OpenCode vs Willow
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted self-hosted ai options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
OpenCode
The open source AI coding agent
VS
Willow
Open-source privacy-focused voice assistant hardware platform
| Feature | OpenCode | Willow |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Self-Hosted AI | Self-Hosted AI |
| License | free | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | docker, one-click | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 194,821 | ★ 3,086 |
| First released | 2022 | 2023 |
| Replaces | — | Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant |
Why pick each one
Choose OpenCode if…
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- One-click install on common self-host platforms
- Mature project with 194.8k GitHub stars
Choose Willow if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenCode or Willow better?
OpenCode is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Willow if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are OpenCode and Willow free and open-source?
Yes. OpenCode is licensed under free and Willow under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenCode and Willow with Docker?
OpenCode: yes. Willow: yes.