AgentScout / Best lists / Gemini CLI alternatives
Gemini CLI alternatives (2026)
Gemini CLI is a coding tool: Google's open-source terminal agent powered by Gemini. Pricing, as the maker states it: Open source; free tier. Its GitHub repo has 107,334 stars. We found 182 tools in the directory that do overlapping work (writing code, coding in the terminal, open-source agents); 134 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 Gemini CLI, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
 opencode | Open source | Write code | Yes |
 OpenAI Codex CLI | Open source | Write code | Yes |
 Pi | Open source | Write code | Yes |
 Qwen Code | Open source | Write code | Yes |
 Kilo Code | Open source + cloud | Write code | Yes |
 Grok CLI | Open source | Write code | Yes |
 Zero | Open source | Write code | Yes |
 Claude Code | Paid | Write code | |
 CC Switch | Open source | Write code | Yes |
 Understand-Anything | Open source | Write code | Yes |
- opencode (Open source): Open-source terminal coding agent that works with many model providers. Consider it because it has more GitHub stars (213,329 vs 107,334).
- OpenAI Codex CLI (Open source): OpenAI's open-source coding agent for the terminal; also runs in the cloud. Consider it because it has more GitHub stars (129,112 vs 107,334).
- 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 also covers agent frameworks and SDKs and rules, skills and config; it has more GitHub stars (116,073 vs 107,334).
- Qwen Code (Open source): Open-source terminal coding agent from the Qwen team. Consider it because it does the same job with a different approach (open source).
- Kilo Code (Open source + cloud): Open-source AI coding agent for VS Code, JetBrains, the CLI and the cloud that works with 500+ models at no markup. Consider it because it also covers IDE and editor agents.
- Grok CLI (Open source): Open-source coding agent for the Grok API. Consider it because it does the same job with a different approach (open source).
- Zero (Open source): An open-source terminal coding agent written in Go that works with 30+ model providers, supports MCP, skills and subagents, and keeps all sessions on your own disk. Consider it because it also covers multi-agent orchestration and local and self-hosted.
- Claude Code (Paid): Anthropic's terminal coding agent that edits code, runs commands and handles git. Consider it because it is a managed commercial product, if you'd rather not run it yourself; it also covers editing and rough cuts; it has more GitHub stars (150,707 vs 107,334). Gemini CLI vs Claude Code →
- 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 ready to use without building anything; it also covers computer and desktop control and MCP servers; it has more GitHub stars (145,685 vs 107,334).
- Understand-Anything (Open source): Turns any codebase, knowledge base or docs folder into an interactive knowledge graph you can explore and question, working inside Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Copilot and Gemini CLI. Consider it because it also covers codebase context and code search and RAG and documents.
Gemini CLI vs alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Pricing | Open source / licence | GitHub stars | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gemini CLI | Open source | Apache License 2.0 | 107,334 | writing code, coding in the terminal |
| opencode | Open source | MIT | 213,329 | 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 |
| Qwen Code | Open source | Apache License 2.0 | 28,529 | writing code, coding in the terminal |
| Kilo Code | Open source + cloud | MIT | 27,649 | writing code, coding in the terminal |
| Grok CLI | Open source | MIT | 3,497 | writing code, coding in the terminal |
| Zero | Open source | Yes | 1,738 | writing code, coding in the terminal |
| Claude Code | Paid | Proprietary (All rights reserved; Anthropic Commercial Terms of Service) | 150,707 | writing code, coding in the terminal |
| CC Switch | Open source | MIT | 145,685 | writing code, coding in the terminal |
| Understand-Anything | Open source | Yes | 87,175 | writing code, coding in the terminal |
Written comparisons: Claude Code vs Gemini CLI
More: Gemini CLI 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.