Claude Code on a Budget: The Tools That Almost Match It for Pennies

Claude Code is one of the best coding assistants I have ever used. It is smart, understands context, and feels like pair programming with a highly skilled developer. The problem is the cost.

If you are doing serious coding, especially on large projects, it is easy to spend twenty dollars in just an hour or two with Claude Opus 4. That is fine for occasional use, but for long coding sessions the costs add up quickly.

Over the past few weeks, I have been testing alternatives. My goal was simple: find a coding assistant setup that comes close to Claude Code’s capabilities, but at a fraction of the cost.

Here is what I found.

Gemini CLI: From “Not Great” to Surprisingly Strong

When Gemini CLI first came out, I tried it and was not impressed. It felt clunky, lacked stability, and did not match the quality I was used to.

Fast forward to today, and it is a completely different experience. Recent updates have made Gemini CLI very stable, powerful, and much better at handling code. Paired with Gemini 2.5 Pro, I would say it is now on par with Claude Code in many coding situations.

Where Gemini CLI really stands out is value. With Google’s base paid plan, which comes with one terabyte of Google Drive storage, you get:

• A significant amount of Gemini Pro usage each month
• Even more Gemini Flash usage for smaller and faster calls
• Access to Gemini CLI itself, which is free and open source on GitHub

Since I already pay for the Google Drive plan for storage, all of this comes at no extra cost. In other words, my AI coding budget for Gemini is essentially zero.

OpenCode with Open Source Models: Low Cost AI Coding Assistant Setup

Then there is OpenCode, which is completely free and open source. It has the best user interface of any CLI coding assistant I have used, and its session management is excellent. You can manage multiple coding sessions at once without losing context.

The real magic comes when you pair OpenCode with open source AI models using inference providers such as Groq or OpenRouter.

Here is why this matters:

• With Claude Opus 4, I can spend twenty dollars in an hour or two
• With OpenCode and models like Kimi K2 or GPT-OSS 120B, I can code for eight hours for less than two dollars
• This includes millions of tokens processed in a single day for a fraction of the cost of proprietary models

It is not a perfect replacement for Claude Code in every situation, but when you switch models intelligently, you can get remarkably close. For example, I often swap to Kimi K2 when GPT-OSS slows down or gets stuck.

The Best of Both Worlds

Right now, my ideal setup is:

• Gemini CLI with Gemini 2.5 Pro for complex reasoning and high-quality coding assistance
• OpenCode with Groq or OpenRouter for large volumes of tokens at very low cost

I switch between them depending on the task. If I need to code for hours and process a huge amount of text, OpenCode wins. If I need a higher level of reasoning or more detailed problem solving, Gemini CLI is the better choice.

Why This Matters for Builders

We are in a moment where anyone can start building apps, websites, and tools without spending large amounts on expensive AI coding assistants. With the right setup, you can:

• Build your own products at minimal cost
• Learn new frameworks while having AI guide you
• Experiment freely without worrying about draining your AI budget

The barrier to entry for serious coding has never been lower. Whether you are working on your first Next.js site or building a complex API, there are budget-friendly AI coding assistants that can help you ship faster.

Bottom line: Claude Code is an outstanding tool, but it is not the only option. With the recent improvements to Gemini CLI and the cost efficiency of OpenCode, you can get very close to the same performance for a fraction of the price.

If you have been waiting to start building because of the high cost of AI coding tools, this is the time to begin. The tools are here, they are inexpensive, and they are more than capable of taking you from idea to working product.