Claude Code Overview
Claude Code is a standalone tool developed by Anthropic, designed to run on macOS. It supports high-end language models like Claude 4.5 and Claude Sonnet 4.5, offering a remarkable context window of over 400,000 tokens. This tool is particularly notable for its zero data retention privacy mode, ensuring user data is not stored, and it is SOC2 Type II certified for enterprise-level security. Users can benefit from full terminal access and multi-file agentic editing. The tool offers a free tier, with pricing ranging from $0 to $200 per month. A ‘.clauderc’ configuration file is used for setup, which requires initial configuration.
Pros
- ✓ Standalone architecture for macOS.
- ✓ Zero Data Retention (ZDR) privacy mode.
- ✓ Supports a large context window of over 400,000 tokens.
- ✓ SOC2 Type II certified security.
Cons
- ✕ Limited to macOS operating system.
- ✕ Does not support local inference.
- ✕ Predictive edits are not available.
OpenHands Overview
OpenHands is a cloud-based tool compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux, developed by OpenHands. It supports a diverse range of language models, including GPT-5 and Claude 4.5, with a context window of 200k tokens. Unlike Claude Code, OpenHands allows for local inference and includes predictive edits, enhancing its versatility. Privacy is maintained under a standard privacy policy, and it holds SOC2 Type II certification. The tool does not offer a free tier and requires contacting sales for pricing information. Setup involves a ‘.openhandsrc’ configuration file.
Pros
- ✓ Cloud architecture with cross-platform compatibility.
- ✓ Supports local inference and predictive edits.
- ✓ Wide range of supported language models.
Cons
- ✕ No free tier available.
- ✕ Requires contacting sales for pricing details.
- ✕ Standard privacy policy may not suit all users.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Claude Code | OpenHands |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture Type | standalone | cloud |
| Supported Os | macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Developer | Anthropic | OpenHands |
| Supported Llms | Claude 4.5, Claude Sonnet 4.5 | GPT-5, Claude 4.5, Qwen3-Coder-30B, Gemini 3.0 |
| Context Window | 400,000+ tokens | 200k tokens |
| Agentic Editing | Yes, multi-file | Yes, multi-file |
| Terminal Access | Full | Full |
| Privacy Mode | Zero Data Retention (ZDR) | Standard Privacy Policy |
| Certifications | SOC2 Type II (Enterprise) | SOC2 Type II (Enterprise) |
| About Price | $0 – $200/mo | Contact Sales |
| Config File | .clauderc | .openhandsrc |
| Migration | Requires setup | Requires setup |
Conclusion
Both Claude Code and OpenHands offer robust solutions with unique strengths. Claude Code excels in standalone use with superior privacy features and a larger context window, while OpenHands provides broad OS support, local inference, and predictive editing features. Users should choose based on specific needs such as platform compatibility and privacy requirements.