Claude Code costs up to $200 a month. Goose does the same thing for free.
Goose, an open-source AI agent built by Block, offers nearly identical functionality for free, runs entirely on a user's local machine, and works offline. The article contrasts Anthropic's subscription tiers and weekly rate limits with Goose's no-cost, local approach. The artificial intelligence coding revolution comes with a catch: it's expensive.
Key Takeaways
- Claude Code , Anthropic's terminal-based AI agent that can write, debug, and deploy code autonomously, has captured the imagination of software developers worldwide.
- The project has exploded in popularity.
Goose now boasts more than 26,100 stars on GitHub , the code-sharing platform, with 362 contributors and 102 releases since its launch.
- Under the system, Pro users receive 40 to 80 hours of Sonnet 4 usage per week.
Max users at the $200 tier get 240 to 480 hours of Sonnet 4, plus 24 to 40 hours of Opus 4.
- "It's confusing and vague," one developer wrote in a widely shared analysis .
"When they say '24-40 hours of Opus 4,' that doesn't really tell you anything useful about what you're actually getting."
- How Block built a free AI coding agent that works offline Goose takes a radically different approach to the same problem.
Stats & Key Facts
- #Under the system, Pro users receive 40 to 80 hours of Sonnet 4 usage per week.
- #Max users at the $200 tier get 240 to 480 hours of Sonnet 4, plus 24 to 40 hours of Opus 4.
- #Independent analysis suggests the actual per-session limits translate to roughly 44,000 tokens for Pro users and 220,000 tokens for the $200 Max plan.
- #Some users report hitting their daily limits within 30 minutes of intensive coding.
Now, a free alternative is gaining traction. Goose , an open-source AI agent developed by Block (the financial technology company formerly known as Square), offers nearly identical functionality to Claude Code but runs entirely on a user's local machine. No rate limits that reset every five hours.
"Your data stays with you, period," said Parth Sareen, a software engineer who demonstrated the tool during a recent livestream . The comment captures the core appeal: Goose gives developers complete control over their AI-powered workflow, including the ability to work offline - even on an airplane. The project has exploded in popularity.
Goose now boasts more than 26,100 stars on GitHub , the code-sharing platform, with 362 contributors and 102 releases since its launch. The latest version, 1.20.1 , shipped on January 19, 2026, reflecting a development pace that rivals commercial products. For developers frustrated by Claude Code's pricing structure and usage caps, Goose represents something increasingly rare in the AI industry: a genuinely free, no-strings-attached option for serious work.
For more details please read the original article at VentureBeat AI.
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