OpenCodebest for: Developers who want an open-source terminal agent they can point at any model provider, including local models. look elsewhere if: Teams that need a documented OS-level sandbox or a single vendor-supported model stack.
Claude Codebest for: Developers who already pay for Claude and want a scriptable, sandboxable agent that works across terminal, IDE, CI and phone. look elsewhere if: People who want an open-source tool or need to run local or non-Anthropic models.
Codex CLIbest for: ChatGPT subscribers or OpenAI API users who want an open-source, sandboxed terminal agent. look elsewhere if: Anyone who needs to run it on non-OpenAI or local models and wants that officially documented.
pibest for: Developers who want a small, hackable agent harness they can script, embed and customise, and who are fine adding their own isolation. look elsewhere if: Anyone who wants built-in approval prompts, sandboxing or sub-agent orchestration out of the box.
Gemini CLIbest for: Teams with a Gemini Code Assist licence or a paid Gemini/Vertex API key who want an open-source CLI agent. look elsewhere if: Individuals looking for a free tier or the newest Gemini models; Google steers them to Antigravity CLI.
Cline CLIbest for: Developers who want an open-source terminal and CI agent they can point at any provider, including local models. look elsewhere if: Users who need a documented command sandbox out of the box or a single fixed-price plan covering all model usage.
Open Interpreterbest for: Developers who want a Codex-style terminal agent they can point at cheap or local open models with sandboxing on. look elsewhere if: Anyone looking for the old Python 'let the model run code on my computer' tool or a ready-to-pay hosted service.
goosebest for: Users who want an open-source agent with both a GUI and a CLI, MCP extensions and the freedom to choose any model, including local ones. look elsewhere if: Anyone who needs a hardened, sandboxed execution environment built in.
Aiderbest for: Developers who want a git-centred, model-agnostic terminal pair programmer they can also call from shell scripts. look elsewhere if: Teams that need MCP tools, parallel subagents or a sandboxed autonomous agent.
Codewhalebest for: Developers who want an MIT-licensed Rust agent that can switch between many cloud providers and local models. look elsewhere if: Windows users who need OS-level command sandboxing.
Oh My Pibest for: Developers who want a pi-style terminal agent with LSP, debugging and subagent orchestration already included. look elsewhere if: Users who want a minimal agent or a default-deny permission model out of the box.
DeepSeek-Reasonixbest for: Developers who want a free, MIT-licensed agent with a desktop app, remote SSH sessions and a DeepSeek-friendly default. look elsewhere if: Anyone who wants a vendor-backed DeepSeek product with official support.
Crushbest for: Terminal users who like Charm's TUI style and want MCP and LSP support with a choice of cloud or local models for personal or internal use. look elsewhere if: Anyone who needs an OSI-approved open source license, e.g. to embed or resell it in a competing product.
Qwen Codebest for: Developers who want an open-source Claude Code-style agent that can point at Qwen, other cloud APIs or a local model. look elsewhere if: Anyone looking for a zero-cost hosted model out of the box, now that the free OAuth quota is gone.
Prime Agentbest for: Researchers and power users who want long-running, programmable agents with subagents and a persistent Python environment. look elsewhere if: Anyone who needs a sandboxed agent out of the box or a well-documented list of supported models.
Codebuffbest for: Developers who want a hosted multi-agent coding CLI and an SDK, and are fine paying per credit or per plan. look elsewhere if: Users who want to run their own model keys or local models with a paid-free tool; for a free option look at Freebuff or other agents.
MiMoCodebest for: Developers who want an OpenCode-based agent with built-in memory and checkpoints, using MiMo models or their own provider. look elsewhere if: Users on Terminal.app who do not want to switch terminals, or those who need a documented sandbox.
GitHub Copilot CLIbest for: Developers already on GitHub Copilot who want an agent tied to their repos, issues and pull requests. look elsewhere if: People who need open-source code or who do not want a GitHub account and subscription.
Kimi Code CLIbest for: Developers who already use Kimi models and want a fast single-binary terminal agent with scripting support. look elsewhere if: Users who need OS-level command sandboxing or a documented local-model workflow.
Forgebest for: Developers who live in a shell (especially ZSH) and want a free, scriptable agent with their own model keys. look elsewhere if: Users who need a documented, working one-line installer today or published pricing for the hosted offering.
Mistral Vibebest for: Developers who want an Apache-licensed terminal agent tied to Mistral/Devstral models with scriptable runs. look elsewhere if: Users who want a documented, built-in OS sandbox for every command on Windows.
Factory Droidbest for: Teams and individuals ready to pay for a managed agent platform that spans CLI, CI and chat tools. look elsewhere if: Users who want a free, open-source terminal agent or fully offline operation without a Factory account.
Ampbest for: Developers who want a hosted, multi-device coding agent they can start from a phone and leave running remotely. look elsewhere if: Anyone who needs open-source code, fully offline use with local models, or fixed predictable pricing.
Cursor CLIbest for: Existing Cursor users who want the same agent, MCP setup and models in a terminal or CI. look elsewhere if: Anyone who needs an open-source tool, local models, or bring-your-own-key billing.
How we picked
We include a tool when Windows appears in its platform list. That means a vendor installer or statement, not that every feature works there. mini-SWE-agent's docs state no operating systems, so it is not listed. Each review notes its Windows caveats.
Things to check before you pick
Native or WSL. OpenCode's docs recommend WSL on Windows. Claude Code runs natively on Windows, but its sandboxed Bash tool needs WSL2. Mistral Vibe works on Windows, though UNIX is its officially supported target.
Conflicting guidance. OpenAI documents a native Windows sandbox for Codex CLI, but the repo's docs/install.md still says Windows 11 via WSL2.
Extra dependencies. pi uses Git Bash by default, and Kimi Code CLI needs Git for Windows. Gemini CLI lists Windows 11 24H2 and Node.js 20 or later.
Sandbox gaps. Codewhale and Reasonix have no OS sandbox on Windows, while Open Interpreter documents a native one. Check this before running unattended.
