---
title: "Finch vs Pi · Finch Agent"
description: "Pi is a minimal terminal coding agent for developers who assemble capabilities through extensions; Finch is a ready-to-use general-purpose desktop agent."
source: https://finchwork.app/en/compare/pi
---

Compare · Pi

# Finch vs Pi

Pi is a minimal terminal coding agent for developers who assemble capabilities through extensions; Finch is a ready-to-use general-purpose desktop agent.

Pi (pi.dev) is a minimal terminal coding agent by Earendil Inc. Its core stays small — sub-agents, permission confirmation, and long-term memory all require extensions, or containers/tmux, to add yourself. Finch is a desktop GUI app where cross-session memory and graded permission confirmation are available by default, and it covers more than coding.

| Aspect | Finch | Pi |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Publisher | Finch Toys (third party) | Earendil Inc. (third party) |
| Form factor | Desktop GUI app | Terminal CLI |
| Getting started | Natural language, no terminal required | Requires familiarity with command-line workflows |
| Focus | General-purpose desktop agent (coding is one capability) | Minimal agent focused on coding tasks, core kept intentionally small |
| Model choice | 13+ cloud model providers + local models | 15+ providers (including Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and more) |
| Permission confirmation | Built-in graded permission confirmation | No permission prompts by default; build your own confirmation flow via a container or extension |
| Cross-session memory | Built in, works out of the box | No built-in long-term memory; requires an extension to add it |
| Extensibility | Mini tools (pluggable extensions — UI, tools, credential storage, skills, and MCP are all customizable) [Learn more →](/en/docs/minitools) | TypeScript extensions (examples include MCP integration, sub-agents, plan mode) |
| Pricing | The app is free, permanently | Open source and free (MIT) |

Source and verification: [Pi website ↗](https://pi.dev/)· Verified: 2026-08-15

## Which one fits you

Finch

You want permission confirmation and cross-session memory out of the box, without writing an extension for every capability.

Pi

You're a developer willing to write TypeScript extensions and want a minimal core you fully customize yourself.

See more comparisons, or download Finch and judge for yourself.

[See all comparisons](/en/compare)[Download Finch](/en/downloads)