Matrix
Every cell cites its source
What each one claims.
Taken from vendor documentation and pricing pages, not from reviews. Follow any src↗ link to read the page we read. Cells marked unknown are ones the vendor does not state publicly.
| Axis | Cursor | Claude Code | Codex | Buzz | Hermes Agent | OpenClaw |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shape | IDE | CLI agent | CLI agent | Team workspace | Personal assistant | Personal assistant |
| Vendor | Anysphere | Anthropic | OpenAI | Block, Inc. | Nous Research | OpenClaw Foundation (created by Peter Steinberger) |
| First release | 2023-03 src↗ | 2025-02 src↗ | 2025-04 src↗ | 2026-07 src↗ | 2026-02 src↗ | 2025-11 src↗ |
| Open source | no src↗ | no src↗ | yes Apache-2.0 src↗ | yes Apache-2.0 src↗ | yes MIT src↗ | yes MIT src↗ |
| GitHub stars | unknown | unknown | unknown | 28,844 repo↗ | 233,440 repo↗ | 386,899 repo↗ |
| Self-hostable | unknown | no src↗ | yes src↗ | yes src↗ | yes src↗ | yes src↗ |
| Model support | multi-vendor src↗ | single-vendor src↗ | model-agnostic src↗ | model-agnostic src↗ | model-agnostic src↗ | model-agnostic src↗ |
| Pricing | free tier · from $20/mo · usage-based src↗as of 2026-08-20 | from $20/mo · usage-based src↗as of 2026-08-20 | free tier · from $20/mo · usage-based src↗as of 2026-08-20 | free tier src↗as of 2026-08-20 | free tier · usage-based src↗as of 2026-08-20 | free tier src↗as of 2026-08-20 |
| Interfaces | standalone-ide, terminal, web, mobile, chat-platform, api src↗ | terminal, ide-extension, web, mobile, chat-platform, api src↗ | terminal, ide-extension, web, mobile, chat-platform, api src↗ | terminal, api src↗ | terminal, chat-platform, web, api src↗ | terminal, web, mobile, chat-platform src↗ |
| MCP | yes src↗mcp.json; stdio, sse, http | yes src↗stdio, http, sse, ws; three scopes | yes src↗mcp_servers config key, stdio and http | yes src↗buzz-acp bridges ACP agents to MCP | yes src↗client and server, stdio and http | yes src↗client only, subject to tool policy |
| Plugins / custom tools | yes src↗plugins bundling skills, hooks, rules | yes src↗skills, MCP servers, Agent SDK | yes src↗mcp_servers config, skills, slash commands | yes src↗MCP servers plus agent persona packs | yes src↗python plugin SDK, self-written skills | yes src↗typescript plugin SDK, ClawHub install |
| Subagents | yes src↗nestable async subagents, parallel cloud agents | yes src↗lead agent delegates, parallel background sessions | yes src↗subagent hook events, parallel cloud tasks | yes src↗agents as channel members, not processes | yes src↗delegate_task spawns children, three concurrent | yes src↗background subagents, no in-conversation parallelism |
| Hooks | yes src↗.cursor/hooks.json, shell or prompt handlers | yes src↗settings.json events, five handler types | yes src↗eleven events, PreToolUse through Stop | yes src↗_Stop and _PostCompact MCP tools, opt-in | yes src↗four systems: gateway, plugin, shell, webhooks | yes src↗HOOK.md plus handler.ts, gateway events |
| Persistent memory | yes src↗MEMORIES.md outside the workspace, plus rules | yes src↗CLAUDE.md plus auto memory | yes src↗AGENTS.md, global then project, concatenated | yes src↗shared relay event log | yes src↗MEMORY.md and USER.md, frozen snapshot | yes src↗markdown files; dreaming promotes daily notes |
| Background execution | yes src↗cloud VMs, scheduled and event automations | yes src↗cloud routines, scheduled tasks, web sessions | yes src↗isolated cloud tasks, scheduled runs | yes src↗YAML workflows on message, schedule, webhook | yes src↗cron scheduler, model calls backgrounded | yes src↗task queue, push-driven completion |
| Sandboxing / permissions | yes src↗approval run modes, network allowlists | yes src↗bash sandbox, seatbelt, managed permissions | yes src↗seatbelt, bubblewrap, windows sandbox | yes src↗identity-scoped keypairs; approval gates unfinished | yes src↗three approval modes, containers, hardline blocklist | yes src↗off by default, opt-in |
| Git / PR integration | yes src↗cloud agents open merge-ready PRs | yes src↗stages, commits, opens PRs; Actions review | yes src↗cloud tasks open PRs, review feedback | yes src↗nostr-signed git events via NIP-34, early | no src↗correctedno git tool; gh CLI pattern | no src↗no git tool; generic exec only |
| Sentiment | -13 n=46, medium confidence | -12 n=69, medium confidence | +16 n=58, medium confidence | -40 n=65, low confidence | +1 n=110, medium confidence | -43 n=167, high confidence |
Rows cross shape boundaries. "Subagents" means something different for a terminal agent than for a team chat app, and a "no" for one shape is often a category difference. The per-product pages say what each cell means in context.