Claude Code is great, but alternatives exist with unique strengths. I tried a few.
TL;DR: the "coding agents" space is extremely dynamic with fierce competition. We can expect a lot of changes in the coming months, from form factor to mental models. Competition is good! Trying other coding agents may help you:
- stay open-minded about the UX / form factor
- increase your performance by using their unique strengths
- save credits: they have free tiers 💰
Here is a short list, in order of personal preference/relevance:
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Codex by OpenAI
"The same agent everywhere you build"
- ✅ generous free tier
- ✅ frontier models
- ✅ built-in worktrees and cloud environments
- 💡 not a CLI! Codex is primarily an app (though they do have a TUI version)
- 💡 integrated browser that the agent can access, with annotation tool
Overall the strongest contender. Integrated browser is extremely useful (all coding agents can access the browser, but some setup is required). Integrated agent orchestration + all-in-one app makes a great UX.
⭐️⭐️ openCode
"The open source AI coding agent"
- ✅ free tier (not frontier models) + low-cost plans
- ✅ Can connect to any model = you can use frontier ones
- ✅ Open Source (extensible / tweakable)
- ✅ Enterprise plan with confidentiality promises
- ✅ has an app like Codex
- 💡 killer feature seems to be the plans and open-source nature
⭐️ Gemini CLI by Google
"Build debug & deploy with AI"
- ✅ generous free tier
- ✅ frontier models
- ✅ must be decent and reliable since it's Google
- ✅ procurement may be easier since it's Google
- normal TUI coding agent, I didn't notice any original feature (typical Google?)
Note to Google: make your landing page scrollable and immediately list your USPs
Vibe by Mistral AI
"Agentic coding that meets you where you work. Write, test, and deploy autonomously with full codebase context."
- ✅ free tier
- ✅ European company
- ✅ decent
- 💡 killer feature seems to be sovereignty since it's a rare non-USA one.
- still has room to grow: I encountered a backend error during first use
Amp
"the frontier coding agent built for leading models, and what comes next"
recommended by an opinion leader (maybe Steve Yegge?), I wish I'd tried it, unfortunately Amp discontinued their free tier: https://ampcode.com/news/amp-free-is-ad-free
Did I miss a notable one? Any notable Chinese coding agents worth trying? Feel free to share in the comments.