Gemini CLI alternatives
Gemini CLI by Google costs Varies and is open source. If you need something cheaper, open source, self-hosted or simply different, here are 10 alternatives that do the same job, ranked by how widely they are used, with the differences that matter.
10 Gemini CLI alternatives, by popularity
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OpenAI's coding agent, offered as an open-source terminal CLI, an IDE extension, a desktop app and a cloud agent that works on repositories. Users sign in with a ChatGPT account or use an OpenAI API key.
- Free to start; Gemini CLI has no free tier
- Works with local models
- More widely used (Gid Score 83 vs 57)
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Anthropic's agentic coding tool that reads a codebase, edits files and runs commands from the terminal, with VS Code and JetBrains integrations plus desktop, web and mobile access. It runs Claude models through a Claude subscription, an Anthropic Console API key or supported third-party cloud providers.
- Proprietary
- More widely used (Gid Score 80 vs 57)
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Minimal, extensible open-source coding agent harness with interactive TUI, print/JSON, RPC and SDK modes, created by Mario Zechner and now maintained by Earendil Inc. It supports 15+ model providers through API keys or OAuth and is customized with TypeScript extensions, skills and packages.
- Free to start; Gemini CLI has no free tier
- Works with local models
- More widely used (Gid Score 75 vs 57)
- Growing fast: usage up 54% in 30 days
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Open-source coding agent from Anomaly (the team behind SST) that runs as a terminal UI, desktop app or IDE extension and connects to 75+ model providers, including local models and existing ChatGPT or GitHub Copilot logins.
- Free to start; Gemini CLI has no free tier
- Works with local models
- More widely used (Gid Score 74 vs 57)
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Open-source terminal coding agent (`omp`), a variant of the Pi coding agent from Stencil Labs, with a native Rust core, IDE-style tooling and Windows-native support.
- Free to start; Gemini CLI has no free tier
- Works with local models
- Growing fast: usage up 58% in 30 days
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Open-source autonomous coding agent for VS Code (and JetBrains) that also ships a CLI, a desktop app and an SDK. It works with many model providers through the user's own keys, Cline's usage-billed provider or the ClinePass subscription.
- Free to start; Gemini CLI has no free tier
- Works with local models
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Open-source AI software-development agent platform (formerly OpenDevin) with a local web GUI, a terminal UI/CLI, a hosted cloud and an SDK. It is model-agnostic and can use the user's own keys.
- Free to start; Gemini CLI has no free tier
- Works with local models
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Open-source software-engineering agents from Princeton and Stanford researchers: SWE-agent (2024) and its roughly 100-line successor mini-SWE-agent, which uses only bash and works with any model through LiteLLM and similar routers. The SWE-agent README says development effort has moved to mini-SWE-agent.
- Free to start; Gemini CLI has no free tier
- Works with local models
- Less widely used (Gid Score 48 vs 57)
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Open-source coding agent available as a VS Code extension, JetBrains plugin and CLI, with a gateway to 500+ models and support for bring-your-own keys and local models. Kilo launched in March 2025 and was acquired by Anaconda in July 2026.
- Free to start; Gemini CLI has no free tier
- Works with local models
- Less widely used (Gid Score 46 vs 57)
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GitHub's standalone terminal coding agent (`copilot`, npm @github/copilot) that plans and edits code, runs commands and works with GitHub from the terminal. It runs on a Copilot plan and also supports bring-your-own model providers.
- Free to start; Gemini CLI has no free tier
- Proprietary
- Works with local models
- Less widely used (Gid Score 45 vs 57)
Gemini CLI vs alternatives at a glance
| Agent | Price | Free to start | Open source | MCP | Local models | Gid Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini CLI | Varies | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ? | 57 |
| OpenAI Codex | Free + $8/mo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 83 |
| Claude Code | $20/mo | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ? | 80 |
| Pi | Free (OSS) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 75 |
| OpenCode | Free + $10/mo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 74 |
| Oh My Pi | Free (OSS) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 56 |
| Cline | Free + $9.99/mo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 53 |
| OpenHands | Free | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 50 |
| mini-SWE-agent | Free (OSS) | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ✓ | 48 |
| Kilo Code | Free + $19/mo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 46 |
| GitHub Copilot CLI | Free + $10/mo | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | 45 |
Prices from the vendors' pricing pages; features from official docs (“?” means not documented). Full feature comparison · All prices
How teams use these tools
Script Gemini CLI in your terminal: explain logs, write commits, document files
Gemini CLI's headless mode takes piped input and returns plain text or JSON. That makes it usable inside shell scripts, aliases and CI jobs.
Explanations of failures from piped logs, and commit messages generated from staged diffs.
Run Claude Code and Codex agents in parallel on Mac with Offrun
Offrun is a free Mac app that runs coding agent CLIs such as Claude Code and Codex side by side, each in its own git worktree, using the user's own logins. The page is the product…
As reported by the Offrun site: each agent in a project works in its own git worktree, so two agents on the same repo do not touch the same files.
Route between coding-agent models with the open-source Weave Router 2.0
The Weave team presented Weave Router 2.0 in a Show HN post. It is an open-source routing model that sits in front of coding agents and switches between LLMs per turn, and the aut…
As reported by the Weave author on Hacker News: on Terminal Bench 4.0 and SWE Atlas, the router had equivalent pass rates to GPT-6 Astra.
FAQ
What is the best alternative to Gemini CLI?
By usage, the closest alternative is OpenAI Codex, followed by Claude Code, Pi, OpenCode.
Is there a free alternative to Gemini CLI?
None of the closest alternatives has a free tier.
Is there an open-source alternative to Gemini CLI?
Not among the closest alternatives we track.
How do these Gemini CLI alternatives compare on price?
OpenAI Codex: Free + $8/mo; Claude Code: $20/mo; Pi: Free (OSS); OpenCode: Free + $10/mo; Oh My Pi: Free (OSS); Cline: Free + $9.99/mo.
Gemini CLI: pricing, features and stats · All terminal coding agents · Find the right agent in 4 questions