The open-source alternatives to Claude Code are OpenCode, Qwen Code, Crush, goose, gptme, Cline, OpenHands, Codex CLI and Gemini CLI. The first seven work with any model, and Qwen Code, Crush, goose, gptme and Cline document local models through Ollama or llama.cpp, so the whole loop can run on your own machine. Codex CLI and Gemini CLI are open-source agents tied to OpenAI's and Google's hosted models. Qwen Code's own README says that if you know Claude Code, you already know Qwen Code. A developer switches to choose the model, or to keep code local.
8 of 9 carry an OSI licence. 7 of 9 run on your own machines. Figures read from GitHub on September 17, 2026.
One project per need, with the reason from its own README and the one thing to know before you choose it.
MIT, a full-access build agent and a read-only plan agent switched with Tab, installers for every platform, a beta desktop app, and the largest community in this directory by stars.
Know firstThe README states no providers, MCP or local-model details; the docs site does.
Apache-2.0, with OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini and Qwen APIs or Ollama and vLLM, editor plugins, a desktop app, MCP, a sandbox and subagents. Its README says if you know Claude Code, you already know Qwen Code.
Know firstWeb UI and daemon mode are experimental; benchmark numbers are its own.
28 hosted providers plus llama.cpp, Ollama, LM Studio and LiteLLM, MCP over stdio, HTTP and SSE, language servers, and permission prompts on every tool call by default.
Know firstFunctional Source License: no competing commercial use until each version turns MIT two years after release; usage metrics on by default.
Apache-2.0, part of the Agentic AI Foundation at the Linux Foundation, 15+ providers including Ollama, existing Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini subscriptions, and 70+ MCP extensions.
Know firstThe README says little about file, command and web capabilities; the docs do.
MIT, shell and Python locally, file patching, a browser, screenshots, sandboxing in Docker or Wasmtime, llama.cpp for local models, and MCP as both client and server.
Know firstA single-maintainer project with several features its README lists as in progress.
Apache-2.0, a CLI with JSON output for scripting, VS Code and JetBrains extensions, a desktop app, any provider including Ollama, and approval on every action.
Know firstJetBrains plugin not open source.
MIT control centre that runs the OpenHands agent or Claude Code, Codex and any ACP agent in Docker and on your infrastructure, with automations from Slack, GitHub and Linear.
Know firstBeta, and its README warns two install routes give the agent full filesystem access.
Apache-2.0 agent that runs locally, with a desktop app and IDE extensions, signed in with a ChatGPT plan or an API key.
Know firstOnly OpenAI's hosted models; no other provider and no local model.
Apache-2.0, with 1,000 requests a day on a personal Google account by its README, search grounding, shell and file tools, MCP and a GitHub Action.
Know firstOnly Google's hosted Gemini models; no other provider and no local model.
The facts that decide most choices. Each project's page carries the full panel.
| Project | Best for | Openness | Licence | Runs as | Own machines | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenCode | A terminal agent with a planning mode | OSI | MIT | CLI, Desktop app (beta) | Yes | 208,214 |
| Qwen Code | Switching between hosted and local models at runtime | OSI | Apache-2.0 | CLI, VS Code, Zed and JetBrains plugins, Desktop app, Web UI (experimental), SDKs in TypeScript, Python and Java | Yes | 27,935 |
| Crush | The widest provider list with local models | Source available | See LICENSE | CLI | Yes | 28,153 |
| goose | A desktop app and a CLI under foundation governance | OSI | Apache-2.0 | Desktop app, CLI, API | Yes | 54,402 |
| gptme | A general-purpose local agent that also codes | OSI | MIT | CLI (pipx, uv or pip), Web UI, Desktop app, MCP server | Yes | 4,417 |
| Cline | The same agent in the IDE and headless in CI | OSI | Apache-2.0 | VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin, CLI, Desktop app, Node.js SDK | Yes | 68,575 |
| OpenHands | Hosting Claude Code itself on your servers | OSI | MIT | npm package, Docker, From source | Yes | 88,343 |
| Codex CLI | OpenAI models with open agent code | OSI | Apache-2.0 | CLI, Desktop app, IDE extension for VS Code, Cursor and Windsurf | No | 124,939 |
| Gemini CLI | A free tier on a Google account | OSI | Apache-2.0 | CLI, VS Code companion, GitHub Action | No | 107,045 |
Licence and star figures read from GitHub on September 17, 2026. Stars are shown as a dated fact and were not used to rank this page.
