OpenCode vs Cline vs Aider
Updated By Agent Radar3 min read
Short answer
A sourced 2026 comparison of three open-source coding agents: OpenCode (MIT), Cline (Apache-2.0), and Aider (Apache-2.0), without invented benchmark scores.
Top pick: OpenCode. MIT-licensed coding agent. The New Stack reported on October 12, 2026 that version 2.0 unifies terminal, desktop, and web on one service.
People search "OpenCode vs Cline" and "best open source coding agent" and get tables full of star counts and prices that went stale last week. This page only keeps what we could open.
All three clients are open source. All three leave model bills to you. The differences that survive that filter are license, interface, and whether a 2026 release note exists.
| OpenCode | Cline | Aider | |
|---|---|---|---|
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Interface we could verify | Terminal agent; 2.0 also desktop and web, per The New Stack | SDK, IDE extension, or CLI, per the GitHub description | Terminal pair programming |
| Dated note on this site | October 12, 2026 | None yet | None yet |
Goose is the Apache-2.0 agent from Block that did not make the top three only because its repository describes a general agent "beyond code suggestions," which is a wider job. Enter Code is the September 2026 terminal newcomer with an open-source Go SDK.
Order is editorial: OpenCode first because it has both a permissive license and a current multi-app release; Cline second because the repository documents more than a terminal; Aider third because the job is clear and the license is clean, without a new launch filed this season. Swap that order if your constraint is "I live in the editor" (Cline) or "I want git-shaped pair programming and nothing else" (Aider).
The tools
In rank orderMIT-licensed coding agent. The New Stack reported on October 12, 2026 that version 2.0 unifies terminal, desktop, and web on one service.
Pros
- MIT license on anomalyco/opencode.
- A current 2026 product story: one shared service for terminal, desktop, and web.
- Public site at opencode.ai plus a very active repository.
Cons
- You bring the model. The license does not include inference.
- We did not verify every desktop or web feature beyond the New Stack report.
Pricing MIT client. Model access is separate. No hosted price is quoted here.
Apache-2.0 agent described by its repository as an SDK, an IDE extension, or a CLI assistant.
Pros
- Apache-2.0 LICENSE in cline/cline, copyright 2026 Cline Bot Inc.
- Three surfaces in the repo description: SDK, IDE extension, and CLI.
- Fits people who want the agent inside an editor as well as a terminal.
Cons
- Inference is still your bill.
- This comparison does not claim the JetBrains plugin, if you use one, shares the root Apache license.
Pricing Apache-2.0 client. Model access is separate.
Apache-2.0 terminal pair programmer for a new repo or an existing codebase.
Pros
- Apache-2.0 in LICENSE.txt.
- The project's own framing is pair programming in the terminal, which is a narrower and clearer job.
- Works for a new project or a codebase you already have, per the repository description.
Cons
- No October 2026 product overhaul is filed here, so it can look quieter next to OpenCode 2.0.
- Model access is separate, same as the other two.
Questions
OpenCode vs Cline: which should I install?
Install OpenCode if you want the MIT-licensed terminal agent whose 2.0 release unified terminal, desktop, and web. Install Cline if you want the Apache-2.0 project that describes itself as an SDK, IDE extension, and CLI. This site did not run a code-quality bake-off.
Is Aider still a reasonable open-source coding agent in 2026?
Yes, if you want terminal pair programming on a repository. Aider-AI/aider is Apache-2.0 and still describes that job. It is third in this editorial order because OpenCode has the newer cross-app release and Cline documents more surfaces, not because Aider failed a test.
Are OpenCode, Cline, and Aider free?
The clients are free to use under MIT or Apache-2.0. All three expect you to supply a model. None of the pages we cited include a single dollar price for inference, so this comparison does not invent one.
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