Eaon vs bb
Eaon and bb
Both are free, open-source places to run Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode side by side in git worktrees. Here's how they differ.
In short
bb is a free, MIT-licensed agentic IDE built around plugins, many of which agents can build themselves. It runs a long list of agents, lets agents start and message each other, works on remote machines and from a phone through bb Connect, and runs automations. It is pre-1.0; its Windows and Linux builds and its Android app are alpha.
Eaon is free and open source too (GPL-3.0), with stable builds for macOS, Windows and Linux. Its ADE runs agents in real terminals with pull request review and Linear issues built in, and the same app adds Chat for any model, local models through llama.cpp, and always-on Workers. bb goes further on phones, remote machines and plugins.
Feature by feature
Checked against bb's own site, docs and pricing on 12 October 2026. Each bb fact links to its source. Eaon's column describes Eaon 2026.6.2.
| Feature | Eaon | bb |
|---|---|---|
| Price and license | ||
| Price | Yes: $0. No account, no subscription | Yes: Free for any team size Source |
| Open source | Yes: Yes, GPL-3.0 | Yes: Yes, MIT Source |
| Platforms | Yes: macOS, Windows and Linux | Yes: macOS; Windows and Linux in alpha; web; iOS beta Source |
| Agents | ||
| Runs other coding agents | Yes: Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Antigravity, Eaon Code, Eaon CLI, or any CLI in a shell | Yes: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode, Pi, any ACP agent Source |
| Agents in parallel | Yes: A grid of real terminals, no pane limit | Yes: Many threads; agents can message each other Source |
| Git worktrees per task | Yes: Each session gets its own worktree and branch | Yes: Optional worktree per thread Source |
| Your own keys and plans | Yes: Agents use your own logins; Chat takes your API keys, ChatGPT or Copilot | Yes: Your Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor plans, or API keys Source |
| Local models | Yes: Built-in llama.cpp, plus Ollama and LM Studio | Not documented: Not documented Source |
| In the app | ||
| Code editor | No: No editor. Agents edit; you review | Partly: A file editor plugin Source |
| Terminal | Yes: Real terminals that keep running | Yes: A terminal per thread Source |
| Browser | Partly: Its own browser in Chat and Workers, not in the ADE | Yes: Agent-controlled browser, via a plugin Source |
| Pull request review | Yes: An agent reviews; you edit and post from the app | Yes: Line comments, checks, merge; agent review via a plugin Source |
| Issue tracker | Yes: Linear issues become sessions | Partly: GitHub Issues plugin; Linear via community plugins Source |
| Away from your desk | ||
| Other machines and cloud | Partly: Pair devices on your own network | Yes: Any machine you own; cloud sandboxes via plugins Source |
| Phone | No: No phone app yet | Yes: iOS beta, Android alpha, any browser Source |
| Scheduled runs | Yes: Scheduled tasks and always-on Workers | Yes: Cron, one-time and script-gated runs Source |
| Voice input | Partly: Dictation in Chat | Yes: Dictate prompts Source |
| Beyond code | ||
| Everyday AI chat | Yes: Chat with any model, and Workers that keep going | Partly: Threads without a project Source |
Questions
Can I use bb and Eaon together?
Yes. Both work on git worktrees in your own repositories, so you can try Eaon on one project and keep bb on another.
Is Eaon really free?
Yes. Eaon is free and open source under GPL-3.0, with no account and no subscription. You pay your model providers directly, or nothing at all with local models.
Is this comparison up to date?
We checked bb's own website, docs and pricing on 12 October 2026, and every bb fact links to where we read it. These products change quickly, so if something here is out of date, email support@eaon.dev and we'll fix it.