An MIT terminal coding agent with a full-access build agent and a read-only plan agent switched with the Tab key, installers for every platform, a beta desktop app, and the most-starred repository in this directory.
MIT, a full-access build agent and a read-only plan agent switched with Tab, installers for every platform, a beta desktop app, and the largest community in this directory by stars.
Know firstThe README states no providers, MCP or local-model details; the docs site does.
An Apache-2.0 coding agent from the Qwen team for the terminal, editor, desktop, browser and chat apps that works with OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini and Qwen APIs or local models through Ollama and vLLM, switched at runtime, with MCP, a sandbox and subagents.
Apache-2.0, with OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini and Qwen APIs or Ollama and vLLM, editor plugins, a desktop app, MCP, a sandbox and subagents. Its README says if you know Claude Code, you already know Qwen Code.
Know firstWeb UI and daemon mode are experimental; benchmark numbers are its own.
Charm's terminal coding agent with 28 provider integrations, local models through llama.cpp, Ollama and LM Studio, MCP over three transports and permission prompts by default, under the Functional Source License, which becomes MIT two years after each release.
28 hosted providers plus llama.cpp, Ollama, LM Studio and LiteLLM, MCP over stdio, HTTP and SSE, language servers, and permission prompts on every tool call by default.
Know firstFunctional Source License: no competing commercial use until each version turns MIT two years after release; usage metrics on by default.
An Apache-2.0 general-purpose AI agent from the Agentic AI Foundation at the Linux Foundation, written in Rust, with a desktop app, a CLI and an API, 15+ model providers including Ollama, and 70+ extensions over MCP.
Apache-2.0, part of the Agentic AI Foundation at the Linux Foundation, 15+ providers including Ollama, existing Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini subscriptions, and 70+ MCP extensions.
Know firstThe README says little about file, command and web capabilities; the docs do.
An MIT personal AI agent for the terminal that runs shell and Python locally, patches files, browses the web, works with Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, xAI, DeepSeek, OpenRouter or a local llama.cpp server, and is both an MCP client and an MCP server.
MIT, shell and Python locally, file patching, a browser, screenshots, sandboxing in Docker or Wasmtime, llama.cpp for local models, and MCP as both client and server.
Know firstA single-maintainer project with several features its README lists as in progress.
An Apache-2.0 coding agent for VS Code, JetBrains, the terminal and a desktop app that edits files as reviewable diffs, runs commands with your approval, works with any model provider including Ollama, and connects tools through MCP.
Apache-2.0, a CLI with JSON output for scripting, VS Code and JetBrains extensions, a desktop app, any provider including Ollama, and approval on every action.
Know firstJetBrains plugin not open source.
An MIT self-hosted control centre, called Agent Canvas, that runs the OpenHands agent or Claude Code, Codex, Gemini and any ACP-compatible agent across local, Docker and cloud backends, with automations triggered by schedules and webhooks.
MIT control centre that runs the OpenHands agent or Claude Code, Codex and any ACP agent in Docker and on your infrastructure, with automations from Slack, GitHub and Linear.
Know firstBeta, and its README warns two install routes give the agent full filesystem access.
OpenAI's Apache-2.0 coding agent that runs locally in your terminal, with a desktop app and IDE extensions, signed in with a ChatGPT plan or an OpenAI API key, so the code is open and the models are OpenAI's.
