head to head · open source
OpenCode vs Hercules
OpenCode has 224,079 GitHub stars, 30,135 forks, 5,727 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Hercules has 1,210 stars, 202 forks, 39 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. OpenCode leads on adoption by 18,419% (224,079 vs 1,210 stars). OpenCode is written in TypeScript under MIT; Hercules is written in Python under AGPL-3.0. OpenCode has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, Hercules 17%. OpenCode was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| OpenCode | Hercules | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 224K | ★ 1.2K |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 30K | ⑂ 202 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick OpenCode if
- You weight community size — 224K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Hercules if
- You want the Hercules feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Hercules fits your workflow better
About OpenCode
The open source AI coding agent. English 简体中文 繁體中文 한국어 Deutsch Español Français Italiano Dansk 日本語 Polski Русский Bosanski العربية Norsk Português (Brasil) ไทย Türkçe Українська বাংলা Ελληνικά Tiếng Việt Installation [!TIP] Remove versions older than 0.1.x before installing. Desktop App (BETA) OpenCode is also available as a desktop application. Download directly from the releases page or opencode.ai/download. Installation Directory The install script respects the following priority order for the installation path: 1. $OPENCODE INSTALL DIR Custom installation directory 2. $XDG BIN DIR XDG Base Directory…
read the full OpenCode overview →
About Hercules
💪 Hercules Testing modern web applications can be difficult, with frequent changes and complex features making it hard to keep up. That's where Hercules comes in. Hercules is the world's first open source testing agent, built to handle the toughest testing tasks so you don't have to. It turns simple, easy to write Gherkin steps into fully automated end to end tests—no coding skills needed. Whether you're working with tricky enterprise platforms or running tests in your CI/CD pipeline, Hercules adapts to your needs and takes care of the details. With Hercules, testing becomes simple, reliable, and efficient…
read the full Hercules overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is OpenCode or Hercules more popular?
OpenCode has 224,079 GitHub stars and Hercules has 1,210. OpenCode has the larger community by that measure.
Are OpenCode and Hercules free?
Both are open source. OpenCode is licensed under MIT and Hercules under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between OpenCode and Hercules?
OpenCode is written in TypeScript and Hercules in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, OpenCode or Hercules?
Choose OpenCode if you want the larger community (224,079 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Hercules if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.