OpenHands vs Claude Code

Summary

OpenHands vs Claude Code (Coding Agents (CLI & Cloud)). Agent test scores: OpenHands 9.1/10, Claude Code 9.3/10. Claude Code scored 0.2 higher overall in our separate rubric v0.1 tests (editions and tasks can differ — see Edition tested and the notes below). Pricing: OpenHands — Agent Canvas free to self-host (MIT, BYOK, single shared identity). Teams $500/mo up to 10 users (+$50/seat), self-hosted with RBAC. Enterprise custom. OpenHands Cloud: free BYOK tier with daily/parallel conversation limits; hosted models at provider cost with no markup; Claude Code — Included in Claude Pro $20/mo ($17/mo annual, $200 upfront); Max from $100/mo (5x or 20x); or API pay-as-you-go.

Every fact on this page comes from our tool records and test logs. Last updated:

Key facts

OpenHands

VibeToolRank score
9.1/10
Last tested
2026-11-04
Runs
3 runs
Outcome score
10/10
Edition tested
OpenHands CLI 1.16.0 headless with Google AI Studio gemini-3.5-flash-lite and caching_prompt=False (BYOK, $0). Not Agent Canvas, not Cloud
Free plan, as measured
$0 per bugfix run on a free Gemini key (BYOK)
Free plan
Yes: self-host Agent Canvas / CLI / SDK free with your own model key; Cloud free BYOK tier for individuals with usage limits. No card required for local BYOK
Price
Agent Canvas free to self-host (MIT, BYOK, single shared identity). Teams $500/mo up to 10 users (+$50/seat), self-hosted with RBAC. Enterprise custom. OpenHands Cloud: free BYOK tier with daily/parallel conversation limits; hosted models at provider cost with no markup
Pricing checked
2026-11-04

Claude Code

VibeToolRank score
9.3/10
Last tested
2026-11-01
Runs
3 runs
Outcome score
10/10
Edition tested
Claude Code CLI 2.1.314 with Anthropic Claude Sonnet 5.5 (claude-sonnet-5-5) via API key; OpenRouter free edition also tested the same day (also 9.3 — see FAQ)
Free plan, as measured
Not applicable for the Sonnet API edition (~$0.01/run). OpenRouter free edition used free-model quota at $0 the same day.
Free plan
No (not included in Claude Free)
Price
Included in Claude Pro $20/mo ($17/mo annual, $200 upfront); Max from $100/mo (5x or 20x); or API pay-as-you-go
Pricing checked
2026-10-16

Side by side

FieldOpenHands Claude Code
What it isOpenHandsOpen-source platform for software engineering agents (MIT). Self-host with Agent Canvas, a headless CLI, an SDK, or use OpenHands Cloud. Bring your own LLM key; Cloud also offers at-cost hosted models and a limited free BYOK tier.Claude CodeAnthropic's agentic coding tool for the terminal, IDE, desktop, and browser.
PricingOpenHandsAgent Canvas free to self-host (MIT, BYOK, single shared identity). Teams $500/mo up to 10 users (+$50/seat), self-hosted with RBAC. Enterprise custom. OpenHands Cloud: free BYOK tier with daily/parallel conversation limits; hosted models at provider cost with no markupClaude CodeIncluded in Claude Pro $20/mo ($17/mo annual, $200 upfront); Max from $100/mo (5x or 20x); or API pay-as-you-go
Free tierOpenHandsYes: self-host Agent Canvas / CLI / SDK free with your own model key; Cloud free BYOK tier for individuals with usage limits. No card required for local BYOKClaude CodeNo (not included in Claude Free)
Pricing verifiedOpenHands2026-11-04Claude Code2026-10-16
Edition testedOpenHandsOpenHands CLI 1.16.0 headless with Google AI Studio gemini-3.5-flash-lite and caching_prompt=False (BYOK, $0). Not Agent Canvas, not CloudClaude CodeClaude Code CLI 2.1.314 with Anthropic Claude Sonnet 5.5 (claude-sonnet-5-5) via API key; OpenRouter free edition also tested the same day (also 9.3 — see FAQ)
Tested onOpenHands2026-11-04Claude Code2026-11-01
Outcome scoreOpenHands10Claude Code10
Speed scoreOpenHands8Claude Code10
Cost scoreOpenHands10Claude Code7
Developer experience scoreOpenHands6Claude Code8
Reliability scoreOpenHands10Claude Code10
Overall scoreOpenHands9.1Claude Code9.3

