Open-Source AI Coding Agents You Can Run Yourself
Paid AI coding tools are excellent, but open-source agents give you three things they can't: you pick the model, you control the cost, and your code can stay on your machine.
The main options
OpenCode
A terminal coding agent and currently the most-starred open-source agent on GitHub. Works with many model providers.
Cline
A VS Code extension with "Plan" and "Act" modes. It reads your project, proposes changes and runs terminal commands with your approval.
Goose (by Block)
A local agent that runs on your machine, shows every command it executes, and can be extended with plugins.
OpenHands
An agent platform with a web interface that can code, use a terminal and browse the web. Good for bigger, more autonomous tasks.
Codex CLI and Gemini CLI
Both are open source, made by OpenAI and Google, and growing quickly.
A note on Aider
Aider was a pioneer, but it has had no commits to its main branch since May 2026. It still works, but newer tools are moving faster.
"Open source" doesn't always mean "free"
The agent is free; the model usually isn't. You either pay for an API key (per use) or run a model locally with Ollama. A common budget setup: a cheap API model for everyday tasks and a stronger one only for hard problems.
Which should you try first?
- VS Code user: Cline
- Terminal lover: OpenCode
- Privacy first: Goose with a local model
Want the full comparison with paid tools? See Best AI coding agents in 2026.
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