Claude Code

What Claude Code does

Claude Code is Anthropic's agent for working on a codebase from the command line. You describe a task in plain language, and it reads the relevant files, proposes and makes edits, runs shell commands and tests, and handles git steps such as commits and pull requests. The same agent also runs as a VS Code extension, a JetBrains plugin, a desktop app, on the web at claude.ai/code and from the Claude mobile apps.

Claude Code is built to be extended. Subagents run focused jobs in their own context, hooks run your scripts at fixed points such as before a tool call or at session start, skills package instructions the agent loads when a task matches, and plugins bundle all of these. A GitHub Action responds to @claude mentions in issues and pull requests, and GitLab CI/CD is supported too.

Claude Code needs a paid account. Its setup docs say it requires a Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise or Console account, and that the Free Claude plan does not include it. Companies can also run it through Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud or Microsoft Foundry instead of an Anthropic subscription.

Who Claude Code is for

• Developers who want an agent that works in the terminal and can run tests, scripts and git on their own machine
• Teams that want to automate repo chores with hooks, subagents and a GitHub or GitLab integration
• People who already pay for Claude Pro or Max and want coding on the same plan
• Companies that must route model traffic through Bedrock, Google Cloud or Microsoft Foundry

Who should pick something else

• Anyone who wants a free option: the Free Claude plan does not include Claude Code; Gemini CLI with an API key or OpenCode with your own key cost nothing to install
• Developers who want to pick models from many vendors in one tool; Cursor, OpenCode and Cline let you switch providers
• People who need open source code they can audit and fork; the license is Anthropic's commercial terms

Claude Code: one strength, one limit

Strength. Claude Code covers many surfaces from one account: terminal, VS Code, JetBrains, desktop, web and mobile, with hooks firing at more than six named points (SessionStart, PreToolUse, PostToolUse, UserPromptSubmit, Stop, SubagentStart and more) for scripted control.

Limit. Claude Code only runs Anthropic's Claude models, and there is no free tier: the cheapest way in is a paid Claude plan or an API account billed per token.

What Claude Code costs

No free use: Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan (Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise) or an API account billed per token; the Free Claude plan does not include it.

Current prices: claude.com ↗. We do not list prices: vendors change them often, so check the maker's own page before you buy.

Claude Code with agent skills and MCP servers

Skills. Claude Code supports Agent Skills natively and says its skills follow the agentskills.io open standard. It reads project skills from .claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md and personal skills from ~/.claude/skills, plus skills inside installed plugins. Skill support arrived in version 2.0.20 on 2025-10-16. The open skills CLI installs into the same .claude/skills folder.

MCP. Claude Code adds MCP servers with a command: claude mcp add --transport http <name> <url> for a remote server, or claude mcp add <name> -- <command> [args] for a local one. The --scope flag picks local, project or user. Project servers are saved in .mcp.json at the repo root; local and user servers live in ~/.claude.json. claude mcp list or /mcp shows what is connected.

Browse agent skills and MCP servers that work with Claude Code.

Alternatives to Claude Code

• OpenAI Codex: OpenAI Codex is a coding agent by OpenAI that runs as an open source CLI on your machine and as a cloud agent in ChatGPT, editing code, running commands and opening pull requests.
• Gemini CLI: Gemini CLI is an open source terminal coding agent by Google that runs Gemini models from the command line, with MCP, agent skills, subagents and hooks, under the Apache-2.0 license.
• OpenCode: OpenCode is an open source terminal coding agent by Anomaly that works with 75+ model providers, local models included, and also ships as a desktop app and IDE extension.
• Cursor: Cursor is an AI code editor by Anysphere that pairs a desktop editor with an agent, a CLI and cloud agents, using models from several vendors plus its own Composer models.
• GitHub Copilot: GitHub Copilot is an AI coding assistant by GitHub that works in VS Code, JetBrains and other editors, in a CLI, and as a cloud agent that opens pull requests on GitHub.