{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "agent-zero", "name": "Agent Zero", "vendor": "Agent Zero, s.r.o.", "vendorUrl": "https://www.agent-zero.ai", "kind": "harness", "category": "agent-harnesses", "summary": "Agent Zero is an open-source agent framework that runs in a Docker container with a Linux desktop, a browser, a task scheduler and memory. Its owner reaches it through a web interface, Telegram, WhatsApp or email.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/agent-zero", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/agent-zero.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/agent-zero.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/agent-zero.json", "repo": "https://github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero", "license": "MIT", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "oci", "name": "agent0ai/agent-zero" } ], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "No account. The web interface has no login until the owner sets a username and password in Settings or as `AUTH_LOGIN` and `AUTH_PASSWORD`, which are stored in `/a0/usr/.env` (https://github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/blob/main/docs/setup/vps-deployment.md). The external API takes an `X-API-KEY` header, and the optional MCP server and A2A endpoint carry the same token in the URL path. The token is derived from the instance id and the login, so it changes when either changes (https://github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/blob/main/docs/guides/a2a-setup.md). Model access uses provider API keys or OAuth sign-in to ChatGPT (Codex), GitHub Copilot, Google Cloud Gemini or xAI (https://github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/blob/main/plugins/_oauth/README.md).", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free under MIT, with nothing to buy for the software. The owner pays the model provider they configure, or nothing with a local model. A beta LLM API on the vendor's site gives a daily quota to people who stake its A0T token and is separate from the software (checked 2026-10-12).", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs or the source (checked 2026-10-12).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 19429, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-12" }, "docsUrl": "https://github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/tree/main/docs", "llmsTxt": "https://www.agent-zero.ai/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "agent.harness", "agent.mcp-client" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "self-hosted", "local", "free", "python", "mit", "llms-txt", "docker" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-23", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 54.2, "grade": "C", "agentReady": false, "rank": 709, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 986, "categoryRank": 19, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 62, "maintenance": 75, "payments": 60, "reliability": 57, "schema": 64, "security": 54, "transparency": 55 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-12" }, "negative": -6, "negativeNotes": [ "2026-03-17. CVE-2026-4307 (path traversal in `get_abs_path`, CVSS 4.3) and CVE-2026-4308 (server-side request forgery in document queries, CVSS 6.3), both against 0.9.7, with public exploits. The NVD entries say the vendor was contacted and did not respond. The v2.9 notes of 12 August 2026 list a fix for an SSRF regression under CVE-2026-4308. Whether CVE-2026-4307 is fixed was not established. -2. https://services.nvd.nist.gov/rest/json/cves/2.0?cveId=CVE-2026-4308", "2026-05-27. CVE-2026-47119, stored cross-site scripting through SVG files served by the `image_get` endpoint, CVSS 6.1, in versions before 1.15. The report (#1609) was closed as completed on 12 May 2026. Fixed, and no GitHub advisory was published. -1. https://github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/issues/1609", "2026-09-30. CVE-2026-51852 and CVE-2026-51853, directory traversal in the file browser of versions 1.7 to 1.10, CVSS 7.5 each. Reported as issues #1539 and #1540 on 20 April 2026 and closed as completed on 24 July 2026. The file browser still starts at the container root by design. -1. https://github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/issues/1540", "2026-09-09. Two flaws recorded in the project's own security-review ledger and fixed in v2.12 the same day. An unauthenticated Telegram webhook accepted forged updates, and WhatsApp document names could overwrite files outside the media cache before the sender check ran. The ledger rates both high. Named in the release notes, with no advisory. -2. https://github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/blob/main/security-review/LEDGER.md" ], "verdict": "Self-hosted under the MIT licence, with nine releases in the 90 days to 12 October 2026 and breaking changes listed in the release notes. The agent runs shell commands in its container with no approval step, the web interface has no login by default, and five CVEs from the past year have no published GitHub advisory.", "bestFor": "A technical owner who wants an agent with its own Linux machine, reachable from Telegram, WhatsApp or email, with scheduled tasks and editable memory.", "strengths": [ "MIT licence, with prompts, tools, plugins and settings readable and editable in one public repository", "Nine tagged releases between 17 July and 23 September 2026, and Breaking Changes sections in the v2.11, v2.12 and v2.13 notes", "Memory dashboard to search, edit, delete and bulk-delete entries, with memory kept apart for each project by default", "No usage telemetry found in the source. The one call home is an update check that a setting turns off", "Tool Access policy can allow or block each built-in and MCP tool for a project or an agent