Rea alternatives
Rea by morluto costs Free (OSS) 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 Rea 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; with an API key, Codex works in the CLI, SDK and IDE extension without cloud features such as GitHub code review and Slack. On the Free and Go plans Codex runs in the desktop app (subject to rollout); the web, CLI and IDE extension come with Plus and higher.
- Works with local models
- Bring your own API key
- More widely used (Gid Score 84 vs 61)
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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
- Bring your own API key
- More widely used (Gid Score 81 vs 61)
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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.
- Works with local models
- Bring your own API key
- More widely used (Gid Score 78 vs 61)
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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. Its tools and extensions run with the permissions of the Pi process; Pi does not sandbox tool calls or ask before each one.
- Works with local models
- Bring your own API key
- More widely used (Gid Score 74 vs 61)
- Growing fast: usage up 72% in 30 days
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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.
- Works with local models
- Bring your own API key
- Growing fast: usage up 50% in 30 days
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Google's open-source terminal agent that brings Gemini models to the command line for code editing, shell commands and MCP tools. Since 2026-06-18 it no longer serves free, Google AI Pro/Ultra or Google One users, who were moved to Antigravity CLI.
- Bring your own API key
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Open-source terminal coding agent (`omp`), built by Stencil Labs as a fork of the Pi coding agent by Mario Zechner, with a native Rust core, IDE-style tooling and Windows-native support.
- Works with local models
- Bring your own API key
- Growing fast: usage up 71% 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.
- Works with local models
- Bring your own API key
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Open-source, general-purpose AI agent that runs locally as a desktop app or CLI and can write code, run commands and use MCP extensions with 15+ LLM providers. Created by Block, it is now hosted by the Agentic AI Foundation at the Linux Foundation.
- Works with local models
- Bring your own API key
- Less widely used (Gid Score 49 vs 61)
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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.
- Proprietary
- Works with local models
- Bring your own API key
- Less widely used (Gid Score 46 vs 61)
Rea vs alternatives at a glance
| Agent | Price | Free to start | Open source | MCP | Local models | Gid Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rea | Free (OSS) | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ? | 61 |
| OpenAI Codex | Free + $8/mo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 84 |
| Claude Code | $20/mo | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ? | 81 |
| OpenCode | Free + $10/mo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 78 |
| Pi | Free (OSS) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 74 |
| mini-SWE-agent | Free (OSS) | ✓ | ✓ | ? | ✓ | 64 |
| Gemini CLI | Varies | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ? | 58 |
| Oh My Pi | Free (OSS) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 56 |
| Cline | Free + $9.99/mo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 55 |
| Goose | Free (OSS) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | 49 |
| GitHub Copilot CLI | Free + $10/mo | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | 46 |
Prices from the vendors' pricing pages; features from official docs (“?” means not documented). Full feature comparison · All prices
How teams use these tools
Mod almost any PC game with Claude Code and the universal-modder plugin
An open-source GitHub project packages skills, a command-line tool, a shared knowledge base and the fal MCP server so AI coding agents such as Claude Code can mod PC games the use…
The repository ships three worked examples: a Terraria tModLoader weapon and boss pack with sprites made through fal, an Age of Empires II DE civiliz…
Make continuous-take product launch films with the onetake agent skill
The onetake repository is a Claude Agent Skill that lets a coding agent produce product launch films, teasers and feature demos as one continuous camera take. An automated oracle …
The README lists ten example films across concept ads, launch films, app promos and feature demos, each with a finished film and a breakdown document…
Produce AI short dramas from a novel with shuohao-skills in Claude Code
An individual developer published an open-source set of agent skills that take a novel through to shoot-ready AI short-drama material: outline, character bible, art bible, screenp…
As reported by the repository author, each pipeline skill has script-checked quality gates: 14 for the outline, 10 for the art bible, 10 for the scre…
FAQ
What is the best alternative to Rea?
By usage, the closest alternative is OpenAI Codex, followed by Claude Code, OpenCode, Pi.
Is there a free alternative to Rea?
Yes. OpenAI Codex is free to start.
Is there an open-source alternative to Rea?
Yes. OpenAI Codex is open source.
How do these Rea alternatives compare on price?
OpenAI Codex: Free + $8/mo; Claude Code: $20/mo; OpenCode: Free + $10/mo; Pi: Free (OSS); mini-SWE-agent: Free (OSS); Gemini CLI: Varies.
Rea: pricing, features and stats · All terminal coding agents · Find the right agent in 4 questions