Kilo Code vs OpenAI Codex CLI vs OpenHands

Side by side, as alternatives to Claude Code. Rows that differ are highlighted; the strongest value in a row is marked. Unknown means no source yet.

Kilo CodeKilo-Org/kilocode

OpenAI Codex CLIopenai/codex

OpenHandsOpenHands/OpenHands

Claude Codepaid product

Cost and coverage

Price

$0 software; you run it

Included with Claude Pro ($20/month, or $17/month billed annually), Max (from $100/month), Team and Enterprise; not on the free plan source ↗

Edit code across a repo from the terminal with an AI agent

Partly

Yes

Run commands and tests

Partly

Yes

Use the agent inside VS Code or JetBrains

Partly

Yes

Connect tools and data through MCP

Partly

Yes

Write commits and pull requests

Partly

Yes

Run the agent headless in scripts or CI (GitHub Actions)

Partly

Yes

Jobs covered

5 of 6 jobs

6 of 6 jobs

All 6

Popularity and activity (from GitHub)

Stars

27,695

130,321Top

91,499

—

Gain this week

Unknown

—

Signal

Building history

—

Commits / 4 wk

940Top

892

345

—

Latest release

v7.8.15 · 2026-10-19

rust-v0.163.0 · 2026-10-15

v1.30.0 · 2026-10-22Top

—

Commits / 12 wk

5,236

3,490

740

—

People committing / 12 mo

442+

377+

54+

—

Issues opened / closed, 30 days

318 / 231

7371 / 1498

464 / 367

—

Facts, with sources on each project page

Runs on my machine?Differs

Yes, the extension and CLI run on your machine; an optional hosted Cloud Agent also exists

Yes, a command-line agent that runs on your computer; cloud models run on OpenAI's servers unless you use --oss

Yes; Agent Canvas and the agent server run on your machine by default, or on your own Docker host, VM or Kubernetes cluster

Hosted by the vendor

Code licenceDiffers

MIT

Apache-2.0

MIT

—

Model weights licence

No separate model weights

—

Commercial useDiffers

MIT allows commercial use with attribution

Allowed under Apache-2.0

Yes, MIT allows commercial use

—

Paid services needed?Differs

Not required with local models via Ollama (no API key needed); Kilo Gateway credits, cloud model keys, Cloud Agent and Code Reviews are optional

Not required with local models (--oss with Ollama or LM Studio) or the limited ChatGPT Free plan; paid ChatGPT plans and OpenAI API keys are optional

Not required with local models (LM Studio, Ollama, vLLM, SGLang); cloud model APIs and OpenHands Cloud are optional

Subscription

HardwareDiffers

No stated needs with cloud models; local models via Ollama need a GPU with 24GB+ VRAM or a Mac with 32GB+ unified RAM

Not documented in the README or CLI docs

No requirements given for Agent Canvas itself; the recommended local model needs a 24GB GPU or an Apple Silicon Mac with 64GB memory

—

Operating systemsDiffers

CLI binaries for Windows, macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Linux (x64 and ARM); extensions run wherever VS Code or JetBrains IDEs run

macOS, Linux and Windows (native PowerShell with a Windows sandbox, or WSL2)

macOS, Linux and Windows (PowerShell or WSL2); the CLI and per-conversation Docker sandboxes need WSL on Windows

—

Setup effortDiffers

Easy; install the VS Code or JetBrains extension from the marketplace, or the CLI with one npm or curl command

Easy; one-line install script, npm or Homebrew, then sign in with ChatGPT

Medium; install Node.js 24 and uv then the npm package, or run the Docker image, then add a model

—

Stars over time

Switch to Growth % to compare projects of different sizes fairly.

The chart appears after a few nightly checks.

Notes for a video or post

A plain summary with today's date and a link to the sources. Check each project page before you publish.

Kilo Code vs OpenAI Codex CLI vs OpenHands (as alternatives to Claude Code)
Figures from RepoQuarry, 22 Oct 2026. Sources: https://repoquarry.dev/compare?ids=kilo-code,codex-cli,openhands&product=claude-code

Claude Code: Included with Claude Pro ($20/month, or $17/month billed annually), Max (from $100/month), Team and Enterprise; not on the free plan
Kilo Code: free software; does 5 of 6 Claude Code jobs
OpenAI Codex CLI: free software; does 5 of 6 Claude Code jobs
OpenHands: free software; does 6 of 6 Claude Code jobs

- Kilo Code: 27,695 GitHub stars, 5,236 commits in 12 weeks, licence MIT
- OpenAI Codex CLI: 130,321 GitHub stars, 3,490 commits in 12 weeks, licence Apache-2.0
- OpenHands: 91,499 GitHub stars, 740 commits in 12 weeks, licence MIT

Where they differ:
- Runs on my machine?: Kilo Code Yes, the extension and CLI run on your machine; an optional hosted Cloud Agent also exists; OpenAI Codex CLI Yes, a command-line agent that runs on your computer; cloud models run on OpenAI's servers unless you use --oss; OpenHands Yes; Agent Canvas and the agent server run on your machine by default, or on your own Docker host, VM or Kubernetes cluster
- Code licence: Kilo Code MIT; OpenAI Codex CLI Apache-2.0; OpenHands MIT
- Commercial use: Kilo Code MIT allows commercial use with attribution; OpenAI Codex CLI Allowed under Apache-2.0; OpenHands Yes, MIT allows commercial use
- Paid services needed?: Kilo Code Not required with local models via Ollama (no API key needed); Kilo Gateway credits, cloud model keys, Cloud Agent and Code Reviews are optional; OpenAI Codex CLI Not required with local models (--oss with Ollama or LM Studio) or the limited ChatGPT Free plan; paid ChatGPT plans and OpenAI API keys are optional; OpenHands Not required with local models (LM Studio, Ollama, vLLM, SGLang); cloud model APIs and OpenHands Cloud are optional
- Hardware: Kilo Code No stated needs with cloud models; local models via Ollama need a GPU with 24GB+ VRAM or a Mac with 32GB+ unified RAM; OpenAI Codex CLI Not documented in the README or CLI docs; OpenHands No requirements given for Agent Canvas itself; the recommended local model needs a 24GB GPU or an Apple Silicon Mac with 64GB memory
- Operating systems: Kilo Code CLI binaries for Windows, macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Linux (x64 and ARM); extensions run wherever VS Code or JetBrains IDEs run; OpenAI Codex CLI macOS, Linux and Windows (native PowerShell with a Windows sandbox, or WSL2); OpenHands macOS, Linux and Windows (PowerShell or WSL2); the CLI and per-conversation Docker sandboxes need WSL on Windows
- Setup effort: Kilo Code Easy; install the VS Code or JetBrains extension from the marketplace, or the CLI with one npm or curl command; OpenAI Codex CLI Easy; one-line install script, npm or Homebrew, then sign in with ChatGPT; OpenHands Medium; install Node.js 24 and uv then the npm package, or run the Docker image, then add a model

Stars show popularity, not quality. Check each project page before publishing.

Want share images and a ready video description? Open a project's creator kit.

Numbers: GitHub, fetched nightly. Facts: read from each project's own documentation, with the source on its page. How we check. Kilo-Org/kilocode ↗openai/codex ↗OpenHands/OpenHands ↗

Kilo Code vs OpenAI Codex CLI vs OpenHands

Stars over time

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