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BetterOpenSource

OpenHands vs Cody

A side-by-side comparison of two open-source tools to help you choose the right one.

Feature
SummaryAutonomous AI agents that build software.Enterprise AI coding assistant by Sourcegraph.
GitHub stars43K3K
LicenseMITApache 2.0
LanguagePythonTypeScript
PricingFree & Open SourceFreemium
Self-hostable
ReplacesClaude CodeClaude Code, GitHub Copilot
Rating4.6 / 54.4 / 5

OpenHands features

  • Agents that write code, run commands, and browse the web
  • Model-agnostic — use any LLM provider
  • Sandboxed execution for safety
  • Automates testing, docs, and refactoring
  • Self-hosted, scalable deployments

Cody features

  • Whole-codebase context via code search
  • Chat, autocomplete, and inline fixes
  • Works across large, multi-repo codebases
  • VS Code and JetBrains support
  • Enterprise controls and self-hosting

OpenHandspros & cons

Pros

  • Powerful end-to-end autonomous workflows
  • Permissive MIT license
  • Active research-grade community

Cons

  • Autonomous agents need guardrails and review
  • Heavier to run than an editor plugin

Codypros & cons

Pros

  • Excellent context on large codebases
  • Strong enterprise and on-prem options
  • Backed by Sourcegraph's code intelligence

Cons

  • Advanced/enterprise features are paid
  • Most valuable on big codebases

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