Open-source Jules alternatives

OpenCode is an open-source coding agent that helps developers write, change and understand code using AI models. It is built in TypeScript, released under the MIT license, and installed through an install script or, in beta, as a desktop application for macOS, Windows and Linux.

It ships with two built-in agents that you switch between with the Tab key. The build agent has full access for everyday development work, while the plan agent is read-only: it denies file edits by default and asks permission before running shell commands, which suits exploring an unfamiliar codebase or planning a change. A general subagent handles complex searches and multistep tasks and can be called with @general in messages.

Configuration is covered in the project documentation, and the install location can be controlled with environment variables. OpenCode suits developers who prefer working from the command line and want an agent whose source code they can read and modify.

Codex CLI is OpenAI's coding agent, and it runs locally in your terminal. It is open source under the Apache-2.0 license and written in Rust. Developers start it by running the codex command and then ask it to read, explain and change the code in their project.

It is installed through standalone scripts for Mac, Linux and Windows, through package managers, or by downloading a binary for your platform from GitHub Releases. You can sign in with a ChatGPT account to use it as part of a Plus, Pro, Business, Edu or Enterprise plan, or authenticate with an API key instead.

The README distinguishes the CLI from other Codex surfaces: an IDE extension for VS Code, Cursor and Windsurf, a desktop app launched with codex app, and the cloud-based Codex Web at chatgpt.com/codex. The CLI suits developers who prefer to stay in the terminal and want an agent whose client code is open.

Gemini CLI is Google's open-source terminal agent for working with Gemini models from the command line. It offers a lightweight path from a prompt on the command line to the model, and it is designed for developers who spend their day in a shell. The project is written in TypeScript and licensed under Apache-2.0.

Built-in tools cover Google Search grounding, file operations, shell commands and web fetching, and further integrations can be added through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). The project highlights access to Gemini models with a large context window, and a free tier when you sign in with a personal Google account.

You can run it instantly with npx or install it globally with npm, Homebrew, MacPorts or Anaconda. It has preview, stable and nightly release channels published on a regular schedule. It suits developers who want an AI assistant for code and shell tasks without leaving the terminal.

OpenHands is an open-source project for AI-driven software development. Its current README centers on Agent Canvas, a self-hosted developer control center for starting conversations with coding agents and automating everyday engineering tasks. It is written mainly in TypeScript and released under the MIT license.

By default Agent Canvas uses the open-source OpenHands agent, but it can also drive third-party agents such as Claude Code, Codex and Gemini, or any ACP-compatible agent. It runs locally by default and can connect to several agent backends, including Docker containers, virtual machines and company infrastructure, so agents can be moved between local, remote and cloud setups without interrupting your work.

Automations can be triggered on a timetable or by incoming webhook events and connect with tools such as Slack, GitHub, Linear and Notion, for example publishing reports to Slack or breaking GitHub issues into tasks. Agents can optionally run on OpenHands Cloud or OpenHands Enterprise. It suits engineering teams that want to coordinate several coding agents from one self-managed place.

Kilo Code is an AI coding agent that you can use in VS Code, in JetBrains IDEs or from the CLI. It is open source under the MIT license and written in TypeScript. According to the README, you can pick from more than 500 models and switch between them in the middle of a task, and you pay the model provider's rate with no markup. No API keys are needed to start.

Besides the local extensions, a Cloud Agent runs Kilo from the web without a local machine, and automated AI code reviews can be set up for pull requests. The CLI is started with the kilo command in a project directory and can be installed from release binaries for Windows, macOS on Apple Silicon and Intel, and Linux on x64 and ARM, with variants for older CPUs and Alpine-style images. The repository started in 2025 and its README is translated into many languages.