TL;DR
Head-to-head benchmark reveals OpenCode prioritizes thoroughness and flexibility while Claude Code optimizes for speed and polish in agentic coding workflows.
Key Points
- OpenCode completed refactoring task in 9m 16s with full test suite validation; Claude Code finished in 3m 16s with subset testing
- Claude Code locks users to Anthropic ecosystem; OpenCode supports 75+ providers including local models, swappable APIs, and custom authentication
- MCP server context overhead: 7 active servers consumed 25% of 200k token window before prompting, with OpenCode's declarative approach preventing bloat
- Anthropic now scopes OAuth credentials to Claude Code only, forcing third-party clients back to per-token API key billing
Why It Matters
Developers choosing between vendor lock-in and flexibility face real trade-offs: Claude Code's maturity and safety guarantees versus OpenCode's provider independence and cost optimization. The ability to swap models, run locally, or reuse existing subscriptions fundamentally changes the economics of agentic workflows, especially for solo developers and smaller teams facing $20-50 daily API costs.
Source: www.builder.io