, privacy and setup, and finishes with a clear recommendation for different types of developer.

Last updated: 16 October 2026. Features and prices were checked against OpenCode’s official documentation and GitHub repository, Anthropic’s Claude Code documentation and Claude’s pricing page on 16 October 2026. This is a documentation-based comparison; we have not run formal benchmarks of the two tools. Prices are shown in US dollars as listed by the vendors.

OpenCode vs Claude Code at a glance

What is Claude Code?

Claude Code is Anthropic’s agentic coding tool. It runs in your terminal, inside VS Code and JetBrains IDEs, in the Claude desktop app and on the web. It can explore a codebase, plan changes, edit multiple files, run tests and commands, and create commits. Project-specific rules live in a CLAUDE.md file, and permission modes control how much it can do without asking you first.

Its main strength is tight integration with Claude models. Anthropic builds the agent and the models together, so features, prompts and tool use are tuned for Opus 5.5, Sonnet 5.5 and Haiku 5.5. If you are new to it, our step-by-step guide on how to use Claude Code covers installation and first tasks.

What is OpenCode?

OpenCode is an open-source AI coding agent maintained by Anomaly and published under the MIT licence on GitHub (anomalyco/opencode), where it had more than 200,000 stars at the time of writing. It began as a terminal tool and now includes desktop apps for macOS, Windows and Linux and a web interface.

OpenCode 2.0, in public beta since July and formally detailed on 12 October 2026, brought major changes:

• One shared background service that powers the terminal, desktop and web interfaces, so sessions are shared between them.
• A rebuilt API and SDK (@opencode/client and @opencode/sdk) for embedding the agent in other tools.
• Code Mode on by default for MCP tools, which changes how the agent calls external tools.
• Background subagents and shell commands, so long-running work does not block your session.
• More than 80 plugins, though version 1 plugins are not compatible with 2.0.

OpenCode’s biggest selling point is choice. You connect whichever model provider you prefer, switch models per task, or run everything locally.

Models and flexibility

This is the clearest difference in the OpenCode vs Claude Code decision.

Claude Code only uses Claude models. You can access them through a Claude subscription, the Claude API, or enterprise clouds such as Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud and Microsoft Foundry. You cannot point it at GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek or a local model.

OpenCode works with many providers. Its documentation covers Anthropic API keys, OpenAI and ChatGPT Plus, GitHub Copilot, GitLab Duo, OpenRouter and many others, plus local servers:

• Ollama at http://localhost:11434/v1. OpenCode’s docs recommend raising Ollama’s num_ctx to between 16k and 32k tokens, because the default context is too small for agent work.
• LM Studio at http://127.0.0.1:1234/v1.

That flexibility lets you use new open-weight models such as Meta’s Muse Spark Open through an OpenAI-compatible API, or run smaller models fully offline. Our guide on how to run an LLM locally explains how to set up Ollama and LM Studio first.

Can you use your Claude subscription in OpenCode?

No, not within Anthropic’s rules. OpenCode’s documentation states that plugins enabling Claude Pro or Max subscriptions are prohibited by Anthropic, and the bundled plugins were removed in version 1.3.0. According to The New Stack, Anthropic began blocking third-party agents from using Claude Pro and Max credentials in January. If you want Claude models inside OpenCode, use an Anthropic API key and pay per token.

OpenCode vs Claude Code pricing

Claude Code pricing

Claude Code is included with paid Claude plans. According to Claude’s pricing page:

• Pro: $20 per month, or $17 per month billed annually.
• Max: from $100 per month, with much higher usage limits.
• API: pay per token. Opus 5.5 costs $4 per million input tokens and $20 per million output tokens; Sonnet 5.5 costs $2 and $10.

UK and EU prices may differ and VAT may apply, so check the pricing page in your region. Our Claude pricing guide breaks down every plan in more detail.

OpenCode pricing

The OpenCode software is free. You pay for whichever model you connect:

• Your own API keys: pay each provider directly.
• Local models: no per-token fees, only your own hardware and electricity.
• OpenCode Go: an optional subscription at $10 per month, or $40 per month for Go Plus, giving access to a list of 31 models including Kimi K3, Gemini 4 Argon, Claude Haiku 5.5, GPT 6 Luna, DeepSeek V4.1 Flash and Muse Spark 1.3.
• OpenCode Zen: a curated pay-as-you-go model service. We could not find published per-token prices for Zen when we checked, so confirm costs inside your account.

Which is cheaper?

It depends on usage. For a heavy Claude user, a Pro or Max subscription in Claude Code is often more predictable than paying API rates in OpenCode, because subscription usage is bundled. For light users, or anyone happy to use cheaper or local models, OpenCode can cost much less. The cheapest option of all is OpenCode with a local model, provided your machine has enough memory.

