Devin vs Goose: Which AI Tool is Better?
The first AI software engineer that works autonomously on full coding tasks
Free plan available
Read our full Devin reviewSide-by-Side Comparison
| Devin | Goose | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | ||
| Starting Price | $500/mo | Free (API costs only) |
| Free Plan | ✅ | ✅ |
| Category | ai-code | ai-code |
| Top Features |
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| Try it | Try Free → | Try Free → |
Devin and Goose are both autonomous AI coding agents that can handle multi-step development tasks without constant supervision, making this a more direct comparison than most. The key differences are cost, openness, and scope: Devin is a commercial product with a fully isolated cloud sandbox; Goose is free, open-source, and runs on your local machine.
Devin
Devin is Cognition AI's autonomous AI software engineer. It operates in an isolated cloud sandbox with a shell, browser, and editor - completely separate from your local environment. It reads GitHub issues, plans solutions, writes and tests code, browses documentation for context, and opens PRs without supervision. It is designed for engineering teams seeking enterprise-grade autonomous development capability.
Goose
Goose is a free, open-source autonomous coding agent maintained by Block. It runs in your terminal, reads and edits codebases, executes shell commands, and handles multi-step development tasks. It supports multiple AI backends including Anthropic Claude, OpenAI, and Ollama for local model execution. The tool itself is free; you pay only for API calls. Setup requires terminal comfort and API key management.
Key Differences
- Cost: Goose is free (API costs only). Devin is a paid commercial product.
- Environment: Devin runs in an isolated cloud sandbox. Goose runs in your local terminal.
- Web browsing: Devin can browse the web for documentation during task execution. Goose does not have native web browsing.
- Open-source: Goose is fully open-source. Devin is a proprietary commercial product.
- Data control: Goose runs locally by default. Devin processes tasks in Cognition AI's cloud.
- Model flexibility: Goose supports multiple AI backends. Devin uses its own model stack.
Pricing
Goose is free; API costs apply. Devin pricing is available on request from Cognition AI.
Who Each Is For
Goose suits developers comfortable with terminal tooling who want a free, open-source autonomous coding agent with model flexibility and local data control.
Devin suits enterprise engineering teams seeking a commercial autonomous AI software engineer with cloud sandbox isolation, web browsing, and full GitHub integration.
Devin Pros & Cons
👍 Pros
- ✓Handles full tasks end-to-end without supervision
- ✓Can read documentation and navigate the web as part of a task
- ✓Opens complete, tested pull requests
- ✓Good for well-scoped tickets a junior engineer would handle
👎 Cons
- ✗Expensive at $500/month - hard to justify for individuals
- ✗Struggles with ambiguous or architecturally complex tasks
- ✗Slower than doing simple tasks manually
- ✗Requires clear, well-scoped task definitions for best results
Goose Pros & Cons
👍 Pros
- ✓Completely free - only pay for API usage
- ✓Code stays on your machine by default
- ✓Supports multiple AI providers
- ✓Active development by Block engineering team
- ✓No subscription required
👎 Cons
- ✗Requires terminal comfort and setup
- ✗API costs accumulate on large tasks
- ✗No GUI - terminal only
- ✗Less polished UX than commercial tools
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