$ termdex

Coding agent (CLI) · Anthropic

Claude Code

Anthropic's closed-source terminal coding agent for Claude models. Edits files, runs commands, handles git, and extends through MCP, hooks, skills and subagents; also available in IDEs, desktop, web and mobile.

Reviewed by the Termdex team · facts checked 2026-10-28 against 9 vendor sources · how we check

Official site

Claude Code, command-line coding agent, as shown on its official site
Claude Code's own preview image. Image: Anthropic (official site).

Claude Code review

Claude Code is Anthropic's terminal coding agent for macOS, Windows and Linux. It is closed source and needs a paid Anthropic plan or API account. We read the vendor's pages and repository in October 2026. We did not run an independent test.

Who it is for

Developers who already pay for Claude and want a scriptable CLI coding agent. It works across the terminal, IDE, CI and phone. It is not for people who want open source or non-Anthropic models.

What stands out

Claude Code edits files, runs commands and handles git from the terminal. It extends through MCP, hooks, skills and subagents. Background agents and git worktrees (claude --worktree) support parallel sessions.

The same engine runs in VS Code and JetBrains extensions, a desktop app, the web and the Claude mobile app. Remote Control lets a phone drive a session. Non-interactive mode is claude -p, and the docs cover GitHub Actions, GitLab CI and an Agent SDK.

On macOS, Linux and WSL2, a sandboxed Bash tool restricts commands at OS level, using Seatbelt on macOS and bubblewrap on Linux. Claude runs on your claude.ai subscription, a Console API key, Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud's Agent Platform or Microsoft Foundry.

Price and licence

The licence is proprietary: "All rights reserved", with use subject to Anthropic's Commercial Terms of Service. The public anthropics/claude-code repository holds issues, plugins and a changelog. It does not hold the source.

The free claude.ai plan does not include the CLI. On claude.com/pricing, seen 28 October 2026: Pro is $20 a month, or $17 billed annually. Max is listed "from $100" a month. Team seats are $25 Standard and $125 Premium monthly. Enterprise is $20 per seat on annual billing, 20 seats minimum, plus usage at API rates. We did not see the Max tier amounts.

You can instead pay per token through a Console API key or a cloud provider.

Where it falls short

Alternatives

See Claude Code alternatives for other options. Codex CLI and OpenCode are both open source.

Facts: platforms, price and licence

platforms
macOSWindowsLinuxNative Windows is supported but the sandboxed Bash tool is not available there (WSL2 needed for sandboxing). Requires macOS 13+, Windows 10 1809+, Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 10+ or Alpine 3.19+, 4 GB RAM, internet connection, and an Anthropic-supported country. Also ships as VS Code/JetBrains extensions, a desktop app and a web/mobile surface.
price
SubscriptionThe CLI needs a Claude Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise or Console (API) account; the free claude.ai plan does not include it. Seen 2026-10-28 on claude.com/pricing: Pro $20/month ($17/month billed annually as $200); Max from $100/month (5x or 20x Pro usage, tier prices not itemised on the page); Team Standard seat $25/month ($20 annual), Premium seat $125/month ($100 annual); Enterprise $20/seat/month annual with 20-seat minimum plus usage at API rates. Alternatively pay per token through an Anthropic Console API key, Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud's Agent Platform or Microsoft Foundry. Model cost is the Anthropic plan or API usage.
source
ProprietaryLicence: Proprietary (Anthropic Commercial Terms)
github
anthropics/claude-code 153.6k stars, seen 2026-10-28

Claude Code features

✓ documented · – absent or not in its feature list · ? not verified

Claude Code strengths

  • Documented non-interactive mode (claude -p), GitHub Actions and GitLab CI integration, and an Agent SDK
  • Subagents, background agents and git worktrees (claude --worktree) for parallel sessions
  • OS-level sandboxed Bash tool on macOS (Seatbelt), Linux and WSL2 (bubblewrap)
  • Same engine across terminal, IDEs, desktop app, web, and phone via Remote Control and the Claude mobile app

Claude Code weak points

  • Proprietary: the GitHub repo holds issues, plugins and a changelog, not the source code
  • Requires a paid Anthropic plan or API/cloud-provider account; the free claude.ai plan is excluded
  • Claude models only; docs state non-Claude models through a gateway are not supported
  • No sandbox on native Windows; the sandbox needs WSL2

Who Claude Code is for

best 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.

Compare Claude Code

Lists that include Claude Code

Sources and what we could not verify

Checked 2026-10-28. Prices and features change; the vendor's page is the authority.

Not verified