Warp alternatives: Mel – the agentic terminal and other options

The agentic team for coding.

Mel is the agentic terminal that plans, builds, tests and ships your work in one local-first workflow. This page lists Mel and the other tools people pick when they look for a Warp alternative, with the facts about each one checked on its own site.

Warp calls itself "The Agentic Development Environment": a terminal with built-in agents and a code editor, plus Oz, a platform for running coding agents in the cloud. It runs on macOS, Windows and Linux. People look for an alternative for different reasons: a plain terminal with no AI in it, a coding agent that runs in any terminal, a different set of models, or a plan that fits how their team pays. The right pick depends on which of those you want.

The short version

• A team of agents in the terminal itself: Mel.
• A fast terminal with no AI built in: Ghostty (macOS and Linux) or WezTerm (macOS, Windows and Linux). iTerm2 on a Mac, with optional AI features.
• One company's coding agent, run in any terminal: Claude Code (Anthropic), Codex CLI (OpenAI) or Gemini CLI (Google).
• An open source agent for many model providers: OpenCode.

The alternatives at a glance

Mel

Mel is an agentic terminal: you run normal commands, and you hand bigger work to a team of agents that plans, builds, tests and ships it.

• A team of agents splits one task into planning, building and testing, so each part is small enough to check.
• Configurable approvals for the commands the agents run and the edits they make.
• Free with your own API key on Mac, Windows, Linux and VS Code. You pay your model provider for the usage.
• Many model providers with your own key: Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Qwen and more.
• Plans with hosted credits: Pro $20 a month, Max $200 a month, and Business $50 a seat a month with shared credits on one invoice.
• A VS Code extension if you want Mel next to your editor.
• Claude Code or Codex as workers. If you already use one of them, Mel can run it as the workers on a task.

iTerm2

iTerm2 is a terminal replacement for macOS, free software under the GPL v2. Its AI features are an optional plugin you install separately, and they need your consent before they can be used. AI Chat works with a model you bring, with presets for OpenAI-compatible providers.

Good fit if you are on a Mac and want a mature terminal, with AI only when you turn it on.

WezTerm

WezTerm is a cross-platform terminal emulator and multiplexer written in Rust. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows 10, FreeBSD and NetBSD, splits windows into panes and tabs, connects to multiplexers on remote hosts over SSH or TLS, and is configured in Lua.

Good fit if you want one terminal on every operating system, with built-in multiplexing and no AI.

Ghostty

Ghostty is "a fast, feature-rich, and cross-platform terminal emulator that uses platform-native UI and GPU acceleration". It runs on macOS and Linux and is MIT licensed.

Good fit if you want a fast native terminal on macOS or Linux and plan to run any AI tools inside it yourself.

Claude Code

Claude Code is Anthropic's coding agent, used from the terminal, IDE extensions for VS Code and JetBrains, and a desktop app. It works with Claude models, supports sub-agents and agent teams, and runs on macOS, Windows and Linux. It is included in Claude's Pro and Max plans, or billed as API usage.

Good fit if you want Anthropic's own agent and already pay for a Claude plan. It also runs inside Mel.

Codex CLI

Codex CLI is OpenAI's coding agent for the terminal, open source under Apache-2.0. You sign in with ChatGPT, where Codex is included in the plans, or use an OpenAI API key. Its standalone installer is for macOS and Linux; on Windows it runs through the Codex app or WSL.

Good fit if you use OpenAI's models and a ChatGPT plan. It also runs inside Mel.

Gemini CLI

Gemini CLI is Google's open source AI agent for the terminal, under Apache 2.0. Google's repository says that free individual access and the Google AI Pro and Ultra plans moved to Antigravity CLI on June 18, 2026, so Gemini CLI now signs in with a paid Google Cloud Code Assist license, or uses a Gemini API key or Vertex AI. It installs with npm or Homebrew on macOS, Windows and Linux.

Good fit if you want Google's open source agent in your terminal and already have a Google Cloud license or a Gemini API key.

OpenCode

OpenCode is an open source coding agent under the MIT license, with a terminal interface, a desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux, and an IDE extension. It works with 75+ providers. The tool is free, with optional hosted models through Zen (pay as you go) and Go ($10 a month).

Good fit if you want an open source agent and the widest choice of providers.

What Warp offers

To be fair to the tool you may be leaving, here is what Warp has, from its own site:

• A terminal with agents and a code editor. Agent changes open as diffs you can accept, refine or edit, and a code review panel shows what changed in your repo.
• Cloud agents. Oz runs agents in sandboxed cloud environments, and it can also run Claude Code and Codex.
• A wide model list: Claude, GPT and Gemini, plus open-weight models such as GLM, Kimi, Qwen and DeepSeek, or Auto.
• Your own API key for OpenAI, Anthropic and Google on every plan, including Free, for individuals and companies of 10 or fewer employees; larger companies need Business or Enterprise.
• Plans: Free; Build $20 a month; Max $200 a month; Business $50 a user a month ($45 billed yearly), up to 25 seats, with SAML SSO; Enterprise custom.
• An open source client under the AGPL.
• A SOC 2 Type 2 attestation, which Warp states on its security page.

For a full side by side, see Mel vs Warp.

