OpenCode Guide
Navigate: OpenCode vs Claude Code

Introduction

Getting Started

Guides & Integrations

Comparisons

OpenCode vs Claude Code

With the release of Claude Code, developers now have a high-quality "Agentic IDE" accessible from the terminal. However, OpenCode offers a fundamentally different philosophy. This guide analyzes the trade-offs to help you choose the right tool.

At a Glance

| Feature | OpenCode | Claude Code | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Model | Agnostic (Ollama, GPT, Claude) | Claude Only (3.5/3.7) | | Data Privacy | Local / Private | Cloud Processed | | Cost | Free (Bring your own API/GPU) | Usage Based | | Extensibility | High (NPM Plugins + MCP) | Moderate (MCP only) | | Ecosystem | Open Source / Community | Proprietary |

Deep Dive: The Differences

1. Privacy & Offline Capability

OpenCode shines here. It is designed to work without an internet connection if you have Local Models set up. Your codebase is indexed locally into vector memory (.opencode/memory).

Claude Code is a cloud-tethered tool. While powerful, it uploads your context to Anthropic's servers for processing. For regulated industries or strict IP agreements, OpenCode is often the only compliant choice.

2. Model Flexibility

Claude Code is locked to Anthropic's state-of-the-art models. This is excellent for performance but rigid.

OpenCode lets you route easy tasks to cheaper/faster models:

  • Use Haiku or Llama-3-8b for simple lint fixes.
  • Use GPT-5 or Opus for complex architecture planning. This routing can save significant API costs.

3. Integration Depth

Both tools support the Model Context Protocol (MCP), but OpenCode's CLI Commands expose lower-level system access. OpenCode can effectively "script" your OS, whereas Claude Code generally stays within the bounds of software engineering tasks.

When to use Claude Code?

  • You want zero setup friction.
  • You trust Anthropic with your code.
  • You want the absolute smartest reasoning capability available today (Claude 3.7).

When to use OpenCode?

  • Cost Control: You want to run heavy refactors using free local compute.
  • Customization: You need to write a custom plugin to interface with internal legacy systems.
  • Privacy: Your employment contract forbids sending code to cloud LLMs.

Conclusion

They are not mutually exclusive. Many developers use Claude Code for difficult debugging sessions where reasoning is king, and OpenCode for daily driving, scaffolding, and bulk editing where cost and speed (via local models) matter more.

Read more about What is OpenCode to understand the philosophy behind the open alternative.