Qwen Code vs OpenCode: terminal coding agents compared

Qwen Code and OpenCode are both open-source coding agents that work in the terminal. Qwen Code is described as Qwen's agentic coding tool, with Alibaba ModelStudio as the recommended setup. OpenCode is described as connecting to 75+ LLM providers and running in terminal, desktop and IDE. Checked 2026-10-14.

Quick comparison

The order of the rows is editorial and reflects how closely each source set matches the query, not a verdict.

How the options differ

Surfaces

Qwen Code is described as an agentic coding tool that lives in your terminal. Its docs also announce a VS Code extension in beta, called the Qwen Code Companion. OpenCode's site says it is available as a terminal interface, desktop app and IDE extension.

Model providers

On first launch, Qwen Code prompts you to connect a model provider. The menu offers Alibaba ModelStudio (the official recommended setup), built-in third-party providers such as DeepSeek, MiniMax, Z.AI, Kimi and OpenRouter, and a Custom Provider option for a local server, proxy or unsupported provider.

OpenCode's site says you can connect any model from any provider, including Claude, GPT and Gemini. It also cites 75+ LLM providers through Models.dev, including local models, and logins for GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT Plus/Pro accounts.

Workflow features

Qwen Code's docs describe building features from descriptions, debugging, codebase navigation, MCP access to external data sources, and scriptable use such as qwen -p in CI. They also describe followup suggestions shown as ghost text.

OpenCode's site lists automatic LSP loading, multi-session parallel agents and shareable session links. It also mentions Zen, a set of models OpenCode says it has tested and benchmarked for coding agents.

Installation and licensing

Qwen Code's docs describe a standalone installer script, with a fallback to npm that needs Node.js 22 or later. The repository license is Apache-2.0 according to the GitHub API.

OpenCode's repository license is MIT according to the GitHub API. The cited excerpts do not describe an install method.

How we compared

We read the GitHub repository metadata for both projects, the Qwen Code overview docs and the OpenCode homepage. All were checked on 2026-10-14. We did not install or run either tool, and we did not test output quality, speed, cost or reliability.

Limitations

The cited sources do not state pricing for either tool, and the OpenCode site's "Free models included" claim does not say which models or limits apply. A repository license does not mean hosted inference is free. The sources do not give benchmarks or a direct feature-for-feature comparison. The OpenCode site's usage and star figures are the site's own claims and were not verified here.

Browse the hubs for Qwen Code and OpenCode, the coding agents category, or the guide Qwen Code alternatives.