# Crush vs OpenCode

> Crush vs OpenCode: OpenCode is our pick, leading for beginners and enterprise. They split on last release and supported model providers. Verified October 2026.

![Crush logo](https://www.versusref.com/logos/crush.png) ![OpenCode logo](https://www.versusref.com/logos/opencode.png)

Crush (Source-available (FSL, converts to MIT after 2 years) BYO-model terminal agent; optional Charm-hosted 'Hyper' inference subscription.) and OpenCode (Most-starred OSS coding agent; provider-agnostic TUI with build/plan agents; optional pay-as-you-go Zen gateway and $10/$40 Go subscriptions (also oss_self_hosted)) are AI coding agents platforms, priced from $0 + your model API bill and $0 + your model API bill respectively. Below: the bottom line, verified head-to-head facts, and real production costs.

AI coding agents platforms · 29 facts compared · all sourced · pricing verified Oct 2, 2026

## Bottom line

OpenCode wins six of seven use cases, with Terminal Workflows a tie. It is MIT licensed, while Crush uses the Functional Source License 1.1 with an MIT future license, and it lists 75+ providers against a shorter Crush list. For Beginners and Free Plans, OpenCode publishes a $10/mo entry plan, a free plan that includes the agent, and checkpoints and rollback, none of which Crush publishes. It wins VS Code with support for VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf and VSCodium, and Enterprise with a self-hosted option and a statement that it does not store your code. Crush matches it in the terminal, but OpenCode covers far more ground.

## Verdict summary

| Use case | Winner | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Beginners | OpenCode | For newer developers, price, included usage and an easy undo matter most, and only OpenCode publishes them. |
| Enterprise | OpenCode | Code handling and deployment control decide this, and only OpenCode publishes anything here. |
| Free Plans | OpenCode | What the free plan allows matters most: OpenCode's free plan includes the agent itself, while Crush does not publish a free plan for the agent. |
| Local Models | OpenCode | Both Crush and OpenCode run local models, so the decision comes down to providers and licensing. |
| Open Source | OpenCode | For teams that want to read, fork or self-host the agent, the license matters most. |
| Terminal Workflows | Tie | Both are terminal-first. |
| VS Code | OpenCode | Editor support decides this. |

## Crush vs OpenCode: head-to-head facts

| Fact | Crush | OpenCode | Verified |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| How usage is metered | Own API key + $ usage pool ([source](https://hyper.charm.land/)) | Own API key + per-token + $ usage pool + time windows ([source](https://opencode.ai/docs/go/)) | Oct 2 |
| What the free plan allows | n/a | Agent free ([source](https://opencode.ai/docs/zen/)) | Oct 2 |
| Cheapest paid plan (monthly) | n/a | $10 ([source](https://opencode.ai/docs/go/)) | Oct 2 |
| Top individual plan | n/a | $40 ([source](https://opencode.ai/docs/go/)) | Oct 2 |
| Usage included at entry tier | n/a | Go $10/mo: per-model monthly $-equivalent allowances ([source](https://opencode.ai/docs/go/)) | Oct 2 |
| Rate-limit window | n/a | 5-hour window = 20% of monthly allowance ([source](https://opencode.ai/docs/go/)) | Oct 2 |
| Bring your own API key | n/a | true ([source](https://opencode.ai/docs/providers/)) | Oct 2 |
| Pick the model per task | ✓  Yes ([source](https://github.com/charmbracelet/crush)) | ✓  true ([source](https://github.com/anomalyco/opencode)) | Oct 2 |
| Runs local models | ✓  Yes ([source](https://github.com/charmbracelet/crush)) | ✓  Yes ([source](https://opencode.ai/docs/providers/)) | Oct 2 |
| Where it runs | CLI ([source](https://github.com/charmbracelet/crush)) | terminal TUI, CLI +5 more ([source](https://opencode.ai/docs/)) | Oct 2 |
| Autonomous multi-file edits | n/a | ✓  true ([source](https://github.com/anomalyco/opencode)) | Oct 2 |
| Runs terminal commands | ✓  Yes ([source](https://github.com/charmbracelet/crush)) | ✓  Yes ([source](https://opencode.ai/docs/permissions/)) | Oct 2 |
| Opens PRs from issues | n/a | ✓  Yes ([source](https://opencode.ai/docs/github/)) | Oct 2 |
| MCP support | ✓  Yes ([source](https://github.com/charmbracelet/crush)) | ✓  true ([source](https://opencode.ai/docs/)) | Oct 2 |
| Trains on your code? | n/a | 'OpenCode does not store any of your code or context data' ([source](https://opencode.ai/docs/enterprise/)) | Oct 2 |
| Self-hosted / VPC deployment | n/a | ✓  Yes ([source](https://opencode.ai/docs/enterprise/)) | Oct 2 |
| License | FSL-1.1-MIT (Functional Source License 1.1, MIT Future... ([source](https://github.com/charmbracelet/crush/blob/main/LICENSE.md)) | MIT ([source](https://github.com/anomalyco/opencode)) | Oct 2 |
| Supported model providers | OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Vercel AI Gateway +6 more ([source](https://github.com/charmbracelet/crush)) | 75+ providers via AI SDK + Models.dev: Anthropic +17 more ([source](https://opencode.ai/docs/providers/)) | Oct 2 |

## Crush vs OpenCode pricing: true cost at 3 usage tiers

Real monthly cost at 3 developer profiles: hobbyist (~5 h/week), full-time developer (~25 h/week of daily agent use), team of 5. Most vendors do not publish how much usage a plan covers, so the full-time row spans the cheapest to the top individual plan unless the vendor publishes its own guidance for daily users. Bring-your-own-key and open-source agents show the model bill you pay the provider, never $0.

