Stack Gems
Menu
WorkbenchBestNewSkillsLogAboutSubmit

Alternatives · Coding Agents

Gemini CLI alternatives (2026)

Gemini CLI: Google terminal agent. OSS CLI remains, but consumer quota was cut 2026-06-18; Antigravity (agy) is the consumer path. Gemini-bound by design.

Its Catch: Gemini-bound lock-in—not model-agnostic like Goose or Crush.

Below: 8 free or free-tier tools from the same category (coding agents), free and open source first, then the closest match by shared tags. Each keeps its own Catch.

  1. 1.OpenAI Codex CLIApache-2.0 OpenAI agent: CLI, IDE, app and cloud

    Free / OSS · Freemium · 130k GitHub stars

    VerdictOpenAI’s answer to terminal agents — open CLI, paid models; budget the plan or the API.

    CatchThe CLI is open source, but the models are not free: you pay through ChatGPT plan quotas or API spend. Codex Web runs on OpenAI’s cloud, not on your machine. The install.sh, brew and npm routes are supply-chain choices, so pin a release binary when that matters. Vs Claude Code or OpenCode: this is OpenAI’s first-party agent, tied to ChatGPT plans or OpenAI API keys.

  2. 2.OpenCodeMIT OSS coding agent: CLI, TUI, desktop; BYOK/local

    Free / OSS · OSS/MIT · 217k GitHub stars

    VerdictMIT BYOK agent across CLI/desktop/IDE. The real catches are on /log: date stamp and compaction.

    CatchTwo catches worth reading on /log: “The date stamp is a trigger channel” (auto today’s-date × open-weight LoRA as a time-release fuse) and “Compaction ate the denial” (long sessions prune hard vetoes; compaction is untrusted rewrite). Re-read those two notes before you treat OpenCode as set-and-forget.

  3. 3.Kilo CodeMIT OSS IDE+CLI agent; active Cline/Roo line + MCP marketplace

    Free / OSS · OSS/MIT · 27.7k GitHub stars

    VerdictMIT IDE+CLI agent with MCP marketplace. Roo’s active heir, not a second OpenCode.

    CatchPitch IDE+platform, not “another OpenCode.” Gateway/account is convenience; BYOK stays. Marketplace and modes are the differentiator vs plain CLI harnesses. Enterprise governance rides Anaconda — evaluate if that middle layer matters for your org.

  4. 4.Open Code ReviewApache-2.0 hybrid deterministic+LLM review agent (MCP/plugins)

    Free / OSS · Apache-2.0 · 47.6k GitHub stars

    VerdictApache-2.0 hybrid review agent. Deterministic+LLM vs Semgrep/Gitleaks and vs general coding agents; BYO LLM.

    CatchVs Semgrep/Gitleaks (deterministic SAST/secrets): OCR adds an LLM agent layer for context-heavy review, not a drop-in replacement for static rules alone. Vs Claude Code/SWE-agent/OpenHands (general coding agents): OCR is a purpose-built review harness, not a full autonomous coder. BYO LLM cost — you bring the model endpoint and pay the provider; the OSS CLI itself is free.

  5. 5.gawkbotSource-available always-on bots that build microapps — local Grok Bot alternative

    Free / OSS · Open-Core · 1.5k GitHub stars

    VerdictSource-available local Grok Bot. Approval-gated personal bots; check SUL before you ship it as a product.

    CatchSustainable Use License — source-available, not OSI open-source; read the license before commercial redistribution. Vs OneCLI / AgentBox / Dexto: gawkbot is personal always-on bots + microapps, not a team credential gateway or Elastic-licensed harness. You still bring a signed-in coding agent CLI and model spend. Per-bot VM computers are still on the roadmap per README.

  6. 6.Codex-XCodex-specific desktop and CLI workspace for visual configuration and MCP skills

    Free / OSS · OSS/MIT · 4.2k GitHub stars

    VerdictMIT Codex desktop/CLI companion. Handy for visual MCP and skills configuration; audit auth, relay endpoints, and unrestricted templates before trusting it.

    CatchVs T3 Code: Codex-X is Codex-specific visual configuration plus MCP/skills, not a broad remote coding environment or an independent coding model. It handles `auth.json`, supports third-party relays, and allows unrestricted prompt templates — review where credentials go, which endpoint receives requests, and what instructions can execute before using a release. Treat relays as a trust decision, not a convenience toggle.

  7. 7.PiMIT agent harness with coding CLI, unified LLM API, and TUI

    Free / OSS · OSS/MIT · 116k GitHub stars

    VerdictMIT coding-agent harness. Strong default when you want an OSS CLI + unified providers; sandbox it yourself before production credentials.

    CatchVs Prime Agent, OpenCode, OpenHands, and Claude Code: Pi is the Earendil coding-agent harness + CLI stack, not PrimeIntellect's RLM REPL, a general terminal wrapper, a full autonomous developer platform, or Anthropic's product CLI. Pi does not ship a built-in permission system for filesystem/process/network/credentials — it runs with the launching user's privileges; containerize (Docker/OpenShell/Gondolin patterns in-repo) before giving it secrets. New issues/PRs from new contributors are auto-closed by default pending maintainer review.

  8. 8.ZCodeApache coding workspace — desktop, web, and zcode Agent CLI

    Free / OSS · Apache-2.0 · 7.9k GitHub stars

    VerdictApache coding workspace when you want desktop+web+CLI from one OSS tree and can accept Z.ai product edges.

    CatchVs Claude Code, Pi, and OpenCode: ZCode is Z.ai’s full workspace stack, not Anthropic’s product CLI, Earendil’s harness, or a pure terminal OSS agent. Bootstrap is heavy (pinned Node/pnpm, desktop/runtime assets); some OAuth/product routes still point at Z.ai services. Chinese/English docs mix — English README.en.md is the clearer entry.

FAQ

What are the best free alternatives to Gemini CLI?
OpenAI Codex CLI, OpenCode, Kilo Code, Open Code Review, gawkbot. All are reviewed on Stack Gems in the same category (coding agents); 8 free or open source.
What is the catch with Gemini CLI?
Gemini-bound lock-in—not model-agnostic like Goose or Crush.
Is there an open-source alternative to Gemini CLI?
Yes: OpenAI Codex CLI (Freemium), OpenCode (OSS/MIT), Kilo Code (OSS/MIT), Open Code Review (Apache-2.0).

More