head to head · open source
OpenClaw vs opencode.nvim
OpenClaw has 389,982 GitHub stars, 81,978 forks, 6,671 open issues and last shipped yesterday. opencode.nvim has 3,834 stars, 159 forks, 6 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. OpenClaw leads on adoption by 10,072% (389,982 vs 3,834 stars). OpenClaw is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; opencode.nvim is written in Lua under MIT. OpenClaw has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, opencode.nvim 4%. OpenClaw was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (ai), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
← all 8884 open source comparisons
Side by side
| OpenClaw | opencode.nvim | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 390K | ★ 3.8K |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | Lua |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 82K | ⑂ 159 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick OpenClaw if
- You weight community size — 390K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick opencode.nvim if
- You want the opencode.nvim feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Lua
- You evaluated both and opencode.nvim fits your workflow better
About OpenClaw
OpenClaw is an open source, self hosted AI assistant in the AI & Machine Learning / AI Interaction & Interfaces category that runs on hardware the user controls and meets them inside the messaging channels they already use, for individuals who want a personal assistant on a laptop and teams that want a shared deployment.
read the full OpenClaw overview →
About opencode.nvim
opencode.nvim is Neovim plugin, Lua code, MIT license. It connects Neovim to OpenCode, AI coding assistant. It lives in Neovim plugin ecosystem, under AI and machine learning, AI interaction and interfaces. It targets users wanting AI help without leaving terminal text editor. It bridges Neovim buffers, selections, cursor position, and prompt selection to OpenCode. It keeps user in known Neovim flow. It does not replace OpenCode interface. It uses OpenCode existing terminal user interface and API through standard Neovim interfaces. Topic tags include ai, ai agents, ai assistant, lua, neovim, neovim plugin, nvim, …
read the full opencode.nvim overview →
More in AI & Machine Learning
Related comparisons
More AI Interaction & Interfaces projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the AI Interaction & Interfaces field.
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenClaw or opencode.nvim more popular?
OpenClaw has 389,982 GitHub stars and opencode.nvim has 3,834. OpenClaw has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenClaw and opencode.nvim free?
Both are open source. OpenClaw has no licence declared in this registry, and opencode.nvim is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between OpenClaw and opencode.nvim?
OpenClaw is written in TypeScript and opencode.nvim in Lua. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, OpenClaw or opencode.nvim?
Choose OpenClaw if you want the larger community (389,982 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose opencode.nvim if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.