What it is: OpenCode is an open-source agentic AI coding tool that works in your terminal, IDE, or desktop app. With 150,000+ GitHub stars and over 6.5 million developers using it monthly, it’s the leading OSS alternative to Claude Code. Bring-your-own-model from 75+ providers including local Ollama at zero API cost.
Who it is for: Developers who want Claude-Code-class capabilities but with full model flexibility, local inference, or open-source guarantees.
Best if: You need any-model support, full local privacy, or fork-and-customize freedom.
Skip if: You want zero-config setup or the fastest path to value — Claude Code is more polished. Get one practical AI workflow daily in our free daily newsletter.
1-on-1 Coaching
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1-hour private video session with James. Set up OpenCode with your provider stack — Claude, Gemini, local Ollama, mix and match. We configure model routing, LSP integration, and your first real workflow. You leave with a working multi-model agentic coding setup.
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AI Workshops for Engineering Teams
Team-format OpenCode rollouts: model provider strategy, local inference for sensitive code, cost-optimized routing, LSP-driven workflows. Best for 3+ engineers.
What is the bottom line on OpenCode?
OpenCode is the most-starred open-source agentic coding tool in 2026 — over 150,000 GitHub stars, 850+ contributors, 11,000+ commits, and roughly 6.5 million developers using it monthly. It does what Claude Code does (read your codebase, edit files, run commands, manage git, chain multi-step tasks) but lets you plug in any model from 75+ providers, including fully local inference via Ollama at zero API cost. Available as a CLI on macOS/Linux/Windows plus a desktop app. opencode.ai is the home page.
What are the key takeaways?
- Open source. Apache 2.0 licensed. Fork, customize, self-host.
- 75+ model providers — Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Groq, local Ollama, OpenRouter, and dozens more.
- Local inference via Ollama gives you a free agentic coder running 100% on your hardware.
- LSP-driven self-correction — OpenCode spawns Language Server Protocol servers and feeds compiler diagnostics back to the model. Unique among agentic coding tools.
- Desktop app for Mac, Windows, Linux (Claude Code currently CLI-first).
- Active community — 850+ contributors, weekly releases.
How do you install OpenCode?
macOS/Linux/WSL (recommended):
curl -fsSL https://opencode.ai/install | bashWindows (PowerShell):
irm https://opencode.ai/install.ps1 | iexHomebrew: brew install opencode. npm: npm install -g opencode-ai. The full setup docs are at opencode.ai/docs/install.
After install, run opencode in any project directory. The first run prompts you to configure a provider — you can pick Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI, Google Gemini, local Ollama, or any of the 75+ supported endpoints.
How does OpenCode compare to Claude Code?
| Dimension | OpenCode | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|
| License | Apache 2.0 (open source) | Proprietary (Anthropic) |
| Models supported | 75+ providers, BYOK | Sonnet 4.6, Opus 4.7 |
| Local inference (Ollama) | Yes — zero API cost | No |
| Desktop app | Yes (Mac/Windows/Linux) | Yes (Mac/Windows) |
| LSP integration | Yes — self-correcting | Available via tools |
| Setup speed | 5 minutes (config provider) | 30 seconds (just log in) |
| Raw model quality (Opus 4.7) | Same when you pick Anthropic | Same models, tighter integration |
| Speed (per task) | ~78% slower (per benchmark) | Fastest |
| Cost (with subscription) | Free + your API costs | $17–$20/mo bundled |
| Best for | Model flexibility, OSS, local privacy | Fastest path to value |
Decision shortcut: OpenCode if you need any-model flexibility, local inference, or open-source guarantees. Claude Code if you want the fastest, most polished agentic coding experience with the best raw model quality out of the box. Many developers run both — Claude Code for daily speed, OpenCode for cost-sensitive batch work on local models. See our full Claude Code vs Cursor vs Copilot comparison for the broader picture.
What providers does OpenCode support?
The big providers natively:
- Anthropic — Claude Sonnet 4.6, Opus 4.7, Haiku 4.5 via API key.
- OpenAI — GPT-5.2, GPT-OSS, Codex models.
- Google — Gemini 3 Pro, Flash via AI Studio or Vertex AI.
- Groq — high-speed inference for Llama, Mixtral, and others.
- OpenRouter — 100+ models behind one API.
- Local via Ollama — Llama 3.x, Mistral, DeepSeek, Qwen, etc., running on your own hardware.
- Local via LM Studio — alternative local-inference runtime.
- vLLM, TGI, Mistral API, Cohere, AWS Bedrock, Vertex AI — production-grade endpoints.
You can also route different tools to different models within the same session — have Claude Opus 4.7 do the planning, a local Llama do the routine edits, and Gemini 3 Flash run the test generation. This is the kind of flexibility that’s only possible with an open-source tool.
What is LSP integration in OpenCode and why does it matter?
The Language Server Protocol (LSP) is what powers code intelligence in editors like VS Code — type checking, auto-completion, error squiggles. OpenCode spawns LSP servers for your project’s languages (TypeScript, Python, Go, etc.) and feeds compiler diagnostics back to the model after every edit.
Practical impact: if OpenCode introduces a TypeScript type error during a refactor, the LSP catches it, the next round of context includes the error, and the model self-corrects. Claude Code doesn’t have native LSP-driven self-correction (you can wire it up via tool integration but it’s not first-class). This is OpenCode’s biggest under-publicized advantage on multi-file refactors.
How fast is OpenCode compared to Claude Code?
