kitio.aiOpenCode vs Butterfish
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Butterfish is completely free, while OpenCode is freemium.
At a glance
Best for
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Terminal UI
- LSP-aware context
- 75+ model providers
- Custom agents
- Desktop client
- AI prompts inside bash and zsh
- Shell history as context
- Command autocomplete from AI
- Goal mode agent
- Neovim plugin
| Feature | OpenCode | Butterfish |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Open-source, model-agnostic coding agent for the terminal | Open-source shell wrapper that adds AI prompts to bash and zsh |
| Category | Coding | Coding |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Free |
| Starting price | $10/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes, fully free |
| Made by | Anomaly Innovations | Peter Bakkum |
| Based in | United States | – |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Butterfish is completely free, while OpenCode is freemium.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
3 plans
Open source
Free
- Free coding agent
- Bring your own model keys
Go
$10/mo
- Subscription access to coding models
Zen
Pay-as-you-go
- Curated models billed per token
Prices in USD, checked Oct 28, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
OpenCode
- Free and open source
- Uses plans you already pay for
- Fast, well-designed TUI
- You choose and tune models yourself
- Some providers limit third-party access
Butterfish
- Free and MIT licensed
- No copy and paste between tools
- Keeps your existing shell setup
- Needs your own OpenAI-compatible API key
- No Windows support
- Agent mode can run commands on your system
Which one should you choose?
Choose OpenCode if you want:
- Free and open source
- Uses plans you already pay for
- Fast, well-designed TUI
Watch out: you choose and tune models yourself.
Choose Butterfish if you want:
- Free and MIT licensed
- No copy and paste between tools
- Keeps your existing shell setup
Watch out: needs your own openai-compatible api key.
OpenCode vs Butterfish FAQ
What is the difference between OpenCode and Butterfish?
OpenCode: Open-source, model-agnostic coding agent for the terminal. Butterfish: Open-source shell wrapper that adds AI prompts to bash and zsh. Both are coding tools.
Is OpenCode or Butterfish cheaper?
Butterfish is completely free, while OpenCode is freemium.
Do OpenCode and Butterfish have free plans?
OpenCode: Yes. Butterfish: Yes, fully free.
Who makes OpenCode?
OpenCode is made by Anomaly Innovations, based in United States.
Who makes Butterfish?
Butterfish is made by Peter Bakkum.
Which should I choose, OpenCode or Butterfish?
Choose OpenCode if you value free and open source and uses plans you already pay for. Choose Butterfish if you value free and mit licensed and no copy and paste between tools.