profile" ], "weaknesses": [ "No approval step before shell commands, file changes or outgoing messages. Tool Access defaults to allow", "The web interface has no login until the owner sets a username, and the README command publishes port 80", "Five CVEs published between 17 March and 30 September 2026, none as a GitHub advisory, and no SECURITY.md or security.txt", "Infection Check, the prompt-injection audit before tool calls, ships turned off", "Empty allow-lists in the Telegram, WhatsApp and email integrations accept messages from anyone", "No public CI runs the 191 test files. The only workflows publish Docker images and close inactive issues" ], "agentNotes": [ "Set a UI login and password in Settings before publishing the port or opening a tunnel. The default has none", "Fill `allowed_users`, `allowed_numbers` or `sender_whitelist` before enabling a channel. An empty list accepts every sender", "Enable the Infection Check plugin when the agent reads mail, web pages or MCP results. It ships disabled", "Run v2.12 or later. It fixes a Telegram webhook authentication bypass and a WhatsApp media path traversal", "Call `POST /api_message` with the `X-API-KEY` header. The token changes when the UI login or password changes" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "C", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 54.2 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 62, "maintenance": 75, "payments": 60, "reliability": 57, "schema": 64, "security": 54, "transparency": 56 }, "provenanceScore": 53 }, "connect": { "install": "docker run -p 80:80 -v a0_usr:/a0/usr agent0ai/agent-zero # or: curl -fsSL https://bash.agent-zero.ai | bash" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/agent.harness", "tool": "https://letme.dev/agent-zero" }, "area": "frameworks", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Agent Zero, s.r.o.", "domain": "agent-zero.ai", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/agent0ai/agent-zero/releases", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-12", "notes": [ "The site footer names Agent Zero, s.r.o., ID no. 231 46 508, Nové sady 988/2, 602 00 Brno, Czech Republic, and the `LICENSE` file carries the same company's copyright.", "No terms or privacy policy for the software was found. The site's terms page covers its community platform and its cookie page covers the website, so neither is linked here and the MIT licence stands in.", "`/.well-known/security.txt` on www.agent-zero.ai answered 404 on 12 October 2026, and the repository has no SECURITY.md.", "robots.txt on www.agent-zero.ai answered 404, read as no rules. agent-zero.ai redirects to www.agent-zero.ai.", "There is no hosted endpoint. An instance answers on its owner's own host.", "The domain's registration date was not looked up." ], "score": 53 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/agent-zero.json" }, "answer": "Claude Code scores 61.9 (C) on agent readiness against Agent Zero's 54.2 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Agent Zero leads on reliability and payments \u0026 pricing.", "b": { "slug": "claude-code", "name": "Claude Code", "vendor": "Anthropic", "vendorUrl": "https://www.anthropic.com", "kind": "harness", "category": "agent-harnesses", "summary": "Anthropic's coding agent as a terminal program, also in VS Code, JetBrains, the desktop app and Anthropic-hosted cloud sessions.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/claude-code", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/claude-code.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/claude-code.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/claude-code.json", "repo": "https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code", "license": "Proprietary. `LICENSE.md` says All rights reserved, with use under Anthropic's Commercial Terms. The GitHub repository holds the changelog, plugins and examples, not the source", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@anthropic-ai/claude-code" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "Sign in through the browser with a Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise claude.ai account, or use a Claude Console API key (`ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`), or Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud, Microsoft Foundry or Claude Platform on AWS credentials. The free claude.ai plan doesn't include Claude Code.", "pricing": "paid", "pricingNotes": "Free to download, and it needs a paid plan or API tokens to run. Pro is $17 a month billed annually or $20 monthly, Max from $100 a month, Team $20 or $25 a standard seat and $100 or $125 a premium seat, Enterprise $20 a seat plus usage at API rates, or pay as you go at Claude API token prices. On a plan Claude Code shares the plan's usage limits, and the pricing page gives no number for them (checked 2026-10-02).", "priceSummary": "$20 / mo", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs or the pricing page (checked 2026-10-02).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 141000, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-02" }, "docsUrl": "https://code.claude.com/docs/en/overview", "llmsTxt": "https://code.claude.com/docs/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "agent.harness", "agent.mcp-client", "agent.multi-agent" ], "tags": [ "official", "harness", "coding-agent", "cli", "closed-source", "claude-only", "mcp", "llms-txt", "telemetry-default-on", "status-page", "card-required" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-01", "graded": true, "disclosure": "Anthropic makes the models this research run and the review panel run on. This listing was graded by agents running on Claude, by the same published checklist as every other listing, and the panel doesn't review it, because every reviewer runs on Claude too.", "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 61.9, "grade": "C", "agentReady": false, "rank": 464, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 986, "categoryRank": 9, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 87, "maintenance": 82, "payments": 20, "reliability": 50, "schema": 80, "security": 80, "transparency": 81 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": -6, "negativeNotes": [ "2025-10-03 to 2026-06-25. 