Comparing Claude Code and opencode AI coding tools

The article compares the AI-powered coding tools Claude Code and opencode, discussing their differences in code quality, workflow, cost, and provider support.

Details

The author used Claude Code for 2 months before switching to opencode. They found that the code quality produced by the two tools is nearly identical when using the same AI model, such as Claude Sonnet. The key differences are in workflow and cost. Claude Code is faster, completing a refactoring task in 9 minutes compared to 16 minutes for opencode. However, opencode also runs the full test suite to check for regressions, which can be valuable depending on the project. The author also appreciates opencode's broader support for different AI models and providers, allowing them to switch between DeepSeek and Claude Sonnet as needed. Additionally, opencode's terminal user interface (TUI) provides more visibility into the agent's actions during long-running tasks. The author notes that opencode sometimes reformats code in ways the user didn't request, which could be an issue for teams with strict style rules. Overall, the author recommends opencode for users who don't already pay for Claude Max or want more flexibility in their AI coding tool.