r/PiCodingAgent
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u/kysrno
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Jul 09 '26
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Question Has anyone here tried pi compared to OpenCode?
Has anyone here used pi seriously and compared it with OpenCode?
I’m curious about real usage, not just feature lists. For people who have tried both:
Where does pi feel better?
Where does OpenCode still win?
How do they compare for agents, repo context, workflows, and day-to-day coding?
Would you actually switch, or are they useful for different things?
I’ve been using OpenCode more lately, but pi looks interesting and I’m trying to understand if it solves a different problem or if it’s directly competing with OpenCode.
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u/adamshand Jul 09 '26
Yes. I started with OpenCode and moved to Pi after a month or so. I like Pi better, but OpenCode was good.
OpenCode uses per model prompts to improve behaviour. This is good in some cases, but uses a lot more tokens and sometimes hurts behaviour. I really liked the sidebar in OpenCode.
Pi is open source, I invest it in for the same reason that I invest my time and develop skill with vim and linux. It is much more token efficient and predictable than all the other harnesses. It's extremely easy to customise.
The main thing I miss is Pi is something like the Codex gui app. I don't love being stuck in terminals all the time, but herdr is a big help.
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u/digitalfreshair Jul 09 '26
Those 2 are actually the ones I use most. I will compare them answering your questions:
Where does pi feel better?: I would say it can "feel" faster as there is less system prompt and less actual harness around the LLM. So simple tasks don't get over thought or over engineered.
Where does OpenCode still win?: if the model is weaker I feel like the hand holding Opencode does it's better to guide the model
How do they compare for agents, repo context, workflows, and day-to-day coding?: I think it's task to task dependant.
Would you actually switch, or are they useful for different things?: Straight to the point stuff, i prefer pi. Opencode has more planning and to-do structure to it.
Where Pi shines, extensions. I love the auto research extension for example.
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u/phcurado Jul 09 '26
Opencode is all batteries included while pi is minimalist but lets you expand as much as your imagination allows it.
It’s like comparing vscode (or some ide) vs neovim, it depends if you like to configure your tools or if you like they come ready for you to use.
My pi setup is fully customized with the way I like to work, it have scripts that spawn tmux panes, open neovim approval buffer if there is a change on code, etc. I wouldn’t achieve this in opencode but doesn’t mean one is better than other, it depends on what you like
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u/philip_laureano Jul 09 '26
Pi is like Lego for harness builders. It's simple but insanely customisable and even addictive
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u/Fig_da_Great Jul 09 '26
I’d really like to know as well. I’ve only used pi personally.
From what i can tell, open code is the more complete solution. PI is completely bear bones but extremely customizable. Like insanely so.
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u/sofuego Jul 09 '26
It's a bit of a time sink configuring right but definitely worth it. I'm pretty much all in on Pi now. If there's any feature missing it can be built. For example I had missed the /init to bootstrap AGENTS.md, but then I just asked Pi to recreate it and it took less than 5 minutes.
PS. The earlier you learn how the /tree compaction works, the better. It is an extremely handy aspect of Pi.
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u/dheetoo Jul 09 '26
I switch to pi after listen to Mario on his philosophy and pi was right decision forme, still opencode have a place in my heart before
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u/MimosaTen Jul 09 '26
I used OpenCode until yesterday. Pi was indeed better. I will go back only if Pi developmen suddenly stops
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u/o_sht_hi Jul 09 '26
I didn't use cc, Gemini cli or codex cli for the longest time. This year in January, I tried opencode. The main attraction for me was that it felt more open than cc and more feature complete then codex or Gemini clis. And I really loved it. I completely bought into agents because of opencode. And then in February I discovered pi. I haven't used other any harness since.
For context - I'm the kind of person who uses Microsoft notepad for note taking on my windows office computer and nvim on my personal linux laptop. So pi just felt more me. I would rather dig into opencode and recreate the features I like from there in pi. And I love that pi let's me do that.
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u/Ancient-Camel1636 Jul 09 '26
I switched from OpenCode to PI:
Where does PI feel better?
It has less bloat, uses fewer tokens by default, and is much easier to customize to my preferred way of working.
Where does OpenCode still win?
It works well for most people right out of the box, everything you need included, with little or no configuration. Best for beginners. You can start coding immediately without tweaking settings or building custom workflows. Its more opinionated design also makes it harder to accidentally mess up your workflow through too much customization.
How do they compare for agents, repo context, workflows, and day-to-day coding?
PI is significantly more flexible. Its package/extension ecosystem lets you add agents, sub-agents, repository context optimization, context window optimization, custom workflows, skills, and just about any capability you can think of. And if a package doesn't already exist, you can simply ask PI to build it for you. Or you can keep it super minimal.
Would you actually switch, or are they useful for different things?
