Sourced comparison
SynthHires vs opencode
An open-source AI coding agent that runs in your terminal, with desktop and IDE builds available.
Every claim on this page was last checked against the vendor’s own material on 2026-09-15. Sources are re-read every 120 days; next review due by 2027-01-13. Leer en español
Where opencode is the better choice
- It is open source: you can read, audit, fork and self-build the agent you actually run.
- A terminal agent fits an existing git-and-shell workflow with no platform account in between.
- Provider configuration is a single config file, and the agent is model-agnostic by design.
Where SynthHires is the better fit
- Multi-agent orchestration is the core abstraction, not a single interactive session: parallel read-only batches and serialized writers are part of the engine.
- Governance is a product surface: approval gates, policy enforcement and audit trails around agent operations for teams that need them.
- Nothing to install to start: the whole workspace is in the browser, with auto-named and persisted conversations.
Side by side
Each cell links to the source it was read from.
| opencode | SynthHires | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Terminal-first coding agent (plus desktop and IDE builds)opencode docs — Intro | AI agent workforce platform (browser-based, multi-agent)SynthHires homepage |
| Source availability | Open sourceopencode docs — Intro ("open source AI coding agent") | Proprietary platform. The desktop Bridge daemon is published separately.SynthHires homepage |
| Primary interface | Terminal TUI, desktop app, or IDE extensionopencode docs — Intro | Web app, plus a desktop Bridge daemon for local runtimesRuntimes |
| Model access | Any LLM provider you hold API keys for; a curated list is offered as "OpenCode Zen"opencode docs — Configure | Bring your own key (BYOK) across the providers in the model catalogPricing and FAQ |
| Where your API keys live | Not published by the vendor | Encrypted client-side with AES-256-GCM; keys never reach our serversPricing and FAQ |
| Where it runs | Your own machine (or a container you run)opencode docs — Install | Our stateless Cloudflare Workers edge, or your own machine via the Bridge daemonRuntimes |
| Model Context Protocol (MCP) | Local (stdio) and remote MCP servers, with OAuth handling and org-level defaultsTheir own docs warn that MCP tools add to the context window and can push a session past its limit.opencode docs — MCP servers | MCP-native: Streamable HTTP MCP transport plus a connector registryDocumentation |
| Multi-agent orchestration | Not published by the vendor | First-class: spawning subagents, parallel read-only batches and serialized writersAgent StudioShowcase |
| Human-in-the-loop approvals | A Plan mode that proposes changes before building, plus /undo and /redoopencode docs — Usage | Approval gates, policy enforcement and audit trails over agent operationsGovernance |
| Entry price | Not published by the vendor | Free tier (contextual ads) and a $9/month paid tier. No markup on tokens.Pricing |
| UI languages | Not published by the vendoropencode docs | English and SpanishSynthHires homepage |
Frequently asked questions
Is opencode a SynthHires alternative?
Only for part of the job. Both let you bring your own model keys, and both speak MCP. opencode is a coding agent you drive from your terminal; SynthHires is a browser-based platform for running and supervising multiple agents with approval gates. If your work is editing a repository interactively, opencode is the more direct tool; if your work is a supervised pipeline of agents over a codebase, SynthHires targets that.
Does SynthHires have an open-source agent like opencode?
No — SynthHires is a proprietary platform. That is a real difference and it is stated in the comparison table rather than glossed over. What you do control is your keys: they are encrypted client-side with AES-256-GCM and never reach our servers.
Can I use opencode and SynthHires together?
Yes, and the two choices are not exclusive. opencode runs on your machine against your repository; SynthHires runs agents in the browser and can attach a local runtime through its Bridge daemon. Teams commonly keep a terminal agent for hands-on edits and use a supervised platform for the repeatable work.
How this comparison is maintained
Every claim about a third party cites the vendor’s own documentation or repository, with the date it was checked. When a vendor does not publish a value we write that instead of guessing. We do not publish ratings, review scores or benchmarks we cannot point at.
SynthHires is one of the products compared here, so the selection of tools and the framing of this page are ours — not a neutral third party’s. Each difference above is stated as a fact with a source you can open, and where the other tool is the better choice we say so. Treat the final judgement as yours to make.
Found a claim that is out of date or simply wrong? Tell us and we will fix the data and re-date this page — a correction we can source is worth more to us than a comparison we got to keep. Report a correction
Sources
- opencode — opencode / SST(primary material)
Try the agents with your own key
Free tier, no card. Bring your own provider key — it is encrypted in your browser and never reaches our servers.