22 published advisories, 16 high, 4 moderate and 2 low, among them approval-prompt bypasses through command injection (GHSA-qgqw-h4xq-7w8w, GHSA-mhg7-666j-cqg4, GHSA-66q4-vfjg-2qhh, GHSA-xq4m-mc3c-vvg3), sandbox escapes (GHSA-ff64-7w26-62rf, GHSA-vp62-r36r-9xqp, GHSA-7835-87q9-rgvv), workspace-trust prompt bypasses that ran code from a cloned repository (GHSA-5hhx-v7f6-x7gv, GHSA-mmgp-wc2j-qcv7, GHSA-q5hj-mxqh-vv77) and a WebFetch exfiltration path through a pre-approved domain (GHSA-fg94-h982-f3mm). All fixed and published, so each high counts 2 points inside six months and 1 point after, which passes our cap of -6 for fixed and published advisories, the same cap the Claude Agent SDK listing used for the same advisories. None published since 25 June 2026 (https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/security/advisories)" ], "verdict": "Six permission modes, allow, ask and deny rules down to command arguments, PreToolUse hooks, and managed settings that can disable bypass and auto mode. The sandbox is off by default and native Windows has none.", "bestFor": "A developer or a pipeline that wants Claude doing repository work with fine-grained, centrally managed permissions and an SDK for the same loop.", "disclosure": "Anthropic makes the models this research run and the review panel run on. This listing was graded by agents running on Claude, by the same published checklist as every other listing, and the panel doesn't review it, because every reviewer runs on Claude too.", "strengths": [ "Six permission modes, allow, ask and deny rules down to command arguments, PreToolUse hooks, and managed settings that can disable bypass and auto mode", "An OS sandbox (Seatbelt, bubblewrap) whose network proxy denies every host outside an allowlist that starts empty", "`claude -p` with json and stream-json output, `--max-turns`, `--max-budget-usd`, resume and fork, and Python and TypeScript SDKs for the same loop", "Signed apt, dnf and apk repositories, a GPG-signed checksum manifest and a stable channel that skips releases with major regressions", "Telemetry documented per provider and per service, each with its own opt-out" ], "weaknesses": [ "The sandbox is off by default and native Windows has none", "Auto mode, a classifier rather than a person, has been the starting mode for interactive sessions on every plan since 28 September 2026", "22 security advisories in the year to 25 June 2026, 16 rated high", "Usage metrics on by default on the Claude API, and error reports on Pro and Max sign-ins", "Closed source, Claude models only, and no free plan includes it" ], "agentNotes": [ "Pass `--permission-mode` on every `claude -p` run. An unset mode can start in auto mode, depending on version, plan, provider and telemetry", "Turn on the sandbox with `sandbox.enabled` and set `allowUnsandboxedCommands` to false, or Claude can retry a blocked command outside it", "Set `CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC=1` on a Claude login to stop metrics and error reports in one go", "Set `autoUpdatesChannel` to stable or `DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER=1` in CI. Native installs update themselves about once a day", "Cap pipeline runs with `--max-turns` and `--max-budget-usd`" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "C", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 61.9 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 87, "maintenance": 82, "payments": 20, "reliability": 50, "schema": 80, "security": 80, "transparency": 68 }, "provenanceScore": 94 }, "connect": { "install": "curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash # or: brew install --cask claude-code", "headless": { "run": "claude -p \"fix the failing test\" --output-format json --permission-mode acceptEdits --max-turns 20" } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/agent.harness", "tool": "https://letme.dev/claude-code" }, "sameCompany": [ "anthropic-api", "claude-agent-sdk" ], "area": "frameworks", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Pro plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 20, "note": "$17 a month billed annually" }, { "item": "Max plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 100, "note": "lowest Max tier" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Anthropic, PBC", "domain": "claude.com", "domainRegistered": "1995-05-24", "domainNote": "claude.com was registered in 1995, long before Anthropic bought it. Free, Pro and Max users are under the Consumer Terms, Team, Enterprise and API users under the Commercial Terms. The security.txt state is from the claude-agent-sdk listing's check of 26 September 2026.", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "https://www.anthropic.com/legal/commercial-terms", "privacy": "https://www.anthropic.com/legal/privacy", "statusPage": "https://status.claude.com", "changelog": "https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-10-01", "score": 94 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/claude-code.json", "live": { "slug": "claude-code", "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.claude.com", "indicator": "minor", "summary": "Partially Degraded Service", "checkedAt": "2026-10-12T18:56:16.635375593Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "anthropics/claude-code", "version": "v2.1.296", "released": "2026-10-09", "seenAt": "2026-10-11T19:22:58.948106383Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@anthropic-ai/claude-code", "version": "2.1.296", "seenAt": "2026-10-11T19:22:58.70911173Z" } ], "githubStars": 150194, "npmWeekly": 12482566, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://claude.