Cloud and background agents · Checked Aug 23, 2026
OpenHands vs. Devin
Choose OpenHands for an open local, cloud, or self-hosted path; choose Devin for a managed commercial platform designed around delegating and supervising agent fleets.
By Ros · No universal winner · No paid ranking · Unknown stays unknown
01 / Verified matrix
The working difference
| Criterion | OpenHands | Devin |
|---|---|---|
| Primary role | cloud-agent | cloud-agent |
| Surfaces | Web, Terminal, VS Code, JetBrains | Web, Desktop editor, Desktop app, Terminal |
| Autonomy | Background agent work | Background agent work |
| Model strategy | Hosted, BYOK, and self-hosted model providers | Managed frontier models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google |
| Deployment | Cloud + self-hosted | Local + cloud |
| Starting point | Free local software | Free |
| Billing basis | Subscription + usage | Subscription + usage |
| Code processing | Local, Cloud, and Enterprise deployment options create different data boundaries; local runs can use operator-selected model providers. | Devin combines local desktop and terminal agents with managed cloud sessions. |
| Self-hosted | Yes | No |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Lifecycle | Active | Active |
| Last verified | Aug 31, 2026 | Aug 31, 2026 |
02 / Workflow fit
Choose by constraint
Operator-controlled deployment
OpenHandsOpenHands offers open-source local, managed cloud, and self-hosted enterprise deployment options.
Read profile →Managed agent fleet
DevinDevin packages delegation, supervision, review, and shipping into a commercial local-and-cloud platform.
Read profile →03 / Composition
Using both
A team might retain an operator-controlled path for sensitive or experimental work while using a managed fleet for routine delegation. That creates two governance and observability systems.
04 / Switching
Migration cost
Repositories stay portable, but execution images, secrets, agent configuration, review policy, audit history, and enterprise controls need separate validation.
Control or managed operations
OpenHands makes deployment choice part of the product: local, managed cloud, and self-hosted paths are available around an open-source core. Devin sells a managed platform for assigning, supervising, reviewing, and shipping work across agents.
Evaluation boundary
Trial both with the same repository, secrets policy, execution image, and review gate. Measure setup and operator time as well as task completion. A nominally cheaper agent can cost more if engineers spend the week rebuilding observability, isolation, and recovery controls.
05 / Evidence
Primary sources
- OpenHands Cloud and local modes ↗Checked Jul 31, 2026
- OpenHands Enterprise ↗Checked Jul 31, 2026
- Devin plans and pricing ↗Checked Jul 31, 2026
- Devin security and data handling ↗Checked Jul 31, 2026