OpenCode vs GitHub Copilot: which coding agent should you use?
updated · #3 vs #4 in ai coding agents & IDEs · prices checked
GitHub Copilot8.5#4 of 15 in coding agentssame since oct 28form: held its place every day for 5 dayswhich one should you use?
want an open source agent that runs any model, local ones included, and costs nothing until you pick a provider? OpenCode. want an agent in every editor you own, issues that come back as pull requests and reviews on GitHub, for $10? GitHub Copilot. already pay for Copilot? log in to OpenCode with it and have both.
#3 vs #4 of 15 coding agents, both 8.5/10. same score, OpenCode ahead on our tiebreak.
#3 of 15 in coding agents
OpenCode
numptr says8.5/10
the open-source one that's quietly eating everyone's lunch. over 200k GitHub stars don't lie.
- best for
- devs who want a Claude Code-style agent without being tied to one model
- why 8.5
- MIT, any model, free models thrown in, and 16M devs a month (their number). not tuned to one model like Claude Code is.
#4 of 15 in coding agents
GitHub Copilot
numptr says8.5/10
Pro is $10/mo for $15 of ai credits, and its Fusion router now sits just behind Claude Code on the independent charts for about half the cost per task.
- best for
- teams already on GitHub; budget-conscious devs
- why 8.5
- Copilot Fusion at Max scores 59.9 on Artificial Analysis's Coding Agent Index v2.0, 1.8 behind Claude Code with Opus 5.5, at $5.59 a task against $11.42 at API rates, and tops its Terminal-Bench 4.0 run at 71% (oct 28). Fusion high and Max need Pro+ at $39 or up; free tier and Pro at $10 get Fusion Standard. credits billing needs watching.
who wins for which job
picking your own model, local ones included
OpenCode
open-source (MIT) coding agent for the terminal, desktop and IDE. any model from 75+ providers, local ones included, or the free models it ships with.
teams whose work already lives on GitHub
GitHub Copilot
best for: teams already on GitHub; budget-conscious devs.
the cheapest serious paid plan
GitHub Copilot
cheapest serious way in. usage comes out of GitHub AI Credits.
overall, on our scores
OpenCode, on tiebreak
level on 8.5/10; OpenCode #3, GitHub Copilot #4 on our tiebreak.
the differences, side by side
rank
OpenCode#3 of 15 in coding agents
GitHub Copilot#4 of 15 in coding agents
numptr score
OpenCode8.5/10
GitHub Copilot8.5/10
best for
OpenCodedevs who want a Claude Code-style agent without being tied to one model
GitHub Copilotteams already on GitHub; budget-conscious devs
free tier
OpenCodefree and open source (MIT); free models included, or bring your own key, or sign in with your Claude Code login, GitHub Copilot or ChatGPT Plus/Pro
GitHub Copilotlimited chat and agent usage
paid plans
OpenCodefree (you pay your model provider); optional OpenCode Go $10/mo, Go Plus $40/mo or Go Teams $20/member/mo; Console pay-as-you-go credits, minimum top-up unknown: not shown on the official docs
GitHub CopilotPro $10/mo; Pro+ $39/mo; Max $100/mo (1 ai credit = $0.01)
price checked
OpenCode2026-11-03 at opencode.ai/docs/go
GitHub Copilot2026-11-03 at github.com/features/copilot/plans
# straight from our rankings data. prices from each vendor's own page.
pick neither if
quick answer: opencode vs github copilot is a proper tie on paper. OpenCode and GitHub Copilot both score 8.5/10 on our coding agents board, with OpenCode ahead on our tiebreak (#3, Copilot #4) because it's open source (MIT), runs any model from 75+ providers, local ones included, and costs nothing until you pick a provider. GitHub Copilot is the better pick if your work lives on GitHub: it sits in VS Code, JetBrains, Xcode, Neovim, Zed and the rest, its cloud agent turns an issue into a pull request, and Pro is $10 a month. the twist, as of nov 4, 2026: OpenCode can log in with your Copilot subscription, so plenty of people won't have to choose.