| Volume | Buyer | Crush | OpenCode | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ~5 h/week of agent use | Hobbyist | Free + your model API bill | Free with your own key; plans $10-$40/mo | Side projects and evenings. Priced at each vendor's cheapest paid plan (annual billing where offered), the tier every vendor sells for light use. |
| ~25 h/week, daily multi-file agent tasks | Full-time developer | Free + your model API bill | Free with your own key; plans $10-$40/mo | Daily agent use. Most vendors do not publish how much usage a plan covers, so this shows the span from the cheapest to the top individual plan; where a vendor publishes its own guidance for daily agent users, that figure is used instead. |
| 5 seats | Team of 5 | Free + your model API bill | Team pricing not published | Priced from each vendor's own team plan: per-seat prices x 5, flat team plans as published. A tool with no published team price shows that rather than a guess. |

## Crush vs OpenCode: verdicts by use case

### Beginners → OpenCode

For newer developers, price, included usage and an easy undo matter most, and only OpenCode publishes them. OpenCode's cheapest paid plan is $10/mo, with per-model monthly allowances on its Go plan, and it offers checkpoints and rollback. Its free plan includes the agent. Crush publishes none of these and runs only as a CLI, while OpenCode lists a terminal TUI, a CLI and more.

### Enterprise → OpenCode

Code handling and deployment control decide this, and only OpenCode publishes anything here. OpenCode states that it does not store any of your code or context data, offers a self-hosted or VPC deployment, and supports SSO through central config on Enterprise. Crush publishes no training policy, deployment option, SSO or retention details. Neither publishes SOC 2 or admin audit logs, but OpenCode still gives a security review far more to work with.

### Free Plans → OpenCode

What the free plan allows matters most: OpenCode's free plan includes the agent itself, while Crush does not publish a free plan for the agent. OpenCode supports bringing your own API key, and Crush meters through your own API key plus a usage pool. OpenCode's cheapest paid plan is $10/mo; Crush does not publish one. Both run local models, which can avoid a per-token bill.

### Local Models → OpenCode

Both Crush and OpenCode run local models, so the decision comes down to providers and licensing. OpenCode lists 75+ providers via AI SDK and Models.dev, while Crush lists OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Vercel AI Gateway and several more. OpenCode is MIT licensed, whereas Crush uses the Functional Source License 1.1 with an MIT future license. OpenCode also explicitly supports bringing your own API key, and Crush meters through your own key. The wider provider list and plain MIT license give OpenCode the edge.

### Open Source → OpenCode

For teams that want to read, fork or self-host the agent, the license matters most. OpenCode is MIT licensed, while Crush uses the Functional Source License 1.1 with an MIT future license. OpenCode also lists 75+ providers, against a shorter Crush list led by OpenAI, Anthropic and Google Gemini. Both run local models and both offer a hosted path: Zen for OpenCode and Charm Hyper for Crush. OpenCode claims 211,500 GitHub stars, while Crush claims 28,452.

### Terminal Workflows → Tie

Both are terminal-first. Crush runs as a CLI, and OpenCode lists a terminal TUI and a CLI among its surfaces. Both run terminal commands and support MCP. Both also read project rules files: Crush uses CRUSH.md and AGENTS.md, while OpenCode uses AGENTS.md with a CLAUDE.md fallback. Neither publishes background or cloud agents. On what matters to shell-first developers, the two are evenly matched.

### VS Code → OpenCode

Editor support decides this. OpenCode lists VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf and VSCodium, while Crush publishes no editor support and runs as a CLI. OpenCode also makes autonomous multi-file edits and offers checkpoints and rollback, neither of which Crush publishes. Crush does not offer codebase indexing. OpenCode also spells out per-model allowances on its entry Go plan.

## Crush vs OpenCode: common questions

### Is Crush cheaper than OpenCode?

Crush does not publish a paid plan price, so a direct comparison is not possible. OpenCode's cheapest paid plan is $10/mo, and its top individual plan is $40/mo. Crush meters through your own API key plus a usage pool, and it offers Charm Hyper as its official hosted provider.

### Crush vs OpenCode: which is better for beginners?

OpenCode is the easier start. Its cheapest paid plan is $10/mo with per-model monthly allowances, its free plan includes the agent, and it offers checkpoints and rollback for undoing agent mistakes. Crush publishes none of these and runs only as a CLI, while OpenCode also works in editors such as VS Code and Cursor.

### Is Crush or OpenCode better for open source teams?

OpenCode is MIT licensed, while Crush uses the Functional Source License 1.1 with an MIT future license. OpenCode claims 211,500 GitHub stars, compared with 28,452 claimed by Crush. Both can run local models.

### Crush vs OpenCode: which supports more model providers?

OpenCode lists 75+ providers via AI SDK and Models.dev, while Crush lists OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Vercel AI Gateway and several more. Both let you pick the model for each task.

### Is OpenCode a good alternative to Crush inside VS Code?

Yes. OpenCode lists VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf and VSCodium among its editors, and it offers checkpoints and rollback. Crush runs as a CLI and does not publish editor support.

### Do Crush and OpenCode offer hosted options?

Yes. Crush offers Charm Hyper, its official Crush provider, and OpenCode offers the Zen pay-as-you-go gateway.

### Which project rules files does Crush read?

Crush reads CRUSH.md and AGENTS.md, including global files under ~/.config/, along with a few others.

### Does OpenCode store my code?

OpenCode states that it does not store any of your code or context data. It also offers a self-hosted or VPC deployment, plus SSO on Enterprise.

Source: https://www.versusref.com/coding-agents/crush-vs-opencode/