How to choose

Take one real task with a clear finish line, for example "upgrade this library and make the tests pass". If you only want a terminal, try Ghostty, WezTerm or iTerm2 and run the agent you already use inside it. If you want the agents to do the work, run the task in Mel and in one of the agent CLIs, and ask which one finished, which one ran the tests itself, and which result you could review faster. Then check the plan your team would need, and whether your own API key is allowed on it.

FAQ

What is the best Warp alternative? It depends on what you want from it. For a team of agents in the terminal itself, Mel. For a fast terminal with no AI built in, Ghostty, WezTerm or iTerm2. For one company's coding agent in any terminal, Claude Code, Codex CLI or Gemini CLI. For an open source agent with many providers, OpenCode.

Is there a free Warp alternative? Yes. iTerm2, WezTerm, Ghostty and OpenCode are free. Mel is free with your own API key on Mac, Windows, Linux and VS Code; you pay your model provider for the usage.

Which Warp alternatives run on Windows? Mel, WezTerm, Claude Code, Gemini CLI and OpenCode run on Windows. Codex CLI runs there through the Codex app or WSL. iTerm2 is for macOS, and Ghostty is for macOS and Linux.

Can I use my own API key with Mel? Yes. Mel is free with your own API key, and it works with many model providers, including Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek and Qwen.

How much does Mel cost? Free with your own API key. Pro is $20 a month and Max is $200 a month, with hosted credits. Business is $50 a seat a month, with shared credits on one invoice.

Can members of a Mel Business team use their own API keys? Yes. A Business member can run Mel on their own provider key, and a turn on it spends none of the team's shared credits. On Business, own keys work with the same US model providers as the rest of the plan's work. Mel has no team setting that turns own keys off.

Can I keep using Claude Code or Codex? Yes. Both are CLIs, so they run in Mel's terminal, and Mel can run them as the workers on a task.

Is Mel part of Warp? No. Mel and Warp are separate products from separate companies.

Sources

Facts checked on Oct 27, 2026. The facts about Claude Code, Codex CLI and OpenCode were checked on Oct 24, 2026, and those about Gemini CLI on Oct 29, 2026. Spot a fact that has changed? Write to hello@openmel.dev.

• Warp home page ("The Agentic Development Environment"): https://www.warp.dev/
• Warp pricing (Free, Build, Max, Business, Enterprise): https://www.warp.dev/pricing
• Warp pricing and billing FAQs (seat limits, SSO): https://docs.warp.dev/support-and-community/plans-and-billing/pricing-faqs/
• Warp: bring your own API key: https://docs.warp.dev/agents/inference/bring-your-own-api-key/
• Warp: Build plan and your own API key: https://www.warp.dev/blog/warp-new-pricing-flexibility-byok
• Warp model choice: https://docs.warp.dev/agent-platform/inference/model-choice/
• Warp download (platforms): https://www.warp.dev/download
• Warp Code (editor and code review): https://www.warp.dev/code
• Warp code review panel: https://docs.warp.dev/code/code-review/
• Oz, the cloud agent platform: https://www.warp.dev/blog/oz-orchestration-platform-cloud-agents
• Oz runs Claude Code and Codex: https://www.warp.dev/blog/multi-harness-cloud-agent-orchestration
• Warp is open source: https://www.warp.dev/blog/warp-is-now-open-source
• Warp security (SOC 2 Type 2): https://www.warp.dev/legal/security
• iTerm2 home and license: https://iterm2.com/ and https://iterm2.com/license.txt
• iTerm2 AI plugin: https://iterm2.com/ai-plugin.html
• iTerm2 AI Chat: https://iterm2.com/documentation-ai-chat.html
• WezTerm home: https://wezterm.org/index.html
• WezTerm features: https://wezterm.org/features.html
• WezTerm installation (open source): https://wezterm.org/installation.html
• WezTerm sponsor page: https://wezterm.org/sponsor.html
• Ghostty about: https://ghostty.org/docs/about
• Ghostty download: https://ghostty.org/download
• Ghostty license (sponsor page): https://ghostty.org/docs/sponsor
• Claude Code setup (platforms): https://code.claude.com/docs/en/setup
• Claude Code in VS Code: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/vs-code
• Claude Code agent teams: https://code.claude.com/docs/en/agent-teams
• Use Claude Code with your Pro or Max plan: https://support.claude.com/en/articles/11145838-use-claude-code-with-your-pro-or-max-plan
• Claude pricing: https://claude.com/pricing
• Codex repository and license: https://github.com/openai/codex
• Codex CLI docs (install): https://developers.openai.com/codex/cli
• Codex authentication: https://developers.openai.com/codex/auth
• Codex advanced configuration (custom model providers): https://developers.openai.com/codex/config-advanced
• Gemini CLI repository and license: https://github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli
• Gemini CLI quotas and pricing: https://geminicli.com/docs/resources/quota-and-pricing/
• Gemini CLI installation: https://geminicli.com/docs/get-started/installation/
• OpenCode home: https://opencode.ai/
• OpenCode download (platforms): https://opencode.ai/download
• OpenCode providers: https://opencode.ai/docs/providers/
• OpenCode Zen: https://opencode.ai/docs/zen/
• OpenCode Go: https://opencode.ai/docs/go/

• Mel vs Warp
• Mel vs Claude Code
• Mel vs Codex CLI
• Mel vs OpenCode
• What is an agentic terminal?