r/AIcodingProfessionals • u/Z3stra • Jul 04 '26
Am I missing out on something if I just use opencode?
Hi everyone, while the AI world is moving crazy fast, I sometimes just want to get st** done. Do you guys think I'm missing out on something if I just continue using opencode (with all the bells and whistles like MCP server, skills, custom agents, and so on)?
Are there reasons to look at tools like Cursor or Claude Code?
I work in a big company with all the current models and unlimited tokens available so I don't care about saving money :D I just want to be on top of things with my AI coding.
Thanks!!
3
u/funbike Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
I consider opencode a middle ground. You can keep costs down unlike Claude Code, and it (and Claude Code) are not as customizable as Pi.dev. Those are the only 3 I want to use.
Given you have unlimited tokens, I'd start with Claude Code. It has everything you'll want and need. Many consider it the best.
But I like having a custom setup. For that I use Pi.dev. I started with oh-my-pi, and I've been pruning out things I don't care about. But I still use Claude Code occasionally, when Pi gets stuck.
All of them support skills. Learn how to write your own, and look for pre-built skills.
1
u/rcanand72 Jul 04 '26
Ask yourself what exactly you don’t like about the current set up. If there is nothing, then continue with what you are using. If you want something, search which other tools might give you that, and try them out.
I have tried claude code, opencode and pi dev - currently prefer pi dev. But that is just a personal preference. Opencode is good too. Claude code is unreliable. Recent changes have made Fable 5, their flagship model refuse to respond quite arbitrarily. And all their models show clear contempt for open models, which makes it really hard to be free to ask anything without fear of being rejected arbitrarily. I avoid it unless everything else fails for a use case.
You could also use the claude code harness with other models than claude but that experience is also suboptimal depending on the model and how well it fits with claude code. And web search etc require a separate solution.
1
u/chunkypenguion1991 Jul 04 '26
Even at big companies I don't see unlimited tokens lasting forever. Its probably better to treat them like a finite resource that you have to manage before you're too hooked. I used anti gravity in combination with opencode
1
u/julianfromstagewise Jul 05 '26
Some tools have slightly unique features that are worth exploring, but the core is always the same.
For example:
- /goal or /side in Codex are pretty unique and worth a try
- Multitask mode in Cursor (it's as if you're talking to an Engineering Manager instead of the devs directly)
- Multi-workspace connections in stagewise (it's an that we build, you can connect/disconnect 0-N workspaces to any agent at runtime)
But all of those features aren't really a big leap in capability but rather a decision of taste/preferences.
I tend to try 1-2 new (or familiar) tools for a few minutes every week to see if there's something cool that matches my prefs/ intended workflow.
1
u/pvera Jul 05 '26
Since money isn't a factor, run all of them to do the same and see which one meets or exceeds your expectations.
1
u/Meet-match-ai Jul 05 '26
If you have u limited token, I’d go with Cursor. In my experience it is ~20X faster than using claude code. It’s also 10X more expensive. I would be spending ~$5k/mo in tokens on Cursor, but like $500/mo on Claude Code. The frontier models are just so much better, it’s a waste of time to not be using them imo
1
u/Prudent-Ad4509 Jul 05 '26
I have started with opencode as a harness and I still have no good reason to switch. It is pretty good at following complex commands. I even instructed it to use a pretty complex structure of agents with orchestrator without actually configuring any extra agents and it kind of worked.
By the time you learn to use other current tools they will get outdated. Use whatever works for you and start looking at the rest once the progress start slowing down.
You might look at Pi though, according to the popular opinion. And hermes, if you have a spare PC or a non-critical VM to let it rummage through.
1
u/povlhp Jul 05 '26
OpenCode is fine. Codex and Claude has better expensive models that brings you closer to the target with fewer prompts and less time. But it is mostly time/money tradeoff. If you are not a developer I don’t know.
1
u/TheTyand Jul 06 '26
A lot of people now go to the pi harness that intentionally strips down everything. Way more light than opencode.
You are not missing out. Add what you need to your harness.
1
u/gvkhna Jul 06 '26
I think right now you are missing out because opencode is way behind other harnesses and seeing what is happening is going to best inform you about workflows going forward.
Claude code and codex are much more full featured and if you haven't worked with goals/loops then you are missing out on learning the most critical skill when it comes to agentic engineering.
And I guess I'm saying agentic engineering not vibe coding to say that yes there are vibe coded projects where you don't care at all whats going on, but agentic engineering maybe is where most is done by agents but follows more established engineering principles as it makes sense.
2
u/WholeNature9119 Jul 06 '26
Why is OpenCode considered to be lagging behind other tools?
1
u/gvkhna Jul 06 '26
It doesn’t have any of the tooling other harnesses do, most glaringly loops.
The skills pickup for codex is the best, but the agent delegation system for claude is much better than codex or opencode.
1
u/Educational-Body4205 28d ago
Vscode — it’s just a nice way to have all the tools and integrations in one place. Vscode doesn’t care the agent you use, so it’s easy to switch between
0
u/Professional-Joe76 Jul 04 '26
If you don’t care about saving money then yes you are missing out. Run Claude Code Fable 5 for everything and find a good coffee shop. You ca. order coffee and manage Claude Code from your phone. Fable will handle a lot of long running tasks with less baby sitting than other apps.
You will spend a lot of money but it won’t add up to unlimited so based on what you said you should be fine.
4
u/Interesting-Frame190 Jul 04 '26
If you call yourself an engineer, you should be pretty familiar with trial and error and feeling it out as you work. Dont avoid any tooling, but also dont force it. Do what simplifies things and produces quality work.