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Claude Code alternatives (2026)
Claude Code is a coding tool: Anthropic's terminal coding agent that edits code, runs commands and handles git. Pricing, as the maker states it: Paid (Claude plan or API). Its GitHub repo has 150,707 stars. We found 182 tools in the directory that do overlapping work (writing code, coding in the terminal); 135 of them are open source and 22 list a free or freemium plan. Below are the 10 closest, ranked by how many tasks and sub-tasks they share with Claude Code, then by GitHub stars.
Updated
Quick comparison Top 10 of 11 listed below. Pricing as the maker states it; blank means we don't have it.
| Tool | Pricing | Best for | Open source |
|---|---|---|---|
 FuXi | Free | Write code | |
 ripwire | Open source | Write code | Yes |
 ThinkRail | Open source | Write code | Yes |
 Mirror CLI | See site | Write code | |
 Amp | Usage-based | Write code | |
 opencode | Open source | Write code | Yes |
 CC Switch | Open source | Write code | Yes |
 OpenAI Codex CLI | Open source | Write code | Yes |
 Pi | Open source | Write code | Yes |
 Gemini CLI | Open source | Write code | Yes |
- FuXi (Free): A terminal AI coding agent that edits code, runs commands and works across 30+ model families, with parallel multi-provider inference and cost-aware model routing. Consider it because it lists a free plan; it also covers running many agents in parallel.
- ripwire (Open source): Zero-dependency CLI and MCP server that gives coding agents a ranked call graph, blast radius and tests-to-run before and after edits. Consider it because it is open source, so you can self-host and inspect it; it also covers voice and phone agents and MCP servers.
- ThinkRail (Open source): JetBrains' lightweight agentic IDE that pairs you with the pi coding agent, with isolated git-worktree workspaces, editor tabs, terminals and diffs. Consider it because it is open source, so you can self-host and inspect it; it also covers code review and running many agents in parallel.
- Mirror CLI (See site): Reflection AI's terminal coding agent that reads code, edits files and runs commands in isolated git worktrees, using the open-weight Beam model by default. Consider it because it also covers running many agents in parallel and sandboxes and secure execution.
- Amp (Usage-based): Agentic coding tool for the terminal and editor. Consider it because it also covers IDE and editor agents.
- opencode (Open source): Open-source terminal coding agent that works with many model providers. Consider it because it is open source, so you can self-host and inspect it; it has more GitHub stars (213,329 vs 150,707).
- CC Switch (Open source): Desktop manager for Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, OpenClaw and other coding agents that switches API providers in one click and manages MCP servers, skills and prompts. Consider it because it is open source, so you can self-host and inspect it; it is ready to use without building anything; it also covers computer and desktop control and MCP servers.
- OpenAI Codex CLI (Open source): OpenAI's open-source coding agent for the terminal; also runs in the cloud. Consider it because it is open source, so you can self-host and inspect it. Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex CLI →
- Pi (Open source): Minimal, extensible open-source terminal coding agent and agent toolkit from Earendil, with a multi-provider LLM API, TypeScript SDK, RPC mode and installable extensions, skills and themes. Consider it because it is open source, so you can self-host and inspect it; it also covers agent frameworks and SDKs and rules, skills and config.
- Gemini CLI (Open source): Google's open-source terminal agent powered by Gemini. Consider it because it is open source, so you can self-host and inspect it. Claude Code vs Gemini CLI →
Claude Code vs alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Pricing | Open source / licence | GitHub stars | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Claude Code | Paid | Proprietary (All rights reserved; Anthropic Commercial Terms of Service) | 150,707 | writing code, coding in the terminal |
| FuXi | Free | No | 3,341 | writing code, coding in the terminal |
| ripwire | Open source | Yes | 2,455 | writing code, coding in the terminal |
| ThinkRail | Open source | Yes | 961 | writing code, coding in the terminal |
| Mirror CLI | See site | No | 180 | writing code, coding in the terminal |
| Amp | Usage-based | No | — | writing code, coding in the terminal |
| opencode | Open source | MIT | 213,329 | writing code, coding in the terminal |
| CC Switch | Open source | MIT | 145,685 | writing code, coding in the terminal |
| OpenAI Codex CLI | Open source | Apache License 2.0 | 129,112 | writing code, coding in the terminal |
| Pi | Open source | MIT | 116,073 | writing code, coding in the terminal |
| Gemini CLI | Open source | Apache License 2.0 | 107,334 | writing code, coding in the terminal |
Written comparisons: Aider vs Claude Code · Claude Code vs Cursor · Claude Code vs Gemini CLI · Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex CLI
More: Claude Code listing · All coding tools · All alternatives pages
Related searches: AI coding agents for the terminal (CLI) · Open-source AI coding agents
Alternatives are picked from directory data only: same category plus shared tasks and sub-tasks. Pricing is as each maker states it; GitHub stars as recorded on each listing.