the short version
| OpenCode | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| our rank | #3, 8.5/10 | #4, 8.5/10 |
| what it is | an open source (MIT) coding agent | GitHub's coding agent, in your editor, terminal and on github.com |
| where it runs | terminal, desktop app and IDE extension (and web) | VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, Xcode, Neovim, Eclipse, Zed and more, plus Copilot CLI, github.com and GitHub mobile |
| models | any of 75+ providers through Models.dev, local models, free models it ships with, or your Copilot or ChatGPT Plus/Pro login | Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, xAI and more, picked from GitHub's list |
| on GitHub | DIY: install its GitHub app and workflow, then /opencode in an issue or PR comment runs it in your GitHub Actions runner and opens a PR |
built in: assign work to Copilot and it opens a pull request (from Pro) |
| code review | answers /opencode comments on a pull request |
pull request reviews on GitHub (from Pro) |
| cost | free; you pay your model provider, or OpenCode Go from $10 a month | Free, then Pro $10/mo; Pro+ $39/mo; Max $100/mo (1 ai credit = $0.01) |
ranks and scores come straight from our coding agents board, and nobody pays to move up it.
why OpenCode edges it
no model lock-in. OpenCode talks to 75+ providers through Models.dev, local models included, and ships with a set of free models you can use without an account. when this month's best model changes (it will, by thursday), you switch in /models instead of switching tools.
open source, properly. the code is on GitHub under the MIT licence, and the project counts over 220,000 stars, 950 contributors and 16M developers a month (their number). OpenCode says it doesn't store your code or context data; the exception is when you use its free models.
bring the subscription you've got. OpenCode logs in with GitHub Copilot or ChatGPT Plus/Pro with no extra setup, or takes any API key. if you want its own models, OpenCode Go is $10 a month (Go Plus $40, Go Teams $20 per member) for open coding models, and it's optional.
the honest bit: it isn't GitHub. OpenCode can work on issues and pull requests, but you wire it up yourself: opencode github install adds its GitHub app, a workflow and your model's API key as secrets, then it runs in your own GitHub Actions runner when someone comments /opencode or /oc. Copilot's version is just there. and no, you can't plug in your Claude Pro or Max plan: OpenCode's docs say Anthropic explicitly prohibits it, and the plugins that did it stopped shipping with OpenCode as of 1.3.0. Claude models still work on an Anthropic API key.
where GitHub Copilot wins
it's already where you work. Copilot lists GitHub, VS Code, Visual Studio, Xcode, JetBrains IDEs, Neovim, Eclipse, raycast, SQL server management Studio and Zed, plus Copilot CLI in the terminal. agent mode, MCP servers and custom instructions are on every plan, free included.
issues in, pull requests out. from Pro you can assign work to Copilot in the cloud and it researches, plans and writes code, with or without a pull request, and it reviews pull requests on GitHub. no workflow files, no API keys in secrets: that's the bit OpenCode makes you plumb in yourself.
the cheapest serious paid plan going. as of nov 4, 2026: Free is $0 with 2,000 completions a month and limited chat and agent usage. Pro is $10 a month with unlimited completions and $15 of GitHub AI Credits ($10 base plus a $5 flex allotment that GitHub says may change). Pro+ is $39 with $70 of credits and premium models such as Opus. Max is $100 with $200 of credits. agent mode, code review, the cloud agent and the CLI spend credits.
the honest bit: credits billing needs watching, and the models are the ones GitHub chooses to list, with no local models. it's also closed source. more in GitHub Copilot pricing.
can i use both?
yes, and it's the obvious move if you already pay for Copilot. in OpenCode, run /connect, pick GitHub Copilot and log in through github.com's device page; OpenCode's docs note some models might need a Pro+ subscription. you get OpenCode's terminal agent on your Copilot allowance, and Copilot's cloud agent and PR reviews on GitHub.
which should you pick?
