English · 7 min read
OpenCode explained: the free, open-source AI coding agent and its plans
OpenCode is a free, MIT-licensed coding agent with a desktop app, terminal, phone app and SDK that works with 200-plus AI providers. A plain-English guide to what it does, the free and paid options, privacy settings, and who should use it.
By Dapols ·
The short answer: OpenCode is a free, open-source coding agent. It runs as a desktop app, in a terminal, on an iPhone and through a toolkit for developers, and it can talk to more than 200 AI providers, including models that run on your own machine. You can start with its free models and no account. If you want more, the paid OpenCode Go plan is $10 a month, and Go Plus is $40 a month. It is aimed at developers, but its free start makes it the easiest of the open tools to try.
Checked on 11 November 2026 against OpenCode's own homepage and Go plan page.
What it is, in plain words
A coding agent is an app that lets an AI model work on a project: read the files, change them, run commands and report back. OpenCode describes itself as "the open source coding agent" and is MIT-licensed, built in the open by a company called Anomaly.
It comes in four forms, according to its homepage:
- Desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux, with sessions, tabs, diffs (side-by-side views of what changed) and a built-in browser.
- Terminal interface that works in any shell, editor or remote server.
- Mobile app: you can start, steer and approve sessions from your phone. It is on iPhone through Apple's TestFlight, and the page says Android is coming soon.
- SDK, a toolkit that lets developers drive OpenCode from their own scripts.
What you get without paying
The homepage says the easiest start is to download OpenCode and use its free models, with no account needed. The Go page adds that free models "have a daily request limit". You can also log in with a ChatGPT Plus or Pro subscription or a GitHub Copilot subscription you already have, or bring any provider's API key. An API key is a password that bills your account with that provider.
The features that matter to a non-expert
- Permissions. You choose which actions run automatically and which need your approval. Start strict.
- Undo and redo. Typing
/undorolls back recent changes to your files and the conversation. - Several sessions at once. You can start multiple agents in parallel on the same project.
- Skills, plugins and MCP servers. Skills are saved instructions, plugins hook into its events, and MCP is a common way to connect to apps like GitHub, Linear, Slack or Notion. These are developer features, but they explain why teams like it.
What it costs
| Option | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The app and free models | $0 | MIT-licensed. Free models have a daily request limit. |
| OpenCode Go | $10 per month | Curated open-weight models tested for agentic coding, with limits counted over five-hour, weekly and monthly windows |
| OpenCode Go Plus | $40 per month | Everything in Go with higher limits |
| Your own provider keys | Whatever the provider charges | OpenCode adds nothing on top |
Source: opencode.ai/go and opencode.ai, checked 11 November 2026. Prices change; confirm on the vendor page.
Details from the Go page worth knowing: allowances differ model by model; when you hit a Go limit you can keep using the free models, or top up credit so requests carry on at your balance; cancelling keeps the plan active until the end of the period you paid for; and a refund may be possible if you ask within 14 days and have used almost none of that period's allowance.
Privacy
The Go page says that by default it "blocks paid endpoints that train on your requests", and that an owner or admin can change that in Settings under Privacy. It also says training and retention terms vary by model, with a per-model privacy list in its documentation. As with any hosted model, the text you send leaves your computer. If your files are sensitive, check the model's terms or use a model on your own machine.
Who should use it
Developers and technical founders who want a free start, a choice of models and no lock-in. It is also a reasonable way for a technical person in a small business to try AI coding at a known cost before committing to a larger plan.
Who should skip it
- Anyone with nobody technical. It is still a developer tool, even with a desktop app.
- Anyone who needs predictable monthly costs from heavy use. Allowances vary by model, and pay-as-you-go credit adds to the bill.
- Anyone whose problem is not code. Start with our plan finder if your real bottleneck is follow-ups, quotes or bookings.
How it compares
See AI coding agent plans compared for every plan side by side and the harness comparison for model policy and limits. Other guides: DeepSeek Harness, Pi, Command Code and Devin.