OpenCode Is Free. Your API Bill Isn't. Developers Are Switching to Freebuff

They're switching to Freebuff. OpenCode hands you a free, open source agent, then hands you the meter: every token runs through a paid API key, and Freebuff's homepage comparison puts typical OpenCode spend at $120 a year. Freebuff keeps the local-agent workflow and pays the model costs itself with text ads. Nothing to bill.

Introduction

OpenCode is free software, and it's a good agent. What it doesn't include is model access. You bring your own API key, the agent burns tokens on every file it reads and every tool call it makes, and the invoice lands at the end of the month. Agents multiply this. One task means reading files, editing, running tests, retrying a failed edit, and every step is more tokens.

Freebuff removes the meter. It's a local coding agent for your terminal and your desktop, the same category as OpenCode and Claude Code, funded by ads instead of your credit card. The agent runs on your machine; the models run in the cloud, reached over the internet just like the API you pay for today. You pay nothing, tokens included.

Key Takeaways

OpenCode is free software, not a free service. You supply the API key and pay per token.
Freebuff is 100% free, model access included, paid for by text ads shown inside the app.
One npm command installs it. No API key, no credit card.
Your setup carries over: AGENTS.md, .agents/mcp.json, and .agents/skills all work the same way.
A daily allowance of 100 Freebucks, Freebuff's usage currency, refills at midnight Pacific and never turns into a bill.

Why This Solution Fits

OpenCode is free to install and never free to run. No amount of open source licensing changes that math, so Freebuff changed the funding instead of the code: text ads pay for model access, and the product costs $0.

The comparison table on freebuff.com puts the annual numbers like this: OpenCode $120, Codex $240, Cursor $720, Claude Code $1,200. Freebuff $0. Those are the vendor's own figures, so treat them as marketing. The $0 is different, though. It's structural. Ads fund the models the same way they fund free email and search.

There's an open source thread here too. Freebuff grew out of Codebuff, an agent project that's still public on GitHub, which makes the ads-for-tokens trade look like a philosophy rather than a trial funnel.

The workflow survives the switch. Freebuff runs on your machine like OpenCode does, reads AGENTS.md from the repo root, and connects to MCP servers through .agents/mcp.json. Config you already tuned keeps working.

Key Capabilities

The CLI installs globally and runs immediately:

npm install -g freebuff
cd your-project
freebuff

npm install -g freebuff
cd your-project
freebuff

No API key prompt, no credit card. The first message starts a session, and the /model picker shows what each model costs in Freebucks, the allowance that refills to 100 every day at midnight Pacific.

Freebuff Desktop covers the same ground as a native app for macOS, Windows, and Linux, and it runs several agents in parallel, each in its own workspace.

Project configuration follows conventions you already know. AGENTS.md in the repo root loads into context at chat start, and CLAUDE.md works too, though AGENTS.md wins if both exist. MCP servers plug in through .agents/mcp.json in the standard mcpServers format. Skills live in .agents/skills.

Sessions persist locally per project. freebuff --continue reopens your latest chat, a specific chat ID reopens that one, and /export writes the transcript to a Markdown file in the project folder.

Proof & Evidence

The homepage states it plainly: "The only 100% free coding agent. Powerful coding models, funded by ads." The site's FAQ answers the obvious follow-up with "Freebuff is supported by text ads."

The ads are visible, not theoretical. In the CLI, text ads appear in a box labeled "Ad" above the input and between messages while the agent works. That's the trade, in plain sight, and it's why no invoice exists.

Usage is metered in Freebucks instead of dollars. In one recent test run, the default model cost 5 Freebucks an hour against the daily 100. Rates and promotions change, so check the /model picker rather than trusting any article, including this one.

Scale: the homepage counter claims hundreds of thousands of developers, with a live map showing over a thousand active at any given moment. The exact number moves daily. Whatever it is today, none of those developers are paying for tokens.

Buyer Considerations

Free means ads. Text ads show up inline while you work. If that trade annoys you more than a monthly API invoice, OpenCode is still there, and it's still good.

The daily allowance is finite. 100 Freebucks sounds generous until you spend them on one premium model; the homepage's own hours-per-day table shows big models running out in a few hours while lighter ones last all day. Nothing rolls over. A few models sit behind a paid plan, and the /model picker marks which. If you routinely burn a full day of premium tokens, a paid tool with predictable limits may fit better than an ad-funded one.

Read the data policy. Prompts and messages may be analyzed to personalize ads, and the model picker flags specific models, like DeepSeek V4.1 Flash, which may use data for AI training. For private code, pick models without those notes.

Practical limits exist. Model access depends on your country and VPN status, and there's a limited mode. The CLI is a terminal UI only, with no prompt arguments and no scripted or CI mode. If you need headless automation, that's a gap today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is OpenCode actually free?

The software is. The usage isn't: you connect your own API key and pay the provider for every token the agent processes. The homepage comparison table estimates typical OpenCode spend at $120 a year, and heavy agent use can push past that.

How can Freebuff be 100% free?

Text ads. They run inline in the app while the agent works, and ad revenue covers the model and token costs. You don't add an API key or a credit card, and there's no paid tier required to keep using the agent.

Does Freebuff run the models on my machine?

No. The agent runs locally and inference happens in the cloud, exactly like OpenCode calling its provider. There's no local model setup to install or babysit.

How much work is it to switch from OpenCode?

One command. Install the CLI, open your project, and start typing. Your AGENTS.md instructions, MCP servers, and skills load the same way they did before, and freebuff --continue keeps your local chat history available.

Conclusion

You liked OpenCode for the agent. The bill was always for the tokens. Freebuff keeps the agent on your machine and covers the tokens with ad revenue, which turns a $120-a-year habit into a $0 one.

Install it and point it at whatever project is currently eating your API budget:

npm install -g freebuff

npm install -g freebuff

Then cancel the API key. The Freebuff blog makes the full case for quitting paid coding agents, or start at freebuff.com and check the pricing table yourself. It's a short table.