Per public benchmarks, OpenCode runs roughly 78% slower per task than Claude Code when both are using Anthropic’s models. The gap comes from client-server overhead in OpenCode’s architecture, since the desktop app communicates with a backend server even when running locally.
For interactive use, the speed gap matters — you’ll feel it on every task. For batch automation (CI, scheduled audits), the gap is irrelevant and OpenCode’s cost and flexibility advantages dominate.
Can OpenCode run fully offline?
Yes — this is one of OpenCode’s distinctive features. Configure it with Ollama or LM Studio as the model provider, and the entire agentic loop runs on your local machine. No API calls, no internet required after initial install, no usage costs.
Caveat: local models are weaker than frontier API models. Llama 3.x and DeepSeek run on a powerful laptop but produce noticeably less polished output than Opus 4.7 or GPT-5.2. For sensitive code, regulated environments, or full air-gapped use, the tradeoff is usually worth it.
How much does OpenCode cost?
The tool itself is free. Your costs are whatever your model provider charges:
- Anthropic API — Opus 4.7 at $5 / $25 per million tokens. See our Claude pricing breakdown.
- OpenAI API — varies by model; GPT-5.2 standard rates.
- Google Gemini API — Gemini 3 Pro pay-as-you-go.
- Local via Ollama — free. Only your hardware costs.
- Groq — fast inference at competitive rates.
The cost-optimization play with OpenCode: use a free local model for routine edits, escalate to Claude Opus only on hard tasks. Many users report total spend under $10/month doing this.
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenCode really free?
The tool is free and open source. You pay only your underlying model provider (or zero if you use local Ollama).
Can OpenCode use my Claude Pro subscription?
No. Anthropic restricts third-party tools from using subscription auth. Use the Anthropic API directly with a Console API key.
Is OpenCode the same as OpenClaw?
No. OpenClaw is a different open-source AI agent framework (Peter Steinberger’s project). They sometimes appear together but have different architectures and goals.
Does OpenCode work in CI/CD?
Yes. The CLI version runs headless and is well-suited for GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or any pipeline that can run a binary.
How do I switch models mid-session?
Use the /model command inside an OpenCode session. You can swap providers without restarting.
What about MCP support?
OpenCode supports the Model Context Protocol natively. Plug in any MCP server (GitHub, Slack, Notion, browser via Playwright) and OpenCode treats them as tools.
Is OpenCode safe for production codebases?
It has the same permission gates as Claude Code — per-tool approval, restricted file system access, audit logging via hooks. Treat it the same way: feature branches, code review, never grant unrestricted shell access in environments with production credentials.
Does OpenCode have a GitHub action?
Yes — opencode-action runs OpenCode inside GitHub Actions for PR review, code generation, or auto-fix workflows.
Can I contribute to OpenCode?
Yes. The repo is at github.com/sst/opencode. 850+ contributors and counting; good first-issue labels are active.
How do I uninstall OpenCode?
Remove the binary (typically at ~/.local/bin/opencode on Linux/macOS) and delete the config directory (~/.config/opencode/ on Linux/macOS, %APPDATA%\opencode\ on Windows).
What languages does OpenCode work well with?
Strong: TypeScript/JavaScript, Python, Go, Rust, Java, C#, C++. Acceptable: Ruby, PHP, Kotlin, Swift, Elixir. Weaker: niche or DSL languages where training data is sparse. The LSP integration is strongest for languages with well-maintained language servers (TypeScript, Rust, Go).
Does OpenCode support project-level configuration like CLAUDE.md?
Yes. OpenCode reads AGENT.md or .opencode/config.json from your project root. Use this to encode project conventions, dependency rules, and per-task instructions just like you would with CLAUDE.md for Claude Code.
How does OpenCode handle large monorepos?
Reasonably well, with caveats. The agentic loop is the same as Claude Code, so the bottleneck is model context rather than OpenCode itself. With Claude Opus 4.7’s 1M context, OpenCode can hold mid-size monorepos in active memory. For genuinely huge codebases, lean on Glob/Grep tools to scope the working context.
Why are there multiple “OpenCode” projects on GitHub?
The canonical project is at github.com/sst/opencode (the SST team, makers of SST framework). Other “opencode” repos exist but are unrelated. Always verify the GitHub org before installing.
What does a real OpenCode workflow look like in practice?
Three concrete examples developers report shipping with:
Cost-tiered model routing. Configure OpenCode with a routing rule: routine edits go to a local Llama 3 model (free), code generation goes to Claude Sonnet 4.6 ($3/$15 per M tokens), and hard architectural changes go to Opus 4.7 ($5/$25). A typical week comes in under $15 in API costs vs. $100+ on a flat-rate plan with one model.
Air-gapped contract work. A consulting team works on client codebases under NDA, configured OpenCode with Ollama + DeepSeek Coder. Zero code leaves their machines. Slower than cloud Opus, but compliant with the contract.
Multi-language PR review. A platform team uses OpenCode in CI to review PRs across TypeScript/Go/Python services. The LSP integration catches type errors the model would otherwise introduce. Review notes are posted back to the PR via GitHub MCP.
Track every OpenCode release
OpenCode ships weekly releases. The Beginners in AI newsletter ships one issue every day covering what’s new across Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, OpenCode, and the rest of the agentic coding space. Free, daily, no fluff.
Sources
- OpenCode homepage
- OpenCode GitHub repository
- Official install documentation
- OpenCode full documentation
- Ollama — local model inference
- Model Context Protocol specification
- Claude Opus 4.6 announcement
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