Jan vs Roo Code
A side-by-side comparison of two open-source tools to help you choose the right one.
| Feature | RC | |
|---|---|---|
| Summary | An offline AI assistant that runs on your device. | Agentic AI coding inside VS Code. |
| GitHub stars | 30K | 16.5K |
| License | AGPL 3.0 | Apache 2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Pricing | Free & Open Source | Free & Open Source |
| Self-hostable | ||
| Replaces | ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot | Claude Code, GitHub Copilot |
| Rating | 4.6 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 |
Jan features
- Runs open models entirely offline on CPU or GPU
- Cross-platform desktop app (macOS, Windows, Linux)
- Optional connection to remote model APIs
- Local API server compatible with OpenAI clients
- No telemetry by default
Roo Code features
- Multi-file, project-wide editing
- Custom modes for code, architecture, and debugging
- Use any model provider
- Agentic task automation
- Open source with an active community