opencode vs Qwen Code
Both are alternatives to Claude Code. Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as Qwen Code vs opencode — same comparison, one verdict.
opencode and Qwen Code are closely matched on ownership (93 vs 91) — this one comes down to pricing and to which trade-offs below you can live with.
opencode
TOP PICKThe MIT terminal agent that picks up your CLAUDE.md where you left it.
opencode (MIT, maintained by Anomaly) is the open-source agent closest in shape to Claude Code: a terminal UI with a full-access `build` agent, a read-only `plan` agent and a `general` subagent, plus a desktop app in beta. It is provider-agnostic, with 75+ providers through the AI SDK and Models.dev, including Anthropic on an API key and local models via Ollama, LM Studio, llama.cpp or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. For anyone coming from Claude Code it reads CLAUDE.md, ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md and ~/.claude/skills as fallbacks when no AGENTS.md exists, so an existing repository works on day one. Two optional paid services sit beside the free tool: OpenCode Go, a $10/month subscription to open-source models (Go Plus $40/month), and Zen, a pay-as-you-go gateway of tested models. Your own keys cost nothing extra.
Qwen Code
An Apache-2.0 agent that measures itself against Claude Code and runs on any provider.
Qwen Code (Apache-2.0, from the Qwen team at Alibaba Cloud) is an open-source coding agent for the terminal, IDE plugins for VS Code, JetBrains and Zed, a desktop app, a web UI and chat. It began as a fork of Google's Gemini CLI v0.8.2 and has developed independently since v0.1. Its README compares it to Claude Code feature by feature (subagents and agent teams, skills, hooks, MCP, plan mode, sandboxing) and it is multi-protocol: OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini and Qwen APIs, any third-party provider, or local models through Ollama or vLLM. It has deep integrations for Alibaba's own Qwen models, which is both its strength and its bias.
Side by side
6 points of comparison, every one read from a verified field. Green marks the side that wins a row outright. A dash means we do not hold that fact — never that it is zero.
| opencode | Qwen Code | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty ScoreOur transparent 0–100 composite for data ownership and exit cost. | 93 | 91 |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Local-first data | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Pricing | Free and open source (MIT); you pay your own model provider. Optional OpenCode Go at $10/month (Go Plus $40/month) for open-source models, or the pay-as-you-go Zen gateway. Verified on opencode.ai 2026-10-03. | Free and open source (Apache-2.0); you pay your chosen provider, or nothing beyond hardware with a local model. |
opencode is Macrostack's recommended Claude Code alternative, so it's our pick here.
opencode
Strengths
- +Reads CLAUDE.md, ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md and ~/.claude/skills as fallbacks, the lowest-effort move from Claude Code
- +75+ providers: keep Claude on an API key, switch models per task, or run fully local
- +The same plan-then-build rhythm: a read-only plan agent that denies edits by default and asks before running bash
- +The largest community in the category, about 211k GitHub stars, with commits daily
Trade-offs
- −Keeping Claude models means per-token API billing: opencode's own docs say Anthropic prohibits using Claude Pro/Max plans through it, and it stopped bundling the plugins that did so in version 1.3.0
- −The desktop app is still in beta; the terminal is the mature surface
- −A large configuration surface (providers, models, agents, permissions) is more to learn than one vendor's defaults
- −A local model is a real hardware ask and will trail a frontier model on hard multi-file work
Qwen Code
Strengths
- +Near feature parity with Claude Code on paper, per its own comparison table: subagents, skills, hooks, MCP, plan mode and sandbox
- +Multi-protocol: OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini and Qwen APIs, any third-party provider, or local Ollama and vLLM
- +A wide surface: terminal, VS Code, JetBrains and Zed plugins, desktop app, web UI and SDK
- +Very active, with commits daily and about 28k GitHub stars
Trade-offs
- −Tuned first for Qwen models; other providers work, but that is where the integration is deepest
- −The parity table is the project's own claim, so test it on your repository before relying on it
- −The default standalone installer downloads from an Alibaba Cloud storage bucket; npm (Node 22+) and Homebrew are alternatives if your policy cares where binaries come from
Which one fits you
The trade-offs above, turned into a decision. Find the line that describes your team.
Choose opencode
if a lower exit cost matters more to you than any single feature, and reads CLAUDE.md, ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md and ~/.claude/skills as fallbacks, the lowest-effort move from Claude Code.
Choose Qwen Code
if near feature parity with Claude Code on paper, per its own comparison table: subagents, skills, hooks, MCP, plan mode and sandbox.
Neither, yet
if both carry a real cost you should weigh first — keeping Claude models means per-token API billing: opencode's own docs say Anthropic prohibits using Claude Pro/Max plans through it, and it stopped bundling the plugins that did so in version 1.3.0, and tuned first for Qwen models; other providers work, but that is where the integration is deepest. If either of those is a dealbreaker for your team, the shortlist is wrong rather than the choice.
opencode vs Qwen Code — common questions
Is opencode a better fit than Qwen Code for ai coding assistants?
It depends on what you are optimising for, and the honest split is this: opencode scores 93 to Qwen Code's 91 on data ownership and exit cost, so it is the safer choice if you care about being able to leave. Qwen Code earns its place on a different axis — near feature parity with Claude Code on paper, per its own comparison table: subagents, skills, hooks, MCP, plan mode and sandbox. Neither is a wrong answer for every team; the table above is the actual comparison.
What happens if we want to switch later?
opencode keeps its data local or in open formats, so leaving is an export rather than a negotiation. Qwen Code is still self-hostable, so the files stay on your server either way — but it is not local-first by design, so check what its export produces before you rely on it.
Can I self-host opencode or Qwen Code?
Both can be self-hosted. The difference is what it costs you in time rather than whether it is possible — see the setup and maintenance rows above.
Are opencode and Qwen Code both alternatives to Claude Code?
Yes — both appear in our Claude Code comparison, which is why they are worth putting side by side. People usually arrive here already having decided to move off Claude Code and now choosing between the two replacements, which is a narrower and much easier question.
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Facts verified 2026-10-03. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.