# Open Interpreter review (2026): is it any good? > Open-source coding agent and desktop agent using your own model keys Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. Open Interpreter is a terminal coding agent released under the Apache-2.0 license, built as a fork of OpenAI's Codex and tuned to work with lower-cost and open models. A separate desktop app, called Interpreter, drives local apps, files and browser tabs for office-style work. Both connect to whichever model provider the user configures, including local models. - **Category:** AI Agents - **Made by:** Open Interpreter - **Website:** https://www.openinterpreter.com - **Runs on:** macOS, Windows, Linux - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want a phone or web app, as it runs on computers only. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, Open Interpreter is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** 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. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Open source terminal agent | $0 | Apache-2.0 licensed and installed locally; you pay your chosen model provider separately. | Read from https://github.com/openinterpreter/openinterpreter on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Open Interpreter before buying. ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Developers who want a terminal coding agent they can point at cheaper or open models - People who prefer open-source software and their own API keys - Knowledge workers trying a desktop agent that can keep data on a local model ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.8 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Open Interpreter is an Apache-2.0 terminal coding agent that works with whichever model you connect, including local ones, plus a separate desktop app. The terminal agent is free; the desktop app's price is not stated. - **Value for money: A.** The terminal agent is free under Apache-2.0. You pay your model provider, or nothing with a local model. - **Free plan and trial: A.** Install 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: B.** A 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: D.** No rating on record. The terminal agent runs from a command line and needs model keys set up. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Runs on Mac, Windows and Linux only. No phone, web or hosted version. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Open Interpreter's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among AI agents - Open Interpreter's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 160 of the 178 other AI agents we grade, and level with 10. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 167 of 178) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0). - Open Interpreter has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/ai-agents ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Open Interpreter is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 160 of the 178 other AI agents we grade. - You could not: An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it. - You could not: Apps for macOS, Windows and Linux that stay in step with each other. - You could not: It plugs into other products, OpenAI, OpenRouter and Ollama among them, and has an API. - You could not: What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: roles and permissions. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with OpenAI, OpenRouter, Ollama, LM Studio, NVIDIA, Google AI Studio, DeepSeek, Kimi **Tags:** AI agents, Open source, AI features, Public API, Local-first ## Alternatives - [OpenHands](https://toolgpa.com/tools/openhands): Open-source platform for AI coding agents and automations. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/open-interpreter-vs-openhands) - [goose](https://toolgpa.com/tools/goose): Open-source AI agent with a desktop app, CLI and API. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/goose-vs-open-interpreter) - [Devin](https://toolgpa.com/tools/devin): Autonomous software engineer that runs in the cloud or locally. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/devin-vs-open-interpreter) - [Factory](https://toolgpa.com/tools/factory): Coding agents called Droids for desktop, terminal and web. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/factory-vs-open-interpreter) - [Jules](https://toolgpa.com/tools/jules): Google's asynchronous coding agent that opens pull requests. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/jules-vs-open-interpreter) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://www.openinterpreter.com - https://github.com/openinterpreter/openinterpreter - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/openinterpreter/openinterpreter/main/README.md - https://www.openinterpreter.com/docs/terminal/providers - https://www.openinterpreter.com/docs/desktop - https://www.openinterpreter.com/docs/desktop/install - https://www.openinterpreter.com/docs/desktop/faq - https://www.openinterpreter.com/docs/desktop/privacy Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/open-interpreter Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).