Both are terminal-first coding agents. Claude Code is Anthropic's official CLI; agentty is an open-source, native C++26 agent that signs in with the same Claude Pro/Max plan but also runs against other providers. Here's the honest breakdown.
At a glance
| agentty | Claude Code | |
|---|---|---|
| Language / runtime | C++26 — single static binary | TypeScript / Node.js |
| Binary size | 16.7 MB, no runtime | Node + npm install |
| Cold start | ~3 ms | Node startup |
| Providers | Claude, OpenAI, Groq, OpenRouter, Cerebras, Ollama | Anthropic only |
| Sandbox | On by default (bwrap) | — |
| SSH air-gap | One command | — |
| Editor | Runs in Zed over ACP | — |
| License | Open source (MIT) | Proprietary |
| Sign-in | Your Claude Pro/Max, or API keys | Your Claude account |
Where Claude Code wins
- It's the official client. New Anthropic features land there first, and it's fully supported by the vendor.
- Zero decisions. If you only use Claude and want the reference experience, there's nothing to configure.
Where agentty wins
- Speed & footprint. A single native binary starts in milliseconds — no Node, no
npm install, nonode_modules. - Provider freedom. Point it at OpenAI, Groq, OpenRouter, Cerebras, or a fully local Ollama model. You aren't locked to one vendor.
- Security posture. Shell and build commands run in a sandbox by default, and you can air-gap an entire session over SSH with one command.
- Open source. Read the code, self-host, and contribute.
Cost
agentty signs in with your existing Claude Pro/Max subscription — same as Claude Code — so there's no extra cost to use Claude. But because it's provider-agnostic, you can also route cheaper or faster models (Groq, local Ollama) for mechanical work and reserve a flagship model for the hard thinking.
Which should you choose?
- Choose Claude Code if you want the official, vendor-supported Anthropic experience and only ever use Claude.
- Choose agentty if you want a fast native binary, the freedom to switch providers, a sandbox by default, and open-source transparency.
Try agentty in under a minute — it installs as one static binary.