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-12T15:44:13.660125773Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://code.claude.com/docs/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-12T14:08:38.518773132Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "claude.com", "registered": "1995-05-24", "source": "https://rdap.verisign.com/com/v1/domain/claude.com", "checkedAt": "2026-10-11T13:24:34.143461691Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/anthropics/claude-code/main/CHANGELOG.md", "kind": "deprecations", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-10-11T19:33:21.308414052Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-10T19:09:10.768960722Z", "fingerprint": "c4a5dd7c9e03" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-12T18:56:16.635375593Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "Agent harness", "b": "Agent harness", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Agent Zero, s.r.o.", "b": "Anthropic", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "None", "b": "OAuth or key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Free", "b": "Paid", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "MIT", "b": "Proprietary. `LICENSE.md` says All rights reserved, with use under Anthropic's Commercial Terms. The GitHub repository holds the changelog, plugins and examples, not the source", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-09-23", "b": "2026-10-01", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "no document linked", "b": "no date given", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "no document linked", "b": "no date given", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "", "b": "yes, with an opt-out", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "", "b": "yes", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "19k stars", "b": "141k stars", "name": "Popularity" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Claude Code scores 61.9 (C) on agent readiness against Agent Zero's 54.2 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Agent Zero leads on reliability and payments \u0026 pricing.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Agent Zero or Claude Code?" }, { "answer": "Agent Zero is open source (MIT). No open-source release is listed for Claude Code.", "question": "Are Agent Zero and Claude Code open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 57 against 50", "Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 20" ], "also": [ "No key needed to call it", "Open source" ], "goodFor": "A technical owner who wants an agent with its own Linux machine, reachable from Telegram, WhatsApp or email, with scheduled tasks and editable memory.", "slug": "agent-zero", "watchFor": "No approval step before shell commands, file changes or outgoing messages. Tool Access defaults to allow" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Schema \u0026 documentation, 80 against 64", "Agent ergonomics, 87 against 62", "Security \u0026 auth, 80 against 54", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 82 against 75", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 81 against 55" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "A developer or a pipeline that wants Claude doing repository work with fine-grained, centrally managed permissions and an SDK for the same loop.", "slug": "claude-code", "watchFor": "The sandbox is off by default and native Windows has none" } ], "job": { "capability": "agent.harness", "name": "Agent harnesses" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-aider.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Aider", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-aider" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-amp.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Amp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-amp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-antigravity-cli.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Antigravity CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-antigravity-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-cline.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Cline", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-cline" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-cursor-cli.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Cursor CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-cursor-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-devin.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Devin", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-devin" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-droid-cli.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Droid CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-droid-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-earendil-pi.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Pi", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-earendil-pi" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-gemini-cli.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Gemini CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-gemini-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-github-copilot-cli.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs GitHub Copilot CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-github-copilot-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-goose.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs goose", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-goose" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-kilo-code-cli.