Forgevspi
Generated from the two spec rows. Green marks the better value where a spec has a clear direction. Everything else is just different.
Forge
Tailcall, Inc. · Terminal agent
#33OSSMCP
Panel
6.93 spec wins
- Reliability
- 6.5
- Usefulness
- 6.8
- Cost
- 8.0
- Longevity
- 6.2
“You summon it by typing a colon, which is the most vim thing ever to happen to a coding agent.”
pi
Earendil Inc. · Terminal agent
#9OSS
Panel
6.83 spec wins
- Reliability
- 6.5
- Usefulness
- 6.5
- Cost
- 7.3
- Longevity
- 7.0
“A coding agent that ships themes, which is the first time anyone has cared what the terminal looks like while a file gets deleted.”
Spec by spec
| Spec | Forge | pi |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | ||
| Category | Terminal agent | Terminal agent |
| Runs | local | local |
| Platforms | macos, linux, windows | macos, linux, windows |
| Context window | not documented | not documented |
| Protocols | ||
| MCP client | Yes | No |
| MCP server | No | No |
| Capabilities | ||
| Runs terminal commands | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-file edits | Yes | Yes |
| Git operations | Yes | No |
| Browser control | No | No |
| Sandboxed execution | No | No |
| Multi-agent orchestration | Yes | No |
| Headless / CI mode | No | Yes |
| Models | ||
| Backbone | Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek | OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, OpenRouter, llama.cpp |
| Bring your own model | Yes | Yes |
| Local models | No | Yes |
| Cost | ||
| Pricing model | byok | byok |
| Starts at | n/a | $0/mo |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Bring your own key | Yes | Yes |
| Openness | ||
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 7,638 | 111,339 |
Which one would each critic pick
| Critic | Forge | pi | Pick |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Juez | — | — | not enough reviews |
| El Amigo | 7.0 | 7.5 | pi — Pick pi if you want a terminal agent small enough to read in an afternoon and extend in TypeScript; pick OpenCode if your workflow already depends on MCP servers. |
| El Crítico | 6.8 | 6.8 | no preference |
| El Profesor | 7.3 | 7.3 | no preference |
| La Inversora | 6.3 | 5.5 | Forge — Tailcall ships this open with optional Forge Services layered on, and no price attached to those services, which means the business model is still being drafted. |
| La Jefa | 6.0 | 5.5 | Forge — Free to install with the model bill as the only cost, but it assumes one shell across sixty machines and cannot run unattended, so it stays a personal tool. |
| El Hacker | 8.0 | 8.5 | pi — MIT TypeScript, extensions that add tools, commands and UI, /llama for llama.cpp on my box, ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in the environment, and packages to share it all. |
Picks are derived from each critic's own scores. Humans vote on matchups on the duels page.