OpenCode

What is OpenCode?

OpenCode is a free, open-source alternative to Claude Code that runs in your terminal. Built by the community, it supports multiple AI backends.

OpenCode is a free and open-source terminal-based AI coding agent that brings autonomous coding capabilities to developers who prefer transparency, self-hosting, and zero subscription costs. Inspired by the wave of commercial AI coding tools, OpenCode was built by the developer community to provide a credible open-source alternative that anyone can use, modify, and extend. The tool runs in your terminal and supports multiple AI backends, including Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT models, and local models via Ollama. This flexibility is one of OpenCode's strongest differentiators -- you are not locked into a single AI provider. If you have API keys for Claude, you can get near-Claude-Code-quality results. If you prefer to run everything locally for privacy, you can connect to a local Llama or Mistral model through Ollama. OpenCode's feature set covers the essentials: it can read your codebase, understand project structure, create and edit files, run shell commands, and iterate on changes based on test results. The agent mode allows it to plan multi-step tasks and execute them with minimal user intervention. While it does not match the polish of commercial tools like Claude Code or Cursor, it is surprisingly capable for a community-driven project. Installation is straightforward -- it is available via npm, Homebrew, and direct binary downloads. Configuration is done through a simple YAML file where you specify your preferred AI backend, API keys, and project-specific settings. The tool supports custom system prompts, allowing you to tailor its behavior to your project's conventions and coding standards. The open-source nature of OpenCode means you can audit exactly what data is sent to AI providers, modify the tool to suit your workflow, and contribute improvements back to the community. For organizations with strict compliance requirements who cannot use cloud-based commercial tools, the ability to self-host and use local models makes OpenCode a viable option. Development is active, with regular contributions from a growing community. The project accepts pull requests and has an active Discord for support and feature discussions. While it lacks the dedicated engineering team behind commercial alternatives, the pace of improvement has been impressive. For developers who are budget-conscious, privacy-focused, or simply prefer open-source tools, OpenCode delivers genuine value at zero cost.