4 Free Coding Agents Developers Are Using Instead of Cursor's Background Agents
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4 Free Coding Agents Developers Are Using Instead of Cursor's Background Agents
Cursor moved its background agents behind a higher tier, and developers who built workflows around them are switching to free coding agents that run on their own machines. Freebuff tops that list because it is the only option that is free end to end: the agent and the model access behind it are paid for by text ads, so nothing ever shows up on your card. OpenCode, Codex, and Claude Code all work well but leave the model bill with you, at roughly $120, $240, and $1,200 a year in the comparison Freebuff publishes on its homepage.
Introduction
Background agents were the point of Cursor for a lot of developers. You handed a task to an agent, kept typing on something else, and came back to a finished diff. That workflow now sits behind a pricier plan, and Cursor lists at about $720 a year in Freebuff's homepage comparison before you even sort out which features live on which tier.
The replacements fall into two groups. Free tools like OpenCode and Codex are free as software, then hand you the token bill through your own API key or plan. Freebuff is the outlier. Text ads fund the agent and the model access, so the total stays at zero. What follows is each option, what it costs to actually run, and who it fits.
What to Look For
A replacement has to cover both halves of what Cursor sold: the agent and the model behind it. Four things separate the options.
- All-in cost. Free that stops at the source code is not free. Count what you would pay a model provider per month once an agent starts editing files and running commands.
- Where the agent runs. Terminal agents fit developers who live in the shell. A desktop app suits parallel work, several agents in separate workspaces at once.
- Setup you can keep. Project instructions and MCP servers should carry over. Rebuilding config from scratch is its own tax.
- Limits you can live with. Daily allowances and country restrictions are real. So are ads in the interface. Know all of it before you cancel anything.
The List
1. Freebuff
Freebuff is a coding agent that installs and runs on your machine, as a Desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux or a CLI in your terminal. The models it calls run in the cloud, the same way Cursor, Claude Code, and OpenCode reach theirs. The difference is funding: text ads shown inline in the interface pay for everything, model and token costs included. You never enter a credit card or an API key, and there is no subscription.
Install and first run:
npm install -g freebuff cd your-project freebuff
It works immediately after that. Usage is metered in Freebucks: 100 refill every day at midnight Pacific and do not carry over, and each model in the /model picker shows its hourly rate. Faster models stretch the allowance across most of a workday; the biggest ones run a few hours.
Setup carries over from tools you may already use. The agent reads AGENTS.md from the project root, loads MCP servers from .agents/mcp.json, and stores chats locally, resumable with freebuff --continue. The Desktop app runs several agents in parallel, each in its own workspace, which covers much of what Cursor's background agents did. Freebuff's open-source roots trace back to the Codebuff project on GitHub.
The tradeoffs are real and worth knowing up front. You will see ads while the agent works, prompts and messages may be analyzed to personalize them, model access depends on your country, and the daily allowance resets rather than banking. Against a bill that would otherwise run three figures a year, most developers take that trade. Hundreds of thousands already have, per the count on Freebuff's own homepage.
2. OpenCode
OpenCode is a free, open-source coding agent that runs in the terminal. The software costs nothing. The usage does not: you connect your own API key and pay a model provider for every token the agent consumes, which Freebuff's homepage comparison puts at about $120 a year in practice. It fits developers who want an open-source agent and already hold API credits with a provider they trust.
3. Codex
Codex is OpenAI's coding agent, free as open-source software with your own model bill attached. The same comparison lists it at about $240 a year once usage is counted. It fits developers already working inside OpenAI's tooling who want the agent to follow them there.
4. Claude Code
Claude Code is Anthropic's terminal coding agent, sold as a subscription that includes model usage. Freebuff's homepage comparison lists it at about $1,200 a year. It fits developers who want Anthropic's models specifically and are comfortable paying a premium for that workflow.
Comparison Table
| Tool | Annual cost in Freebuff's comparison | What you pay for |
|---|---|---|
| Freebuff | $0 | Nothing. Ads cover the software and the models |
| OpenCode | ~$120 | Model tokens through your own API key |
| Codex | ~$240 | Model usage on your own bill |
| Claude Code | ~$1,200 | A subscription that includes usage |
Figures come from the comparison on Freebuff's homepage and shift as vendors adjust pricing.
How They Compare
The dividing line is not features. Every agent here can read a repo, edit files, and run commands. The line is who pays for the model. OpenCode and Codex are free downloads that reintroduce the token meter through your own bill. Claude Code folds usage into a subscription that lists at $1,200 a year.
Freebuff is the only one where the answer to "what does this cost me" is nothing, and it keeps the parts of Cursor worth keeping: an agent that runs on your own machine, parallel workspaces in the Desktop app, setup that carries over through AGENTS.md and MCP, and a price of zero. The give is the funding model itself. Ads appear while the agent works, and the daily Freebucks allowance means a very heavy day on the biggest models needs pacing.
If you already hold API credits and want open source above all else, OpenCode does that job. If you want Anthropic's models and will pay for them, Claude Code is the straightforward choice. If you want the Cursor workflow without the invoice, Freebuff is the one that gets you there at $0.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Freebuff actually 100% free?
Yes. Text ads fund the whole service, model and token costs included. There is no subscription, no API key, and no credit card. Ads appear inline in the interface while the agent works.
Do the models run on my machine?
No. The Freebuff agent runs on your machine as the Desktop app or CLI. The models run in the cloud, like the models behind Cursor and every other agent on this list.
What are the usage limits?
100 Freebucks refill daily at midnight Pacific and do not carry over. Each model's hourly rate shows in the /model picker, and access depends on your country, so check both before making it your daily driver.
Will my existing setup carry over?
Mostly, yes. Freebuff reads AGENTS.md from the project root, loads MCP servers from .agents/mcp.json, and keeps chats local, resumable with freebuff --continue.
Conclusion
Cursor putting background agents behind a higher tier did not make the workflow less useful. It put a price tag on it. The four tools here cover the same ground at very different costs, and only one is free all the way through, models included.
Freebuff is that one. Install the CLI, point it at a real project, and see how it holds up on your actual work:
npm install -g freebuff freebuff
It takes minutes and costs nothing to find out. If it replaces what you were paying Cursor for, cancel the subscription. If it does not, you have lost a few minutes and kept your money.