Terminal coding agents whose licence we checked in the repository and found to be open source. Source-available and proprietary tools are left out, even when the code is public.
19 tools · facts checked 2026-10-28 · sorted by GitHub stars (read from GitHub 2026-10-28) · how we check
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.
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.
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.
mini-SWE-agentbest for: Researchers and tinkerers who want a small, transparent agent loop for benchmarking models or hacking on their own harness. look elsewhere if: Teams wanting an out-of-the-box product with IDE integration, approvals UI and managed support.
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.
How we picked
We include a tool only when its licence file is OSI-approved, such as MIT or Apache-2.0. Crush is source-available under FSL-1.1-MIT, so it is left out. GitHub Copilot CLI, Claude Code, Amp, Cursor CLI and Factory Droid are proprietary.
Things to check before you pick
Licences differ. OpenCode, pi and Kimi Code CLI use MIT. Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, Aider and goose use Apache-2.0. Codebuff's root licence file says Apache-2.0, but its npm metadata says MIT, so read the file.
Open code is not free to run. Kimi Code CLI is MIT, yet its default login needs a Kimi membership or a Moonshot API key. Codebuff plans start at $100 per month, and you do not choose its models.
Origins matter. Open Interpreter is a Rust fork of Codex CLI, and MiMoCode is a fork of OpenCode. goose moved from block/goose to aaif-goose/goose, so old tutorials use the old name.
Open source does not imply a sandbox. goose documents no built-in command sandbox, and OpenCode documents only permissions.