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Kilo Code CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-kilo-code-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-kiro-cli.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Kiro CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-kiro-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-opencode.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs OpenCode", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-opencode" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-openhands.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs OpenHands", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-openhands" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-prime-agent.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Prime Agent", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-prime-agent" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-qwen-code.json", "title": "Agent Zero vs Qwen Code", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-qwen-code" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-claude-code.json", "title": "Aider vs Claude Code", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-claude-code" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-claude-code.json", "title": "Amp vs Claude Code", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-claude-code" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antigravity-cli-vs-claude-code.json", "title": "Antigravity CLI vs Claude Code", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antigravity-cli-vs-claude-code" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-cline.json", "title": "Claude Code vs Cline", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-cline" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-cursor-cli.json", "title": "Claude Code vs Cursor CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-cursor-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-devin.json", "title": "Claude Code vs Devin", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-devin" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-droid-cli.json", "title": "Claude Code vs Droid CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-droid-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-earendil-pi.json", "title": "Claude Code vs Pi", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-earendil-pi" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-gemini-cli.json", "title": "Claude Code vs Gemini CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-gemini-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-github-copilot-cli.json", "title": "Claude Code vs GitHub Copilot CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-github-copilot-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-goose.json", "title": "Claude Code vs goose", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-goose" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-kilo-code-cli.json", "title": "Claude Code vs Kilo Code CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-kilo-code-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-kiro-cli.json", "title": "Claude Code vs Kiro CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-kiro-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-opencode.json", "title": "Claude Code vs OpenCode", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-opencode" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-openhands.json", "title": "Claude Code vs OpenHands", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-openhands" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-prime-agent.json", "title": "Claude Code vs Prime Agent", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-prime-agent" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-qwen-code.json", "title": "Claude Code vs Qwen Code", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-qwen-code" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-paperclip.json", "title": "Claude Code vs Paperclip", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-paperclip" } ], "scores": [ { "agent-zero": 57, "by": 7, "claude-code": 50, "edge": "agent-zero", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "agent-zero": 64, "by": 16, "claude-code": 80, "edge": "claude-code", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "weight": 13 }, { "agent-zero": 62, "by": 25, "claude-code": 87, "edge": "claude-code", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "weight": 13 }, { "agent-zero": 54, "by": 26, "claude-code": 80, "edge": "claude-code", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "weight": 14 }, { "agent-zero": 60, "by": 40, "claude-code": 20, "edge": "agent-zero", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "agent-zero": 75, "by": 7, "claude-code": 82, "edge": "claude-code", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "weight": 7 }, { "agent-zero": 55, "by": 26, "claude-code": 81, "edge": "claude-code", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Claude Code scores 61.9 (C) on agent readiness against Agent Zero's 54.2 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Agent Zero leads on reliability and payments \u0026 pricing. Both do agent harnesses.", "verdicts": { "agent-zero": "Self-hosted under the MIT licence, with nine releases in the 90 days to 12 October 2026 and breaking changes listed in the release notes. The agent runs shell commands in its container with no approval step, the web interface has no login by default, and five CVEs from the past year have no published GitHub advisory.", "claude-code": "Six permission modes, allow, ask and deny rules down to command arguments, PreToolUse hooks, and managed settings that can disable bypass and auto mode. The sandbox is off by default and native Windows has none." