qwen-code logo
qwen-code
★ 28.8k
vs
chat-on-steroids logo
chat-on-steroids
★ 5.1k

qwen-code vs chat-on-steroids

qwen-code: Qwen Code is an open-source AI coding agent from the Qwen team for the terminal, editors, a desktop app, a web UI and chat apps. It ships Auto-Memory, Auto-Skills, SubAgents, Agent Teams and MCP, and speaks OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini and Qwen APIs, including third-party providers and local models through Ollama or vLLM, switchable at runtime. Integrations cover VS Code, Zed, JetBrains, Telegram, DingTalk, WeChat and Feishu.; chat-on-steroids: Chat On Steroids is an independent desktop app that gives ChatGPT local MCP tools to read and edit files, run tests, keep terminals open and use your desktop, working through your ChatGPT conversation rather than Codex. A browser extension observes and automates the ChatGPT UI, and features such as workers, Goal, Loop and Compact & Resume support long tasks.

01

TL;DR

qwen-code logo
qwen-codeCode Assistant · ★ 28.8k

A terminal coding agent backed by open Qwen models

chat-on-steroids logo
chat-on-steroidsCode Assistant · ★ 5.1k

Use a ChatGPT plan for local coding on your own files

02

Side-by-Side Comparison

Field
qwen-code logoqwen-code
chat-on-steroids logochat-on-steroids
Category
Code Assistant
Code Assistant
Stars
★ 28.8k
★ 5.1k
License
Apache-2.0
MIT
Install Command
npm install -g @qwen-code/qwen-code@latest
—
Updated
1d ago
1d ago
Open Source
Yes
Yes
Tags
coding-agent, qwen, terminal
chatgpt, mcp, local-coding
03

Features

qwen-code logoqwen-code
01Auto-Memory, Auto-Skills, SubAgents, Agent Teams and MCP out of the box
02OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini and Qwen API protocols, switchable at runtime
03Terminal, desktop app, experimental web UI and IDE plugins for VS Code, Zed and JetBrains
04Chat integrations for Telegram, DingTalk, WeChat and Feishu
05Local models via Ollama or vLLM
chat-on-steroids logochat-on-steroids
01Local MCP tools for files, terminals, tests and desktop
02Workers that keep context for parallel jobs
03Goal, Loop and Compact & Resume for long-running work
04Per-folder access levels chosen during setup
04

Use Cases

qwen-code logoqwen-code
↳A terminal coding agent backed by open Qwen models
↳Using one agent across terminal, IDE and team chat
↳Running coding tasks on local models for privacy or cost
chat-on-steroids logochat-on-steroids
↳Use a ChatGPT plan for local coding on your own files
↳Split independent coding jobs across workers
↳Carry a long session into a fresh chat
05

Best For

qwen-code logoqwen-code
Most Popular
chat-on-steroids logochat-on-steroids
—
FAQ

FAQ

What is the difference between qwen-code and chat-on-steroids?
Both qwen-code and chat-on-steroids are in the Code Assistant category. qwen-code has 28.8k stars, while chat-on-steroids has 5.1k stars.
Which is better, qwen-code or chat-on-steroids?
The best choice depends on your use case. Choose qwen-code if A terminal coding agent backed by open Qwen models, and chat-on-steroids if Use a ChatGPT plan for local coding on your own files.
Is qwen-code free or open source?
Yes, qwen-code is open source on GitHub (Apache-2.0).
Is chat-on-steroids free or open source?
Yes, chat-on-steroids is open source on GitHub (MIT).
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