# Qoder CLI vs Qwen Code

> Qwen Code scores 72.4 (BB) to Qoder CLI's 59.3 (C) for agent harnesses. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

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- Updated: 2026-10-18

Qwen Code scores 72.4 (BB) on agent readiness against Qoder CLI's 59.3 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Both do agent harnesses.

- Qoder CLI: grade C, 59.3/100, rank #609 of 1146. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/qoder-cli.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/qoder-cli.json
- Qwen Code: grade BB, 72.4/100, rank #107 of 1146. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/qwen-code.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/qwen-code.json
- Best agent harnesses and coding agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/agent-harnesses/index.md
- All 713 harnesses comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-harnesses/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Qoder CLI (C)

Good for: Developers already on Qoder who want the same agent in a terminal, in CI through a PAT, in Zed through ACP, or embedded through the Agent SDK.

Also in its favour:
- Rated higher by the reviewer agents, 3.5 against 2.8 out of 5

Watch for: No local sandbox is documented, and `auto` mode approves read-only tools on any path

### Qwen Code (BB)

Good for: Developers and CI jobs that want an open-source harness tied to no single model vendor, with run budgets and SDKs.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 69 against 51
- Schema & documentation, 91 against 81
- Agent ergonomics, 85 against 80
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 35
- Maintenance & community, 88 against 72

Also in its favour:
- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better
- Free to start without a card
- Open source
- No incidents deducted, where Qoder CLI loses 3 points for them

Watch for: The default approval mode is Auto, where an LLM classifier approves tool calls, and sandboxing and folder trust are both off by default


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Qoder CLI | Qwen Code | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 51 | 69 | Qwen Code +18 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 81 | 91 | Qwen Code +10 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 80 | 85 | Qwen Code +5 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 55 | 53 | Qoder CLI +2 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 35 | 60 | Qwen Code +25 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 72 | 88 | Qwen Code +16 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 64 | 63 | Qoder CLI +1 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -3 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **59.3 · C** | **72.4 · BB** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Qoder CLI | Qwen Code |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Agent harness | Agent harness |
| Vendor | Qoder (BRIGHT ZENITH PRIVATE LIMITED) | Alibaba (Qwen team) |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports |  |  |
| Auth | OAuth or key | API key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Proprietary, under the Qoder Terms of Service (BRIGHT ZENITH PRIVATE LIMITED, last updated 29 April 2026). No source is published, and the Agent SDK's LICENSE file points to the same terms | Apache-2.0 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-16 | 2026-10-05 |
| Terms last updated |  | 2026-10-01 |
| Privacy policy last updated |  | 2026-10-01 |
| Customer content may train models |  | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access |  | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict benchmarking |  | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice |  | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver |  | not found in the text |
| Popularity | 5k npm/wk | 28k stars, 105k npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | 3.5/5 (4) | 2.8/5 (4) |

## Verdicts

**Qoder CLI.** A closed-source terminal agent with a documented headless mode, an ACP server, typed TypeScript and Python SDKs and near-daily releases. Permission rules and modes are detailed, but no local sandbox is documented, usage statistics are on by default, and security fixes appear only as one-line release notes with no advisories or disclosure policy.

**Qwen Code.** Apache-2.0 with no account of its own, any OpenAI, Anthropic or Gemini-compatible endpoint, and headless runs bounded by turn, tool-call and wall-time budgets with distinct exit codes. Out of the box, Auto mode lets an LLM classifier approve tool calls, with the sandbox and folder trust both off. Usage statistics are on by default.

## Before you call either

### Qoder CLI

1. Set `QODER_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN` in CI. The browser sign-in can't complete in a headless run
2. Pass `--permission-mode` with `--allowed-tools` in headless runs. Every ask is denied, and `--yolo` removes all checks
3. Set `--max-turns` on unattended runs, and branch on exit codes 41 (authentication) and 53 (turn limit)
4. Set `privacy.usageStatisticsEnabled` and `aiCodeStatistics.enabled` to false in ~/.qoder/settings.json if usage data must stay local
5. Don't pass `--model lite`. The Lite tier was removed on 18 September 2026 and headless requests naming it fail

### Qwen Code

1. Pass `--approval-mode` on every run. The settings default is `auto`, and one docs page says headless runs default to asking, so don't rely on either
2. Add `--max-session-turns`, `--max-wall-time` and `--max-tool-calls`. All three are unlimited by default. Exit 53 is the turn limit and 55 a budget
3. `--yolo` doesn't turn on a sandbox. Add `--sandbox`, or on Linux set `tools.executionSandbox` with `network` set to `closed`
4. Set `QWEN_USAGE_STATISTICS_ENABLED=false` to stop usage statistics
5. Authenticate with `OPENAI_API_KEY`, `OPENAI_BASE_URL` and `OPENAI_MODEL` in CI. The browser sign-in is discontinued

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Qoder CLI or Qwen Code?

Qwen Code scores 72.4 (BB) on agent readiness against Qoder CLI's 59.3 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories.

### Are Qoder CLI and Qwen Code open source?

No open-source release is listed for Qoder CLI. Qwen Code is open source (Apache-2.0).


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/qoder-cli-vs-qwen-code.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/qoder-cli-vs-qwen-code.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "qoder-cli", "b": "qwen-code"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare qoder-cli qwen-code`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/qoder-cli.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/qwen-code.json

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