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-claude-code", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-claude-code.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-claude-code.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-claude-code.min.md" }, "markdown": "Claude Code scores 61.9 (C) on agent readiness against Agent Zero's 54.2 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Agent Zero leads on reliability and payments \u0026 pricing. Both do agent harnesses.\n\n- Agent Zero: grade C, 54.2/100, rank #709 of 986. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/agent-zero.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/agent-zero.json\n- Claude Code: grade C, 61.9/100, rank #464 of 986. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/claude-code.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/claude-code.json\n- Best agent harnesses and coding agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/agent-harnesses/index.md\n- All 205 harnesses comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-harnesses/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Agent Zero (C)\n\nGood for: A technical owner who wants an agent with its own Linux machine, reachable from Telegram, WhatsApp or email, with scheduled tasks and editable memory.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 57 against 50\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 20\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No key needed to call it\n- Open source\n\nWatch for: No approval step before shell commands, file changes or outgoing messages. Tool Access defaults to allow\n\n### Claude Code (C)\n\nGood for: A developer or a pipeline that wants Claude doing repository work with fine-grained, centrally managed permissions and an SDK for the same loop.\n\nAhead on:\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 80 against 64\n- Agent ergonomics, 87 against 62\n- Security \u0026 auth, 80 against 54\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 82 against 75\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 81 against 55\n\nWatch for: The sandbox is off by default and native Windows has none\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Agent Zero | Claude Code | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 57 | 50 | Agent Zero +7 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 64 | 80 | Claude Code +16 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 62 | 87 | Claude Code +25 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 54 | 80 | Claude Code +26 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 20 | Agent Zero +40 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 75 | 82 | Claude Code +7 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 55 | 81 | Claude Code +26 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -6 | -6 | |\n| **Total** | | **54.2 · C** | **61.9 · C** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Agent Zero | Claude Code |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | Agent harness | Agent harness |\n| Vendor | Agent Zero, s.r.o. | Anthropic |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports | | |\n| Auth | None | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Free | Paid |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | MIT | Proprietary. `LICENSE.md` says All rights reserved, with use under Anthropic's Commercial Terms. The GitHub repository holds the changelog, plugins and examples, not the source |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-09-23 | 2026-10-01 |\n| Terms last updated | no document linked | no date given |\n| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked | no date given |\n| Customer content may train models | | yes, with an opt-out |\n| Terms restrict automated access | | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | | yes |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | | yes |\n| Popularity | 19k stars | 141k stars |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Agent Zero.** Self-hosted under the MIT licence, with nine releases in the 90 days to 12 October 2026 and breaking changes listed in the release notes. The agent runs shell commands in its container with no approval step, the web interface has no login by default, and five CVEs from the past year have no published GitHub advisory.\n\n**Claude Code.** Six permission modes, allow, ask and deny rules down to command arguments, PreToolUse hooks, and managed settings that can disable bypass and auto mode. The sandbox is off by default and native Windows has none.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Agent Zero\n\n1. Set a UI login and password in Settings before publishing the port or opening a tunnel. The default has none\n2. Fill `allowed_users`, `allowed_numbers` or `sender_whitelist` before enabling a channel. An empty list accepts every sender\n3. Enable the Infection Check plugin when the agent reads mail, web pages or MCP results. It ships disabled\n4. Run v2.12 or later. It fixes a Telegram webhook authentication bypass and a WhatsApp media path traversal\n5. Call `POST /api_message` with the `X-API-KEY` header. The token changes when the UI login or password changes\n\n### Claude Code\n\n1. Pass `--permission-mode` on every `claude -p` run. An unset mode can start in auto mode, depending on version, plan, provider and telemetry\n2. Turn on the sandbox with `sandbox.enabled` and set `allowUnsandboxedCommands` to false, or Claude can retry a blocked command outside it\n3. Set `CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC=1` on a Claude login to stop metrics and error reports in one go\n4. Set `autoUpdatesChannel` to stable or `DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER=1` in CI. Native installs update themselves about once a day\n5. Cap pipeline runs with `--max-turns` and `--max-budget-usd`\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Agent Zero or Claude Code?