- you want open source and your own choice of model: OpenCode
- local models, or a privacy sensitive codebase: OpenCode
- your team lives on GitHub and wants issues turned into pull requests: GitHub Copilot
- an agent in Xcode, Visual Studio or JetBrains on $10 a month: GitHub Copilot
- both: Copilot for GitHub and the editor, OpenCode in the terminal on the same Copilot login
- the best single agent on our board: Claude Code (#1). see OpenCode vs Claude Code and Claude Code vs GitHub Copilot
- a whole ai editor instead: Cursor (#2). see Cursor vs OpenCode and GitHub Copilot vs Cursor
- you already pay for ChatGPT: Codex (#6). see GitHub Copilot vs Codex
the rest of the field
the table: the rest of the field
| rank | tool | best for | free tier | paid from | numptr score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #3 | OpenCode | devs who want a Claude Code-style agent without being tied to one model | free and open source (MIT); free models included, or bring your own key, or sign in with your Claude Code login, GitHub Copilot or ChatGPT Plus/Pro | optional OpenCode Go $10/mo, Go Plus $40/mo or Go Teams $20/member/mo | 8.5/10 |
| #4 | GitHub Copilot | teams already on GitHub; budget-conscious devs | limited chat and agent usage | Pro $10/mo | 8.5/10 |
| #1 | Claude Code | delegating multi-file features from terminal or IDE | no free access: Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan (Pro and up) | Pro $20/mo | 9.0/10 |
| #2 | Cursor | developers who want ai inside a full editor | limited ai usage | Plus $8/mo, Grok models only | 8.5/10 |
| #6 | OpenAI Codex | ChatGPT subscribers who want a cloud + local coding agent | included in ChatGPT Free (limited usage) | included in ChatGPT Go $8/mo, Plus $20/mo, Pro $100, $200 or $500/mo | 8.0/10 |
faq
is OpenCode better than GitHub Copilot?
they're level, 8.5/10 each, with OpenCode #3 on our tiebreak and Copilot #4. OpenCode wins on open source and model choice; Copilot wins if you want an agent across every editor plus a cloud agent and PR reviews on GitHub.
can i use my GitHub Copilot subscription in OpenCode?
yes. OpenCode supports a GitHub Copilot login with zero setup: run /connect, choose GitHub Copilot and enter the code at github.com/login/device. OpenCode's docs say some models might need Pro+.
OpenCode vs GitHub Copilot pricing: which is cheaper?
OpenCode is free and open source; you pay whoever serves the model, use its free models, or take OpenCode Go from $10 a month. Copilot has a Free plan, then Pro at $10, Pro+ at $39 and Max at $100 a month. see OpenCode pricing and GitHub Copilot pricing.
OpenCode vs Copilot CLI: which terminal agent?
both run in the terminal, and Copilot CLI is on every Copilot plan including Free. OpenCode lets you pick any model or provider and runs several sessions in parallel; Copilot CLI uses Copilot's models and AI Credits and can make and commit changes locally or on GitHub.
sources
checked 2026-11-04, ~00:45 ET
- OpenCode home and faq (open source, MIT, terminal, desktop and IDE, multi-session, Copilot and ChatGPT Plus/Pro login, 75+ providers via Models.dev, local models, free models, 220K stars, 950 contributors, 16M monthly devs, privacy): https://opencode.ai
- OpenCode providers docs (GitHub Copilot login via /connect and github.com/login/device, some models need Pro+; Anthropic prohibits Claude Pro/Max plugins, not bundled as of 1.3.0; subscriptions usable with zero setup): https://opencode.ai/docs/providers/
- OpenCode GitHub docs (GitHub app and workflow, /opencode or /oc comments, runs in your GitHub Actions runner, new branch and PR, opencode github install): https://opencode.ai/docs/github/
- OpenCode Go docs (Go $10, Go Plus $40, Go Teams $20 per member, optional): https://opencode.ai/docs/go/
- GitHub Copilot plans (Free, Pro, Pro+, Max prices and credits, base and flex allotment, supported editors, agent mode, MCP, cloud agent, code review, Copilot CLI, models, completions): https://github.com/features/copilot/plans
- ranks, scores, verdicts and plans: numptr data/tools.json (coding agents board)