opencode vs claw-code
Two of the top coding agents and assistants, side by side: who leads on each score part and who each one suits, then setup, license, activity and what each review found.
opencode
Terminal coding agent with build and plan modes
claw-code
Rust CLI coding agent harness, built from source
Verdict
opencode ranks higher, 79 to 77. Of the 5 score parts we measure for both, opencode leads on 2, claw-code on 1 and 2 are even.
- Adoptionopencode leads by 3 points, 99 to 96: close to even.
- FreshnessEven at 100.
- Maintenanceopencode leads by 17 points, 92 to 75: a wide gap.
- Easy to runEven at 50.
- Agent-readyclaw-code leads by 40 points, 70 to 30: a wide gap.
Pick opencode if you are
Developers wanting an open terminal coding agent
- MIT license; installable from npm, Homebrew, Scoop, Chocolatey, pacman, mise and Nix
- Plan agent denies file edits and asks before bash, for safe codebase exploration
Pick claw-code if you are
Rust-comfortable developers inspecting or building a CLI coding agent harness
- Rust workspace builds to a single `claw` binary with a `doctor` check
- Supports local OpenAI-compatible backends: Ollama, llama.cpp, vLLM
| What we compare | opencode | claw-code |
|---|---|---|
| Score parts, out of 100 | ||
| Adoption | 99, widely used | 96, widely used |
| Freshness | 100, active | 100, active |
| Maintenance | 92, healthy | 75, fair |
| Easy to run | 50, easy | 50, easy |
| Agent-ready | 30, minimal | 70, partly |
| Facts from GitHub and the README | ||
| Stars | 213k | 195k |
| License | MIT (permissive) | MIT (permissive) |
| Last commit | Oct 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Last release | Oct 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Language | TypeScript | Rust |
| Docker | No | Yes |
| GPU | Not needed | Not stated |
| arm64 or Apple Silicon | Mentioned | Mentioned |
opencode
Runs an AI coding agent in the terminal with two built-in agents: build (full access) and plan (read-only, asks before running bash), plus a general subagent for multi-step searches. Installs via a curl script, npm, Homebrew, Scoop, Chocolatey, pacman, mise or Nix, and ships a beta desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux. For developers who want an open, configurable coding agent.
Who it is for: Developers wanting an open terminal coding agent
Strengths
- MIT license; installable from npm, Homebrew, Scoop, Chocolatey, pacman, mise and Nix
- Plan agent denies file edits and asks before bash, for safe codebase exploration
- Desktop app (beta) for macOS, Windows and Linux alongside the terminal UI
Weaknesses
- README covers install only; providers, config and server mode are in external docs
- No Dockerfile or compose file in the repo
- Desktop app is still beta
- no GPU
claw-code
Claw Code is a Rust implementation of the `claw` CLI agent harness, with the workspace in `rust/` and commands such as `claw prompt`, an interactive session, and `claw doctor` as a health check. It authenticates with API keys (Anthropic, OpenAI, others), and the docs cover local OpenAI-compatible providers such as Ollama, llama.cpp and vLLM. The README describes the repo as an agent-managed exhibit and points users who want to run work to LazyCodex or Gajae-Code.
Who it is for: Rust-comfortable developers inspecting or building a CLI coding agent harness
Strengths
- Rust workspace builds to a single `claw` binary with a `doctor` check
- Supports local OpenAI-compatible backends: Ollama, llama.cpp, vLLM
- MIT license; PowerShell-first Windows install docs alongside Linux and macOS
- Mock parity harness and workspace test suite via `cargo test --workspace`
Weaknesses
- Build from source only; `cargo install claw-code` installs a deprecated stub
- README says it is not the serious production project
- Claude subscription login unsupported; API key required
- No ACP/Zed daemon yet; `claw acp serve` only returns status
- Docker + Compose
- Needs Rust toolchain (cargo), API key (Anthropic, OpenAI or compatible provider)
- Models: Anthropic API, OpenAI API, OpenAI-compatible local servers (Ollama, llama.cpp, vLLM)
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