SpecWithCode vs OpenCode, T3 Code and cloud agents
SpecWithCode is a free, open-source Mac app that runs Claude Code, Codex and other coding agent CLIs on your own machines, signed in with the plans you already pay for. A coordinator splits work across worker threads, and the app tracks each subscription's limits.
The facts about other products below come from their own sites, docs and GitHub repositories, checked on 16 October 2026. They change quickly, so follow the links for the current state. SpecWithCode is our product, so read this page with that in mind.
At a glance
| SpecWithCode | OpenCode | T3 Code | Cloud agents | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What runs the agent | Each vendor's own CLI: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Grok, OpenCode, Muse Code, Antigravity, Pi, plus GitHub Copilot CLI and Gemini CLI through the ACP registry | Its own agent loop with build and plan agents, across 75+ model providers (providers, README) | Vendor CLIs: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Grok Build, OpenCode, Google Antigravity (README) | The vendor's agent in the vendor's environment |
| Where your code runs | Your Macs | Your machine | Your machine | A vendor-hosted container or VM that clones your repo (sources below) |
| Claude Pro or Max plan | Through Claude Code's own sign-in on each machine | Its docs say Anthropic prohibits this and the plugin has not been bundled since v1.3.0 (providers) | Through Claude Code: "Works with your subscriptions" (README) | Billed through each vendor's own plan |
| Other machines | Pair Macs over your network, SSH or Tailscale; move a project or continue a thread on another machine | opencode serve and opencode web listen on 127.0.0.1 by default and can bind a network address (server, web) | Network, Tailscale, SSH or the T3 Connect relay (remote access) | Runs in the vendor's cloud |
| Apps | macOS on Apple silicon (Electron), signed and notarized | Terminal, desktop for macOS, Windows and Linux, IDE extension (download) | Desktop (Electron), web, iOS, Android and a CLI (README) | Web, IDE and GitHub |
| Price and license | Free, open source (MIT) | Open source (MIT) (license) | Open source (MIT) (license) | Included in or billed by each vendor's plan |
Cloud agents here means:
- Codex cloud: "Codex creates a container and checks out your repo."
- Claude Code on the web: each session runs in an Anthropic-managed VM that clones your repository.
- GitHub Copilot coding agent: an ephemeral environment powered by GitHub Actions.
- Cursor cloud agents: isolated cloud VMs that clone your repo from GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps or Bitbucket.
- Google Jules: "Jules runs in a virtual machine where it clones your code."
Why a flat plan suits heavy agent work
Claude Max costs $100 or $200 a month and includes Claude Code (Anthropic). ChatGPT Pro costs $100, $200 or $500 a month and includes Codex (OpenAI). Both plans have session and weekly limits.
API billing charges for every input and output token (Anthropic API pricing, OpenAI API pricing). A coding agent resends its growing context on every turn, so a working day of several agents produces far more tokens than a chat. For that kind of sustained use, a flat plan can cost less than the same work at API rates. For light use, API billing can be cheaper. Compare against your own bills with the calculator on the SpecWithCode page; we do not promise a saving.
SpecWithCode helps you use those plans fully:
- it shows session and weekly windows for every connected account;
- it can move a thread to another signed-in provider before a limit, and continue it on another machine;
- it reads pooled accounts and banked resets from a CLIProxyAPI hub (for usage reporting; chat does not route through it).
Anthropic does not let third-party apps offer Claude.ai login or route requests through Pro or Max credentials on behalf of users; signing in to Claude Code itself is fine (Anthropic's terms). SpecWithCode runs the Claude Code CLI installed on your machine, which keeps its own sign-in.
Private by default
SpecWithCode needs no account and has no cloud service that stores your code or threads. Threads, plans and settings stay in a local database under ~/.specwithcode, and telemetry is off unless you turn it on. Prompts and relevant context still go to the model providers you choose; local execution does not mean offline AI. The optional SpecWithCode Connect relay for remote access stays off until you sign in to it.
Specs and increments
SpecWithCode works without any CLI. If the project uses SpecWeave, you can link a thread to an increment; its plan card then shows the spec and task progress read from spec.md and ledger.jsonl. The link is read-only: the app never rewrites your spec or ledger. The app does not create increments for each thread on its own.
Pick OpenCode
when you want one open agent loop across many API providers, or need Windows or Linux. SpecWithCode can also run OpenCode as one of its agents.
Pick T3 Code
when you want a local wrapper around the vendor CLIs with web and phone clients.
Pick a cloud agent
when work should keep running with your laptop closed and your repository already lives on GitHub.
Pick SpecWithCode
when you want one coordinator to split work across several agents on your own Macs, watch every subscription's limits in one place, let agents use your Chrome through the SpecWithCode Browser extension, and keep your code off anyone else's servers.
Download SpecWithCode or compare it with BridgeMind.