At a glance
| Point | OpenHands | OpenClowd |
|---|---|---|
| Open foundation | MIT-licensed local GUI, CLI, SDK, and core images; Enterprise directory uses a separate license. | Permissive open-source self-hosted product planned; final license not locked. |
| External agents | Agent Canvas connects ACP-compatible agents such as Claude Code and Codex. | Any terminal command at baseline, without requiring a protocol integration. |
| Execution | Local machine, self-hosted remote VM, OpenHands Cloud, or enterprise infrastructure. | Developer-controlled always-on host first, with managed hosting planned later. |
| Product scope | Agent, SDK, Canvas, cloud automation, integrations, and enterprise governance. | Focused workspace for terminal sessions, attention, files, diffs, Git, and previews. |
| Maturity | Large community, shipping product family, research, SDK, and enterprise offering. | Pre-launch product and early project. |
| Managed individual path | Free individual SaaS with BYOK or at-cost provider usage. | Managed hosting is planned and not currently available. |
The strongest existing alternative
OpenHands has already built the open ecosystem, not just the pitch
OpenHands ships an autonomous agent, a local web GUI, CLI, SDK, managed SaaS, enterprise deployment, integrations, and a large public community. Its core is MIT licensed, while enterprise features are source-available under a commercial trial model.
Agent Canvas now makes the comparison even closer. It can connect external ACP-compatible agents, run their server locally or on a self-hosted VM, and switch to managed cloud execution without changing the interface.
OpenHands is not a hypothetical competitor. It is the benchmark OpenClowd has to earn its way into the conversation with.
Correcting the draft
The public product now documents the missing remote and bring-your-own-agent pieces
The supplied draft says a polished file or workspace bundle and mobile path are not documented. OpenHands' current Agent Canvas page explicitly describes local, self-hosted VM, and cloud backends, external agents through ACP, and agents continuing while the laptop is off. The current pricing page advertises cloud access from desktop and mobile.
A fair comparison should not search for absences in an older product snapshot. It should focus on the actual structural difference that remains.
Where OpenClowd still differs
Terminal-native compatibility is a lower integration bar than ACP
OpenHands Agent Canvas connects external harnesses through the Agent Client Protocol. ACP is a sensible standard and enables richer structured interactions, but the agent needs a compatible adapter or server.
OpenClowd's intended universal baseline is the terminal itself. If a tool can run as a command in the host environment, the control plane should be able to launch and reattach to it, even if enhanced status and controls are unavailable. That trades structured depth for breadth and preserves the CLI workflow developers already know.
The second difference is focus. OpenHands is expanding into a broad enterprise agent control plane with governance, budgets, automations, security policy, and custom agents. OpenClowd's v1 deliberately stays with the single-developer hosted workspace and avoids general automation or manager analytics.
The decision
A shipped open agent ecosystem or a narrower terminal-native workspace
OpenHands is ahead on almost every maturity dimension. OpenClowd needs focus and a lower-friction compatibility boundary to matter.
Choose OpenHands when you want a working open agent and SDK, ACP-based external agents, local or remote execution, managed cloud, integrations, or enterprise governance today.
Follow OpenClowd when the existing terminal CLI must remain untouched, any command should work at baseline, and a focused developer-owned workspace matters more than a broad agent platform.
Questions, answered
What people usually ask next
01Can OpenHands run Claude Code or Codex?
Yes. OpenHands Agent Canvas documents connections to Claude Code and Codex through the Agent Client Protocol.
02Can OpenHands run on a remote VM?
Yes. Agent Canvas documents a free, open self-hosted VM backend where agents can continue after the laptop is off.
03Is all of OpenHands MIT licensed?
The core OpenHands project and core images are MIT licensed. The Enterprise directory and commercial control-plane features use a separate source-available license.
Research notes
Sources
Product details change quickly. These first-party pages were checked on .
- 01OpenHands repository
Core and enterprise license boundary, product family, community, and deployment options.
- 02OpenHands pricing
Local open source, managed individual, and enterprise packaging.
- 03OpenHands Agent Canvas
ACP agents, local and self-hosted VM backends, cloud execution, and cross-device continuity.
- 04OpenHands Enterprise
Control-plane scope, governance, private deployment, and source-available enterprise product.