Apache-2.0 agent that runs locally, with a desktop app and IDE extensions, signed in with a ChatGPT plan or an API key.
Know firstOnly OpenAI's hosted models; no other provider and no local model.
Google's Apache-2.0 terminal agent for Gemini models with a free tier of 1,000 requests a day on a personal Google account, built-in search grounding, file and shell tools, MCP support, checkpointing and a GitHub Action.
Apache-2.0, with 1,000 requests a day on a personal Google account by its README, search grounding, shell and file tools, MCP and a GitHub Action.
Know firstOnly Google's hosted Gemini models; no other provider and no local model.
The questions that settle it, in the order they usually come up.
Qwen Code, Crush, goose, gptme and Cline document local models. Codex CLI and Gemini CLI cannot; OpenCode's README does not say.
Cline, Crush, Qwen Code, gptme and goose list Anthropic; goose and gptme accept an existing Claude subscription; Zed and OpenHands can host Claude Code itself.
OpenCode's plan agent, Cline's Plan mode, Qwen Code's plan mode, or Crush's permission prompts on every call.
All except Crush, which is under the Functional Source License until each version converts to MIT after two years.
Claude Code, in the vendor's own words, is a tool to "hand Claude a bug fix, test, or multi-day migration" and "steer and review from your terminal, IDE, Slack, or web", running in the terminal alongside your IDE with extensions for VS Code and JetBrains, by its own description. claude.com. The cases below are where that still wins.
Stars, licence, last commit and last release are read from the GitHub API by a script every week and carry the date they were read. Nobody types them.
What each project does is written from its own README and LICENSE, read in full on the date shown, and phrased as the project's claim. The sources are listed at the end.
That a project is faster, better or cheaper than Claude Code. A price for anyone. A user count. A roadmap. If a fact is not on this page, it was not in the source.
OpenCode (MIT) for a terminal agent with a built-in read-only planning mode and the largest community. Qwen Code (Apache-2.0) for the same workflow with OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Qwen or local models switched at runtime. Crush for the widest provider list with local models, under a licence that turns MIT after two years. goose (Apache-2.0) for a desktop app plus CLI under Linux Foundation governance.
Qwen Code through Ollama or vLLM, Crush through llama.cpp, Ollama, LM Studio and others, gptme through llama.cpp, goose through Ollama, and Cline through Ollama or LM Studio. OpenCode's README does not state its providers. Codex CLI and Gemini CLI use only their vendor's hosted models.
The agent is Apache-2.0 and runs locally, so the code is open to read and change. It signs in only with a ChatGPT plan or an OpenAI API key and offers no other provider or local model, so it replaces Claude Code with the same vendor-tied shape from OpenAI. Gemini CLI is the same shape from Google, with a free tier.
Yes. Cline, Crush, Qwen Code, gptme and goose list Anthropic among their providers, and goose and gptme can sign in with an existing Claude subscription. Zed runs Claude Code itself inside the editor over the Agent Client Protocol. The agent becomes open source; the model stays your choice.
OpenCode ships a plan agent that denies file edits by default and asks before running commands, switched with the Tab key. Cline has Plan and Act modes with approval on every edit and command. Qwen Code lists a plan mode. Crush asks permission before every tool call by default and allows rules in a config file.
OpenCode (MIT), Qwen Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, goose and Cline (Apache-2.0), gptme and OpenHands (MIT) are. Crush is not yet: it is under the Functional Source License, which forbids competing commercial use until each version converts to MIT two years after release, so this site labels Crush source available.
By GitHub stars on the date printed in each facts panel, OpenCode had the most of any project in this directory, followed by Codex CLI and Gemini CLI. Stars are shown as a dated fact and were not used to rank this page; licence and fit were.
Running one of these inside your own environment, with your own data and your own security rules, is the kind of work Reveneau does. Read how a forward deployed engagement works.