Cua vs Open Interpreter (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Open Interpreter grades higher than Cua: 2.8 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Open Interpreter grades higher on value for money, the free plan and features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Cua
Shared desktops on your own computers for you and your AI agents
Open Interpreter
Open-source coding agent and desktop agent using your own model keys
Which one is for you
Pick Cua if
- Fits if you want to watch and take over what a coding agent does on a computer
- Works for developers who already own or rent the machines to run it on
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: Cua does not rent computers, so the VMs are billed by your cloud provider
- Skip it if you are not on Apple silicon with macOS 26 and want a Mac Space
- Not for you if you need audit history or SSO today, which are listed as coming soon or not included
- Too light for phones, as there is no mobile app
- Watch out: anonymous usage data is collected by default, per the vendor's FAQ
Pick Open Interpreter if
- Fits if you work in a terminal and want to pick your own model
- Works for people who want a coding agent that can run on a local model
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a phone or web app, as it runs on computers only
- Not for you if you avoid the command line, since the terminal agent lives there
- Tight if you need a stated price for the desktop app, because the pages read give none
- Watch out: hosted models receive your instructions and file excerpts, and only a local profile keeps everything on the machine
How we grade them
| 2.2GPACuaFair | 2.8GPAOpen InterpreterGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$15 a month billed yearly ($18 monthly) is under the category's cheaper quarter of $19. Your cloud provider bills the VMs on top, because Cua does not rent computers. | AThe terminal agent is free under Apache-2.0. You pay your model provider, or nothing with a local model. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe free plan has Spaces, Teleport and sharing, for up to 2 computers at once and 20 remote hours a month. No trial, but a person can live on it. | AInstall it and run it with no plan, no cap and no account, apart from model costs. The desktop app's price is not stated. |
| Features | CSpaces, Teleport, shared control and a driver for agents. The listing shows gaps: expiring share links and audit history are coming soon, and SSO and audit export are not included. | BA terminal agent with sandboxed commands, model switching, editor compatibility and local models, plus a desktop app for files and browser tabs. No gap shows in the core job. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. It is a developer tool with a driver, agent connections and your own machines to set up; Mac Spaces need macOS 26 on Apple silicon. | DNo rating on record. The terminal agent runs from a command line and needs model keys set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | CMac, Windows (a preview) and Linux only, with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and Docker connections. Nothing for phones. | CRuns on Mac, Windows and Linux only. No phone, web or hosted version. |
| Best for | sandboxed computers for AI agents | a free terminal coding agent |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Cua and Open Interpreter. How we grade
Price against what you get
Cua starts at $15 a month and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Open Interpreter has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Open Interpreter scores higher and starts $15 a month lower. Of the other AI agents on the chart, 13 score higher than Cua for less, and none scores higher than Open Interpreter for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Cua also covers remote desktop.
At a glance
| Cua | Open Interpreter | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $15 per month, billed annually ($18 billed monthly) | Free |
| Free plan | Free: Spaces on every computer you connect, Teleport, sharing with named people, and the relay for up to 2 computers at once and 20 remote hours a month. | The terminal agent is open source under Apache-2.0 and free to install; model usage is billed by whichever provider you connect. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Cua AI, Inc. | Open Interpreter |
| Price read from | cua.ai | github.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Cua
- Cua does not rent computers: Spaces run on machines you own or rent, and your cloud provider bills those VMs.
- Running a Mac Space needs macOS 26 or later on Apple silicon; the Windows app is a preview.
- Share links that expire and 90-day audit history are listed as coming soon, and SSO and audit export as not yet included.
- There is no trial. Anonymous usage data is collected by default, per the vendor's FAQ.
Open Interpreter
- Model costs are paid to whichever provider is connected; the vendor's pages list no hosted plan.
- No price for the desktop app is stated on the pages read, so only the open-source terminal agent is recorded as free.
- Neither the terminal agent nor the desktop app is listed for iOS or Android, and neither runs as a hosted web app.
- Hosted models receive the instructions and the file excerpts the agent needs; only a local profile keeps everything on the machine.
Key features
Cua
- Spaces
- A Space is a full desktop, a virtual machine or container, that agents can use and people can watch, running on your Mac, your own computers or your own cloud.
- Teleport
- Packs an app's session (open tabs, profile, sign-ins) into a bundle and moves it into a Space after the user approves it on a consent screen.
- Shared control
- Share a Space with named people as viewer or editor. Each person and each agent gets its own cursor, so someone can step in and hand the desktop back.
- Cua Driver
- An MIT-licensed driver that lets an agent operate native apps on macOS, Windows and Linux without taking over the user's cursor or keyboard.
- Agent connections
- Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Cline, Kiro and OpenClaw connect through the Cua MCP server.
Open Interpreter
- Harness emulation
- The /harness command switches between agent harnesses such as native, claude-code, kimi-code, qwen-code and swe-agent, aimed at getting better results from low-cost models.
- Provider and model switching
- The /model command picks a provider and model from the terminal. The docs cover Kimi, DeepSeek, Z.AI and Google AI Studio, and any OpenAI-compatible provider can be used through Chat Completions.
- Sandboxed command execution
- Commands run inside native sandboxing on macOS, Linux and Windows, with permissions and approval settings.
- Editor and SDK compatibility
- Runs as an Agent Client Protocol agent for compatible editors, and speaks the Codex exec protocol so the Codex SDK can point at it.
- Desktop app for cross-app work
- The Interpreter desktop app opens apps, reads files in a chosen workspace, runs web tasks and takes voice instructions, pausing for review before it submits, sends, deletes or overwrites.
- Local models and MCP
- Profiles can point at Ollama or LM Studio for local-only use, and MCP servers and skills extend what the agent can reach.
Plans
Cua
Free$0
No account needed to start. Up to 2 computers in use at once and 20 remote hours a month through the relay.
Pro$15
per month, billed annually ($18 billed monthly)
For one person: up to 5 computers in use at once and 200 remote hours a month. Billed $180 a year.
Teams$25
per seat / month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
1 to 100 seats. Each seat adds 5 computers at once and 200 remote hours to a shared pool, plus shared team computers, roles and device approval.
Open Interpreter
Open source terminal agent$0
Apache-2.0 licensed and installed locally; you pay your chosen model provider separately.
Ways to pay less
Cua
- Annual discount
Two months free on yearly billing
Pro is $180 a year ($15 a month) against $18 a month; Teams is $300 per seat a year against $30 per seat a month.
Open Interpreter
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Cua or Open Interpreter?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Open Interpreter is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $15 a month for Cua. Cua starts at $15 per month, billed annually ($18 billed monthly), and Open Interpreter is free.
Which has a free plan, Cua or Open Interpreter?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Cua and Open Interpreter have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.