Features compared

Planning and editing

Both tools can plan before changing code. In OpenCode, pressing Tab switches between Plan mode, where the agent proposes changes without editing, and Build mode, where it makes them. Claude Code uses permission modes and a plan mode to control when it edits files or runs commands.

Project context

Claude Code reads a CLAUDE.md file in your project. OpenCode’s /init command analyses your project and creates an AGENTS.md file. Both files hold coding conventions, build commands and other instructions the agent should follow.

Undo, sharing and file references

OpenCode includes /undo and /redo to roll back the agent’s changes, /share to share a session link, and @ to search for and reference files. Claude Code provides its own checkpoints, slash commands and file references, plus /doctor for diagnosing installation problems.

Interfaces and integrations

Claude Code has official extensions for VS Code and JetBrains IDEs, which matters if you prefer to stay in your editor. OpenCode 2.0 offers terminal, desktop and web interfaces sharing one background service; you can open the web UI with opencode pair. If you are weighing editor-first tools as well, see our Cursor vs Claude Code comparison.

Privacy and security

Both tools can read your code and run commands, so treat them like any other powerful developer tool.

• With Claude Code, your code is processed by Anthropic or by the cloud provider you use for Claude. Business plans and cloud deployments come with their own data terms.
• With OpenCode, where your code goes depends on the provider you choose. With a local model through Ollama or LM Studio, prompts and code can stay on your machine, which can help with strict confidentiality or UK GDPR requirements.

Whichever you choose, keep secrets out of prompts, restrict which commands can run without approval, and review changes before committing. Our guide to AI agent security covers practical safeguards.

How to install each tool

Install Claude Code

1. On macOS, Linux or WSL, run: curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
2. Open a project folder and run claude.
3. Sign in with your Claude account or an API key.
4. Ask it to explain the codebase before making changes.

If something fails, run /doctor, or see our guide to fixing Claude when it is not working.

Install OpenCode 2.0

1. On macOS or Linux, run: curl -fsSL https://opencode.ai/v2/install | bash. Homebrew, npm, Bun, pnpm, Yarn, AUR and mise are also supported.
2. If you already use version 1, upgrade with opencode upgrade --major or the /update command. Check your plugins first, as v1 plugins do not work in 2.0.
3. On Windows, package managers are not supported for v2; use the standalone binary or desktop app. OpenCode’s docs also recommend WSL for the best terminal experience.
4. Run opencode in your project, then use /connect to add a provider and API key.
5. Run /init to create an AGENTS.md file for your project.

Which should you choose?

Choose Claude Code if:

• You already pay for Claude Pro or Max and want to use that subscription for coding.
• You want the most integrated experience with Claude models.
• You work mainly in VS Code or JetBrains and want an official extension.
• Your organisation already has Claude available through Bedrock, Google Cloud or Foundry.

Choose OpenCode if:

• You want to switch between models from different companies.
• You want to run local models for privacy or cost reasons.
• You prefer open-source software you can inspect, extend or embed via its SDK.
• You already pay for GitHub Copilot or ChatGPT and want to use that access in a terminal agent.

Or use both

Many developers keep Claude Code for demanding work on Claude models and use OpenCode for experiments with other or local models. Because both use a plain-text instructions file (CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md), keeping the two in sync is straightforward.

FAQ

Is OpenCode better than Claude Code?

Neither is better for everyone. OpenCode is more flexible and free to use with your own models; Claude Code is more tightly integrated with Claude and can use your Claude subscription.

Can OpenCode use Claude models?

Yes, with an Anthropic API key, paid per token. Using a Claude Pro or Max subscription through OpenCode is not permitted by Anthropic.

Is OpenCode free?

The software is free and open source under the MIT licence. You pay for the models you connect, unless you run local models on your own hardware.

Does Claude Code work with local models?

No. Claude Code works only with Claude models. For local models, OpenCode is the better choice.

Does OpenCode work on Windows?

Yes. Desktop apps and standalone binaries are available for Windows, though Windows package managers are not supported for version 2, and the docs recommend WSL for terminal use.

Conclusion

The OpenCode vs Claude Code choice comes down to models and money. If you are committed to Claude and already pay for a plan, Claude Code gives you a polished, integrated agent. If you value model choice, open source or local privacy, OpenCode 2.0 is now a mature, capable alternative. Try both on a small, real task in your own repository before committing your team to either.

Sources: OpenCode documentation; OpenCode providers; OpenCode 2.0 docs; OpenCode Go; OpenCode on GitHub; Claude Code documentation; Claude pricing; Claude API pricing; The New Stack on OpenCode 2.0.