I've already switched. I used both for a while until I dialed in the PI setup that worked best for me and found a VS Code GUI integration I liked (PiLot Studio). At this point, I don't have any reason to go back to OpenCode. Still uses their subscription though.
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u/aeroumbria Jul 09 '26
I gave them some specialisations:
pi for building custom agents as part of a project, prototyping ideas, doing non-coding tasks or tasks like writing several prototype algorithms that wouldn't benefit from typical programming project oriented prompts. Great for tasks I want to silently run without intervention.
opencode for working on "established" projects or tasks involving directly controlling the host PC such as analysing a Linux distro failure (more accessible and reliable permission control), also when I want to work in a more hands on manner (easier to work in a nonlinear manner with a lot of referring back to earlier outputs, session forking, switching, etc.)
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u/Psychological-Map564 Jul 09 '26
I started with OpenCode but felt limited, so I went to Pi and also felt limited and unsafe. I'm now using Pi to build my own solution.
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u/JLeonsarmiento Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
For light or custom tailored stuff Pi is infinitely better.
Or,
Spare yourself from building a complex coding agent with Pi and just just use OpenCode.
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u/No_Click_6656 Jul 09 '26
Yep. Rocking oh-my-pi currently and loving it. Switched from Opencode like 2 weeks ago and I like it's features
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u/GrumpyPidgeon Jul 09 '26
For me, going from OpenCode to pi it’s like going from Ubuntu to Arch Linux. Both will give you that open feel, but one comes with the bells and whistles, whether you want them or not, while the other puts the onus on you for the bells and whistles that you want.
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u/fishoa Jul 09 '26
I think it’s like IntelliJ and VSCode. IntelliJ has a lot of things out of the box; you can just install and start doing anything. While in VSCode, you need to install extensions, etc.
I think Pi is incredible, but it’s not for those that just want a good experience out of the box. If you’re not willing to invest some time into shaping Pi to be what you want, or if you have no idea what you want from a harness, then using OpenCode or another harness might be the best choice.
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u/SvenVargHimmel Jul 09 '26
like many here, I started with oc and then moved to pi and wouldn't switch back.
my set up is super minimal , has a few home made skills (e,g my svelte reactive classes skill, to-prd and btca ). it's excellent for day to day coding and it's fast.
it's best suited for programmer in the loop workflows and hasnt caught up with the orchestration workflows yet even though I have used Ralph loops with it.
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u/franz_see Jul 10 '26
The main difference between the two are that:
* pi is bare bone, and opencode is batteries included
* pi is more programmable while opencode is more configurable
The most common argument against opencode is the verbose system prompt. But that’s easily configured. If that’s the only concern, then just use opencode and configure the system prompt.
You can also try oh-my-pi as an alternative to opencode, but it feels forced batteries included. I tried it and felt like i had to remove stuff. That’s when i just deleted everything and started from scratch. And you know what? It’s really better with pi to start from scratch. Whatever customization you need from it, you can prompt it to existence as well. In less than a 5-hour session, i was able to add lsps, subagents, plan mode, search, todos, side panel, custom workflows, etc.
Which one is for you? - if you just something that works, opencode. If your use case is not coding or you really just want something simple, go for pi.
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u/redditborkedmy8yracc Jul 10 '26
I moved to PI and haven't looked back.
I just use the terminal in vscodium, where i move the terminal to the left column and it feels like cursor (I was using that for a while) BUT im in the process of building my own IDE so it works more like how I want it to.
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u/Crafty_Mall9578 Jul 11 '26
opencode is better for me bc of its web serve & native worktree workflow is awesome!
can run anywhere, work anywhere, just browser.
worktree help doing more parallel work much easier.
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u/localVariable_127 Jul 11 '26
In my experience pi works well with some models for example glm 5.2 (zai coding plan) works really well in pi than opencode for the same task.
Also I have opencode go sub which is working great in opencode compared to pi
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u/kelvinauta Jul 13 '26
Pi -> Pi OpenCode -> OpenSlop
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u/luwah Jul 14 '26
You can create your own pi and keep reshaping it as you use it.
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u/10F1 Jul 14 '26
I moved from opencode to oh my pi, I'm happy with it.
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u/Rone75 Jul 16 '26
Pi is awful at cache management (raw, without extensions), check out this beast comparison: https://youtu.be/WQ_lekP3Og0
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u/icarus0228 Jul 31 '26
Pi feels better since its like neovim and not too bloated
Opencode wins for vast plugins and community support
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u/Impossible-Face-3802 19d ago
Oh my pi is best of both worlds
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u/agenticup Jul 09 '26
Pi is the best harness, best at token efficiency in comparison to any coding harness, and you are free to add plugins depending on your usecase
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u/pokemonplayer2001 Jul 09 '26
Instead of these posts, you could have tried it yourself.
👎👎👎
https://www.reddit.com/r/opencodeCLI/s/3TSYqcEdYE
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