11 coding agents

Why you'd want it

Claude Code runs in the terminal, VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, a desktop app and the browser, and every surface shares the same CLAUDE.md files, settings and MCP servers. It plans multi-file changes, runs tests, stages commits and opens pull requests, and it can read an existing AGENTS.md. Subagents, skills, hooks and a non-interactive claude -p mode let you script it in CI, and the Agent SDK exposes the same tools for building your own agents.

Best for

• Developers who want one agent across terminal and IDE
• Teams automating PR review and issue triage in CI
• Builders working with Claude models

Use it when

You want an agent that works across a whole repo, runs your tools and handles git, and you have a Claude subscription or Anthropic Console account.

Why you'd want it

Codex CLI works against your local repository with the tools already installed on your machine, and you choose the model, reasoning effort, permissions and sandbox for each run. You can use it interactively or call codex exec from scripts and CI, run a review against uncommitted changes, a commit or a base branch, add MCP servers with codex mcp, and hand work off to Codex cloud. You sign in with a ChatGPT plan or use an API key.

Best for

• ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, Edu or Enterprise users
• Scripted runs in CI with codex exec
• Reviewing changes before a commit

Use it when

You want a terminal coding agent on OpenAI models with control over sandboxing and approvals, and you have a ChatGPT plan or OpenAI API key.

Why you'd want it

OpenCode has two built-in agents you switch between with Tab: build, with full access for development work, and plan, which is read-only, denies file edits by default and asks before running bash commands. It supports many LLM providers out of the box, connected from the TUI with /connect, and extends through MCP servers, plugins, agent skills and custom commands. The team also sells OpenCode Go, a subscription for open-source models, but you can use your own provider keys instead.

Best for

• Terminal users who want provider choice
• Separating read-only planning from editing
• Using the same agent from a TUI, desktop app or web UI

Use it when

You want an MIT-licensed coding agent that works with many model providers and offers a TUI, a desktop app and a local web interface.

Why you'd want it

The OpenHands repo now ships Agent Canvas, a self-hosted UI that runs the open-source OpenHands agent and can also drive Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenCode or any ACP-compatible agent. Agents run on Agent Server backends on your laptop, in Docker containers, on VMs or in OpenHands Cloud, and you switch between backends from one frontend. Automations run on a schedule or on webhook events and connect to Slack, GitHub, Linear and Notion.

Best for

• Teams running always-on agents on their own servers
• Running several agents in isolated Docker containers
• Scheduled and webhook-driven agent automations

Use it when

You want coding agents on a server or in Docker sandboxes so they keep working when your laptop is closed, and you want to trigger them from Slack or GitHub.

Why you'd want it

Cline edits files across a project, runs terminal commands and reacts to their output, and in VS Code and JetBrains each edit appears as a diff with checkpoints so you can undo its work. Plan mode explores the codebase and proposes a strategy before Act mode carries it out, and every edit and command needs your approval unless you turn on auto-approve. It works with Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, OpenRouter, Bedrock, Ollama, LM Studio and any OpenAI-compatible API, and extends through MCP servers, SDK plugins and .clinerules files.

Best for

• VS Code and JetBrains users
• Developers who want to approve each action
• Bring-your-own-model or local-model setups

Use it when

You want an agent inside your editor that asks before each change, and you want to pick the model provider yourself.

Why you'd want it

Gemini CLI is a terminal agent with built-in file, shell, web fetch and Google Search grounding tools, and it adds MCP servers configured in ~/.gemini/settings.json. It reads project context from GEMINI.md, can checkpoint and resume sessions, and has a headless mode with JSON and streaming JSON output for scripts. A separate GitHub Action uses it for PR reviews and issue triage.

Best for

• Teams with a Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise license
• Google Cloud and Vertex AI users
• Scripted runs that need JSON output

Use it when

Your organization has a Gemini Code Assist Standard or Enterprise license, or you pay for Gemini API or Vertex AI access, and you want a terminal agent on Gemini models.

Why you'd want it

goose is a local agent for code as well as research, writing, automation and data analysis, available as a desktop app for macOS, Linux and Windows, a CLI and an API. It works with 15+ providers including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Ollama, OpenRouter, Azure and Bedrock, and can use existing Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini subscriptions through ACP. It connects to 70+ extensions over MCP, and you can build custom distributions with preconfigured providers, extensions and branding.

Best for

• Agents for tasks beyond coding
• Desktop app users who also want a CLI
• Teams building an internal agent distribution

Use it when

You want an open-source local agent that is not tied to one model vendor and that you extend with MCP servers.

Why you'd want it

Crush lets you pick from many LLM providers, or add your own through OpenAI- or Anthropic-compatible APIs and local runtimes such as Ollama and LM Studio, and switch models mid-session without losing context. It keeps multiple sessions per project, pulls extra context from language servers, and extends through MCP servers over http, stdio and sse, plus agent skills and hooks. It runs in terminals on macOS, Linux, Windows, Android, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD.

Best for

• Terminal users on any OS, including the BSDs
• Switching models mid-session
• LSP-aware context for the agent

Use it when

You want a terminal agent that is not tied to one model vendor and can use the language servers you already run.

Why you'd want it

Cursor is a desktop editor with an agent that searches and reads your repo, makes multi-file changes and shows them as diffs to review. Plan Mode researches the codebase, asks clarifying questions and waits for your approval before building, and the same Agent, Plan and Ask modes are available in the Cursor CLI. Premium and higher plans add Cloud Agents that keep running while you are away, Automations and Bugbot code review.

Best for

• Developers who want the agent built into the editor
• Moving work between editor, terminal and cloud agents
• Teams that want Bugbot code review

Use it when

You want one editor with the agent built in, plus a CLI and cloud agents that share the same modes and subscription.

Why you'd want it

Copilot is built into GitHub, so an issue can be picked up by an agent, come back as a pull request, get reviewed and be merged in one place. It runs in VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, Eclipse and Xcode, in a terminal CLI, in the GitHub Copilot app, on github.com and in GitHub Mobile, and it accepts custom instructions, agent skills, custom agents and MCP servers. Organization admins control access, feature policies, file exclusions and audit logs.

Best for

• Teams whose work already lives on GitHub
• Organizations that need admin policies and audit logs
• Developers spread across many IDEs

Use it when

Your code, issues and pull requests are on GitHub and you want agent work and code review tied into that workflow.

Why you'd want it

Aider builds a map of your whole codebase so it can work in larger projects, and it commits its changes to git with descriptive messages so you can diff and undo them with normal git tools. It connects to most cloud LLMs and to local models, can lint and test after every edit and fix what fails, and also takes requests from comments you add in your editor. Images, web pages and voice input can be added to the chat.

Best for

• Git-centric terminal workflows
• Bring-your-own-model setups, including local models
• Editing existing codebases

Use it when

You want an agent that records every change as a git commit and lets you choose the model provider, including local models.