Claude Code vs
OrbCode CLI
Feature parity. Same agentic terminal core. But more usage per window and flexible model choice.
OrbCode runs high-performance open-source and third-party models that cost significantly less per token — so every plan passes more rate-limit through to you, at a lower monthly price.
$ npm install -g @matterailab/orbcodeSame core. Same features.
OrbCode is a standalone terminal port of the same agentic loop — native tools, approvals, hooks, MCP, skills and memory all match Claude Code. A few places OrbCode goes further.
| Feature | Claude Code | OrbCode CLI |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | CLI + VS Code extension | CLI + extension + dedicated IDE |
| Default context window | 200K tokens | 400K tokens (2x) |
| Streaming terminal UI | Markdown + live tool rows | Markdown + live tool rows |
| Live reasoning / thinking display | Collapsible thinking | Collapsible thinking (Ctrl+O) |
| Native tools (read, edit, search, exec, web) | Full tool set | Byte-identical schemas |
| Edit diffs & command approvals | Prompt before write | Prompt + dangerous-cmd lock |
| Headless / non-interactive mode | -p flag | -p flag + --yolo |
| Lifecycle hooks | PreToolUse, PostToolUse… | Same contract — scripts port over |
| MCP server support | stdio / http / sse | stdio / http / sse + OAuth |
| Skills (on-demand instruction sets) | SKILL.md format | SKILL.md format |
| Project memory file | CLAUDE.md (proprietary) | AGENTS.md (open standard) |
| Session resume & history | Resume sessions | /resume + /task linking |
| Bring-your-own model (Anthropic / OpenAI) | Anthropic only | Anthropic + OpenAI-compatible |
| Free model tier | — | Included |
| Open source license | Closed source | MIT (open source) |
More usage per 5-hour window.
Same agentic workflow, but optimized open-source and third-party models cost a fraction of Claude's to run. That saving becomes rate-limit headroom — at every plan, at a lower price.
No free CLIDeveloperProProMax 5xPro PlusMax 20xMaxPer-window limits are approximate and vary with context length and model choice. Claude Code figures per Anthropic's published usage limits; Claude Code has no free tier (free Claude.ai excludes the CLI). OrbCode figures reflect the lower per-token cost of open-source models, which lets us pass more usage through the same subscription dollar.
Cheaper models. Same intelligence.
The rate-limit advantage comes from raw model economics. Open-source output tokens cost significantly less than Claude's — savings we pass straight back as usage.
| Model | Input / Mtok | Output / Mtok | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Opus 4.8 | $5.00 | $25.00 | Frontier |
| Claude Sonnet 4.6 | $3.00 | $15.00 | Default for Claude Code |
| GLM 5.3 | $1.40 | $4.40 | Z.ai · 1M ctx |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | $0.14 | $0.28 | Fast · 1M ctx |
GLM 5.3 and DeepSeek V4 provide state-of-the-art coding intelligence with transparent token pricing.
Where OrbCode pulls ahead.
More rate-limit per window
High-performance inference on optimized OSS runtimes means every plan passes more prompts through the same 5-hour window — at a lower monthly price.
Bring your own model
OrbCode supports Anthropic, OpenAI-compatible endpoints, and top OSS models like GLM 5.3 and DeepSeek V4 via customModels in settings.json.
Open-standard memory
AGENTS.md works across tools instead of a proprietary CLAUDE.md. @include directives resolve recursively so shared team instructions just work.
Claude-Code-compatible hooks
The same hook contract and event names — PreToolUse, PostToolUse, UserPromptSubmit. Scripts written for Claude Code port over with a one-line change.
Free tier model
Available on the free plan — just install and run.
MIT & fully open source
The entire CLI is open source under MIT — audit the agent loop, ship patches, or self-host. Claude Code is closed-source, so you're trusting a black box.
Drop-in terminal replacement.
If you know Claude Code, you know OrbCode. Same slash commands, same approvals, same hooks.
Switch from
Claude Code.
Same terminal workflow, Claude-Code-compatible hooks, and more usage per window — at a fraction of the cost. Install globally, sign in once, and run orbcode from any project.
$ npm install -g @matterailab/orbcode