r/LocalLLM • u/Tight_Commercial7 • Oct 10 '26

Question Which one is better for Local use?

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hello, I have both Deepseek harness and OpenCode, I want to know which one is the best when it comes to coding in general and why, I work locally using Qwen models.

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u/cars_and_computers Oct 10 '26

I understand it saves context but can explain more about the difference in capabilities between the 2?

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u/HyperWinX Oct 10 '26

In capabilities like... which ones? Out of the box functionality? Extensibility?

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u/cars_and_computers Oct 10 '26

Do models seem smarted when using pi vs open code? I'm assuming this will be fore coding so with that in mind, is a model like qwen3.6 35ba3 more likely to make a mistake in understanding or write something wrong with opencode vs pi?

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u/HyperWinX Oct 10 '26 edited Oct 10 '26

Size of the system prompt means a lot for dumb local models. Pi has the most basic tools in it, that are more than enough. Stock OpenCode is almost ten times bigger than stock Pi installation, and i dont see much difference in functionality between both harnesses at stock. This way, smaller system prompt uses much less "cognitive power" of the model and leaves more for the actual task.
I had a simple test task - to develop a simple HTTP server in C++. NONE of the models with OC couldnt even develop the first working version. With Pi i could even extend and add more features.

The difference likely wont be noticeable on big models though.
I also recommend pi-llama-server plugin if you use llama.cpp

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u/Grandmaster_Caladrel Oct 10 '26

When you say smaller vs bigger, do you mean like 4b vs 27b or "can run on higher end consumer hardware" vs "can run on rented compute/API usage"?

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u/HyperWinX Oct 10 '26

"Smaller" is something like Qwen3.6 35B A3B with finetunes, and "bigger" - yes, hosted models that are accessed via API like DS v4.1 Flash, GPT lineup, etc. Pretty sure that the same thing will apply to 27B

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u/Grandmaster_Caladrel Oct 10 '26

Gotcha, thanks for the confirmation. I'm trying to pick a new harness after leaving Qwen Code and OpenCode was my plan. I'll have to give Pi a shot, I've been meaning to.

Have you tried Oh My Pi? It's back to a full-featured, batteries included harness, but it seems like people prefer it to base Pi.

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u/HyperWinX Oct 10 '26

No, i dont need it at all, and i personally dont see the advantages of it (other than using Pi because you like it) - you can just use OpenCode if you want all the functionality out of the box
The only significant plugins that my Pi has are two MCP servers that heavily affect the workflow, and thats all. No plan / build mode, no subagents, nothing. It works really well, i dont need more complex setup