opencode is basically an open-source take on the coding-agent tui space. think claude code, but free-er and hackable.
and yeah, it’s kind of flying under the radar.
what stood out
they’re very generous with free models. not demo-tier useless stuff, but actually usable. i tried sticking to only the free options and the results were… good.
better than expected. no immediate paywall vibes, just an exponential backoff when you hit the rate limit.
the tui thing
it’s still a tui-first workflow, which means:
- fast
- keyboard-heavy
- zero hand-holding
personally, i’m still not fully comfortable coding this way. probably skill issue 🕊️. my brain is still ide-shaped.
how i'll use it
i don't see it as a replacement for windsurf, my current IDE. more like a complement.
opencode shines for quick experiments, repo-level reasoning, and letting an agent roam freely. windsurf stays my go-to for mainline coding, refactors, and "serious" work. alternating between the two feels right. different tools for different vibes.