Devika AI (2026): Status, Features, Setup and Better Alternatives

Key Takeaways

• Devika is a free, MIT-licensed project on GitHub with roughly 19,600 stars and 2,600 forks as of October 2026.
• The project is not archived, but the last code change to the main branch was in September 2024. A README update in September 2025 points readers to Opcode, described as "the second iteration of Devika".
• The README still says Devika is in "a very early development/experimental stage" with "a lot of unimplemented/broken features".
• Devika supports Claude, GPT-4-class models, Gemini, Mistral, Groq and local models through Ollama, and runs as a Python backend with a web UI on your own machine.
• For real projects in 2026, actively developed agents such as OpenHands (Agentdex profile), Claude Code (Agentdex profile), Cline (Agentdex profile) or OpenCode are the safer choice. Treat Devika as a learning project, not a daily driver.

What is Devika?

Devika is an open-source AI agent from the stitionai organization on GitHub. Its README describes it as an AI software engineer that can "understand high-level human instructions, break them down into steps, research relevant information, and write code to achieve the given objective."

It was explicitly modeled on Devin from Cognition. The original goal, in the README's own words, was to be an open-source alternative to Devin with an "overly ambitious" aim of matching Devin's score on the SWE-bench benchmark. There is no published SWE-bench result for Devika on the official leaderboard, so do not assume it reached that goal.

One note on the name: "Devika" is also a common given name and is used by other companies, including a software studio. This guide is only about the open-source coding agent.

Devika's current status (October 2026)

Before you spend an evening installing it, here is what the official repository shows as of October 24, 2026:

Put simply, Devika is inactive. Nobody has merged code into the main branch for more than two years. Model support stops at the 2024 generation (Claude 3, GPT-4, and a GPT-4o mini addition in August 2024), and dependencies like Playwright and the Python packages have moved on since then. Expect to fix things yourself.

What about Opcode?

The top of the Devika README now says: "Checkout Opcode, the second iteration of Devika. New version out soon!" As of October 2026, Opcode presents itself as a desktop app for managing Claude Code sessions, custom agents and usage tracking. It is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence and needs Claude Code installed to work. It is a useful tool, but it is a different product from Devika, not a drop-in upgrade.

What Devika can do

Based on the README, Devika's main features are:

• Planning and reasoning: it splits a goal into a step-by-step plan before writing code.
• Web research: it extracts keywords from your request and browses the web with Playwright to gather documentation.
• Code writing in multiple languages: it generates files for the project it is working on.
• Agent state tracking: a web UI shows the plan, the current step and the agent's output as it works.
• Chat interface and projects: you talk to it in natural language and organize work by project.
• Model choice: Claude 3, GPT-4, Gemini, Mistral, Groq, and local models through Ollama. LM Studio support was added in September 2024. The README recommends the Claude 3 family for best results.

What it does not do well, according to its own README, is finish complex work reliably. Many features are unimplemented or broken. In practice, that means Devika is better for watching how an autonomous agent plans and researches than for shipping code you plan to keep.

How to install Devika

If you want to try it anyway, the official steps from the README are below. You will need Python 3.10 or 3.11 (the README says ">= 3.10 and < 3.12"), Node.js 18 or newer, Bun and the uv package manager.

1. Clone the repo: git clone https://github.com/stitionai/devika.git, then cd devika.
2. Create a virtual environment with uv venv, activate it, and run uv pip install -r requirements.txt.
3. Install the browsers Playwright needs: playwright install --with-deps.
4. Start the backend: python devika.py. You should see "Devika is up and running!"
5. In a second terminal, go to ui/ and run bun install then bun run start.
6. Open http://127.0.0.1:3001 in your browser and add your API keys on the settings page.

If you want to run it without paying for an API, install Ollama first and pick a local model. Smaller local models struggle with multi-step agent work, so expect weaker results than with a frontier model.

Common problems

• Python version errors: Python 3.12 and newer are outside the supported range. Use 3.10 or 3.11.
• Outdated model names: the built-in model list dates from 2024. Newer models may not appear, or old model IDs may be retired by the provider.
• Dependency breakage: with no updates since 2024, some packages may need pinning or patching.
• Security: an agent that browses the web and writes files can be steered by malicious page content. Run it in a container or a throwaway VM, and never give it production credentials.

Devika vs maintained alternatives

Devika's idea, an open agent that plans, researches and codes, is now covered by several actively developed tools. Here is how they compare on the points that matter most.

If you liked Devika because it was free and open, OpenHands is the closest match in spirit: an autonomous agent you can run yourself, with an active community. If you want an agent inside your editor, look at Cline. If you prefer the terminal and clean git history, OpenCode fits well, and Aider is still a solid choice, though its commits have slowed in 2026. For a deeper comparison, read our guides to Devin alternatives, AI coding agents and Claude Code alternatives. If you are weighing Devin itself, see Devin pricing.

Who should still use Devika?

• Learners and researchers who want to read the source of a simple agent architecture: planner, researcher, coder and state tracker in one codebase.
• Tinkerers who want to fork an MIT-licensed agent and rebuild it on current models.
• People who need fully local, offline experiments and are happy to patch things themselves.

Who should skip it: anyone who needs an agent for client work, a product launch or a codebase you care about. The lack of maintenance is the deciding factor, not the idea.

The honest verdict

Devika was an important early proof that open-source teams could chase the Devin idea, and the repo is still worth reading. But as of October 2026 it is an experiment frozen in 2024. Its own README calls it early-stage and partly broken, and its maintainers have pointed readers to a different project. Use it to learn, and pick a maintained agent for real work.

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FAQ

Is Devika AI free?

Yes. Devika is open source under the MIT licence and free to download. You pay only for the model API you connect, or nothing if you run a local model through Ollama.

Is Devika still maintained?

No. As of October 24, 2026, the last code change on the main branch was in September 2024. The only later commit, in September 2025, updated the README to point to Opcode. The repository is not archived, but it is inactive.

Is Devika better than Devin?

There is no published benchmark showing that. Devin is a commercial, actively developed product, while Devika describes itself as experimental with broken features. Devika's advantage is that it is free and open source.

What is the best alternative to Devika?

For an open-source autonomous agent, OpenHands is the closest match. Cline, Aider and OpenCode are strong open-source options for editor or terminal workflows, and Claude Code is a popular commercial choice.

What models does Devika support?

According to its README: Claude 3, GPT-4, Gemini, Mistral, Groq and local models through Ollama. LM Studio support and GPT-4o mini were added in 2024. Newer models may need code changes.

Related guides

• OpenDevin Is Now OpenHands (2026): What It Is, How to Run It, vs Devin
• Cline Guide (2026): Setup, Features, Models and Costs
• Roo Code Guide (2026): Shutdown, Status and Best Alternatives
• StackBlitz Guide (2026): Features, Limits, Pricing and Alternatives
• Windsurf AI Guide (2026): Devin Desktop Features, Setup and Pricing
• Windsurf Alternatives (2026): Windsurf Is Now Devin Desktop

Part of our Devin & autonomous agents guides hub

Written by Agentdex Editorial. Agentdex is an independent directory reviewing AI coding tools; we are not affiliated with the companies mentioned. Prices and features are as of October 24, 2026, from official sources linked above. Always confirm on the vendor's site.