What our tests found

OpenHands

OpenHands CLI headless fixed our seeded cart discount bug in 3 of 3 runs (42–51s each) with a free Gemini key, never touched the test file. Cost $0. Overall 9.1 (outcome 10, speed 8, cost 10, DX 6, reliability 10). DX lost points because Gemini free context caching caused 429s until we seeded agent_settings and forced caching_prompt=False — there is no simple CLI/env switch.headless CLI, BYOK

Pros
  • Fixed the seeded bug in 3/3 headless runs with a free model
  • Did not modify the test file in any run
  • Self-host / BYOK path works with no OpenHands Cloud account
  • Large open-source project (~92.6k GitHub stars on 2026-11-04)
Cons
  • Default Gemini path uses context caching that the free Gemini tier rejects (429); turning it off needed a settings seed + JSON patch
  • CLI TUI is in maintenance mode; docs steer new local users to Agent Canvas
  • We only scored the headless CLI edition, not Agent Canvas or Cloud

Who it’s for: Teams that want an open-source coding agent they can self-host or run headless in CI with their own model keys, without locking into one cloud vendor.

Claude Code

Anthropic Sonnet 5.5 edition (headline): Claude Code CLI fixed our seeded cart bug in 3 of 3 runs (5.7–7.1s, 5 turns each). Test file untouched. Real API spend ~$0.035 for smoke + 3 runs at Sonnet 5.5 list prices ($2/$10 per MTok). Overall 9.3 (outcome 10, speed 10, cost 7, DX 8, reliability 10). Alongside: OpenRouter free-model edition the same day also scored 9.3 at $0 (cohere/north-mini-code:free; slower, free-tier cost 10) — docs/tests/claude-code/RESULTS.md. Opus not run.Anthropic Sonnet 5.5 API

Pros
  • Fixed the seeded bug in 3/3 runs with Anthropic Sonnet 5.5 in about 6 seconds
  • Real API cost about $0.01 per T3 run at Sonnet 5.5 list prices
  • Did not modify the test file in any run
  • OpenRouter free edition also available at $0 for CLI-loop testing (also 9.3)
Cons
  • No Claude Free plan access — Anthropic models need Pro, Max, or API credits
  • Cost score 7 reflects pay-as-you-go API, not a free tier
  • Needs --dangerously-skip-permissions for unattended sandbox runs
  • Opus edition not tested (Sonnet already maxed Outcome on this T3)

Who it’s for: Developers who want Anthropic's terminal agent on Sonnet/Opus (Pro, Max, or API). Headline score is Anthropic Sonnet 5.5 via API. A separate OpenRouter free edition (also 9.3) tests the CLI with a small free model only.

Verdict

Scores use rubric v0.1 from separate runs. Editions and tasks can differ (see Edition tested and What our tests found); some tests were a single run, which caps reliability scores. Overall: OpenHands 9.1, Claude Code 9.3. Check the free-tier limits above against your project before choosing.

FAQ

Which is better, OpenHands or Claude Code?

In our tests Claude Code scored higher overall (9.3/10 vs 9.1/10). Scores use the same rubric (v0.1) but came from separate runs; editions and tasks may differ (see Edition tested and test summaries), so check the per-dimension scores for what matters to you.

Is OpenHands free?

Yes: self-host Agent Canvas / CLI / SDK free with your own model key; Cloud free BYOK tier for individuals with usage limits. No card required for local BYOK (pricing checked 2026-11-04).

Is Claude Code free?

No (not included in Claude Free) (pricing checked 2026-10-16).

How much does OpenHands cost compared with Claude Code?

OpenHands: Agent Canvas free to self-host (MIT, BYOK, single shared identity). Teams $500/mo up to 10 users (+$50/seat), self-hosted with RBAC. Enterprise custom. OpenHands Cloud: free BYOK tier with daily/parallel conversation limits; hosted models at provider cost with no markup. Claude Code: Included in Claude Pro $20/mo ($17/mo annual, $200 upfront); Max from $100/mo (5x or 20x); or API pay-as-you-go.

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Scores come from our own tests and are never for sale; sponsored placements are always labelled. Some links are affiliate links (currently Railway). Disclosure