\n\nClaude Code scores 61.9 (C) on agent readiness against Agent Zero's 54.2 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Agent Zero leads on reliability and payments \u0026 pricing.\n\n### Are Agent Zero and Claude Code open source?\n\nAgent Zero is open source (MIT). No open-source release is listed for Claude Code.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-claude-code.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-claude-code.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"agent-zero\", \"b\": \"claude-code\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare agent-zero claude-code`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/agent-zero.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/claude-code.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Agent Zero or Claude Code\n\n- [Agent Zero vs Aider](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-aider.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Amp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-amp.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Antigravity CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-antigravity-cli.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Cline](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-cline.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Cursor CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-cursor-cli.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Devin](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-devin.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Droid CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-droid-cli.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Pi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-earendil-pi.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Gemini CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-gemini-cli.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs GitHub Copilot CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-github-copilot-cli.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs goose](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-goose.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Kilo Code CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-kilo-code-cli.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Kiro CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-kiro-cli.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs OpenCode](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-opencode.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs OpenHands](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-openhands.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Prime Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-prime-agent.md)\n- [Agent Zero vs Qwen Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-qwen-code.md)\n- [Aider vs Claude Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-claude-code.md)\n- [Amp vs Claude Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-claude-code.md)\n- [Antigravity CLI vs Claude Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antigravity-cli-vs-claude-code.md)\n- [Claude Code vs Cline](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-cline.md)\n- [Claude Code vs Cursor CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-cursor-cli.md)\n- [Claude Code vs Devin](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-devin.md)\n- [Claude Code vs Droid CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-droid-cli.md)\n- [Claude Code vs Pi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-earendil-pi.md)\n- [Claude Code vs Gemini CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-gemini-cli.md)\n- [Claude Code vs GitHub Copilot CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-github-copilot-cli.md)\n- [Claude Code vs goose](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-goose.md)\n- [Claude Code vs Kilo Code CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-kilo-code-cli.md)\n- [Claude Code vs Kiro CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-kiro-cli.md)\n- [Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [Claude Code vs OpenCode](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-opencode.md)\n- [Claude Code vs OpenHands](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-openhands.md)\n- [Claude Code vs Prime Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-prime-agent.md)\n- [Claude Code vs Qwen Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-qwen-code.md)\n- [Claude Code vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-paperclip.md)\n\n## Disclosure\n\n- Anthropic makes the models this research run and the review panel run on. This listing was graded by agents running on Claude, by the same published checklist as every other listing, and the panel doesn't review it, because every reviewer runs on Claude too.\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-12", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Agent Zero vs Claude Code", "url": "" } ], "description": "Claude Code scores 61.9 (C) to Agent Zero's 54.2 (C) for agent harnesses. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Agent Zero C 54.2", "Claude Code C 61.9", "scores" ], "h1": "Agent Zero vs Claude Code", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-agent-zero-vs-claude-code.png", "path": "/compare/agent-zero-vs-claude-code", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Agent Zero vs Claude Code for AI agents in 2026: scores and prices", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-12", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-claude-code" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2750, "slim": 680 }, "version": 1 }