Shakespeare vs. Goose
Comparing open source Shakespeare to Goose. While Shakespeare is designed to meet you at your skill level, Goose is built for people who want maximum control and aren't afraid of technical complexity.
You want to chat with an AI and have it do more than just chat. You're ready for AI to build you a website or app, and you're trying to choose between two open source tools, Shakespeare and Goose. While Shakespeare is designed to meet you at your skill level, Goose is built for people who want maximum control and aren't afraid of technical complexity.
We'll focus on Goose, a powerful open-source tool that scores well on privacy and control but requires more technical know-how. While Shakespeare excels at being easy to use and accessible to everyone, Goose prioritizes complete freedom over user-friendliness for non-technical vibe coders. We'll compare how it stacks up based on what matters most: ownership, privacy, and freedom.
Do You Own Your Code With Goose?
In short, yes--completely. With Goose, your code is stored locally on your computer, so you have total ownership. Goose is open source with an Apache 2.0 license, meaning the tool itself is as free as the projects you create with it.
You also own your code with Shakespeare completely and you don't have to designate a file path as it's simply stored in your browser. This makes Shakespeare the easier plug-and-play choice, and a solid choice for non-technical users who don't understand terminals or file paths.
Goose and Shakespeare: Two Solid Open Source Choices
Goose is completely open source from the desktop app to the command line interface. Shakespeare is also open source but designed to be accessible to everyone, regardless of technical skill.
The key difference is in how they approach user experience. Goose assumes you're comfortable with technical tools and want maximum control. Shakespeare assumes you might be new to vibe coding with absolutely no experience in creating a website or app and want guidance every step of the way.
Shakespeare vs Goose: Pricing
Shakespeare works on a pay-per-use basis with AI credits, and you can also bring your own AI keys. This means you only pay for what you use, which is great if you're watching your budget. Goose is free to use, but you'll need to pay for whatever AI providers you connect to it.
With Goose, you can use local AI models for free with usage limitations, or connect to paid providers. Shakespeare makes this simpler by managing the AI credits and providers for you, while Goose requires you to handle those connections yourself.
Shakespeare vs Goose: Payment Options
Goose
- Free to use (tool itself)
- Pay AI providers directly
- Wide payment flexibility via providers
Shakespeare
- Card payments
- Pay-per-use credits
- Bitcoin payments
Shakespeare lets you pay with a credit card or Bitcoin, giving you some flexibility in how you pay. In Goose, you deal directly with AI providers--whatever payment methods they accept, you can use. This makes Goose accessible to more people worldwide, but it also requires more technical setup to connect to these different providers.
Shakespeare vs Goose: AI Choice
Shakespeare lets you choose from different AI models and makes it easy to switch between them. Goose allows you to use any OpenAI-compatible provider, which means a wide range of AI models are available to you. Both give you total choice when it comes to which AI provider you choose. OpenRouter also works with each, opening up a world of AI models.
Shakespeare vs Goose: Local LLM Support
Goose works seamlessly with local AI models like Ollama and RamaLama, letting you run AI completely on your own computer without internet connections. Working with local models like this is the most private way to work with AI.
Shakespeare also supports local models, but Goose is built more around this local-first approach. For anyone concerned about privacy or who wants to work offline, Goose's local model support is excellent--though it does require technical knowledge to set up.
Why Use a Local AI Model?
If you're wondering why someone would want to vibe code using a local model, in short, they offer far more privacy, more customization, and an end to recurring costs.
Shakespeare vs Goose: Import and Export Existing Projects
Shakespeare makes it easy to import and export projects with simple zip file downloads and uploads. Goose stores everything as regular files on your computer, so importing and exporting is just a matter of copying files around.
Both approaches work well, but Shakespeare's method is more user-friendly for beginners. Shakespeare stores your code in your browser and helps you with things like Git integration and deployment. Goose's approach gives you more control but requires you to understand file management, as you choose where your files are stored.
If you need help setting up GitHub with Shakespeare and have never used it before, take a few minutes with this handy guide: A Non-Technical Guide to Setting Up GitHub To Back Up Your Projects in Shakespeare
Shakespeare vs Goose: Git Integration
Shakespeare offers automated Git integration with GitHub and GitLab, making it easy to back up your work even if you don't know what Git is. Goose takes a more hands-off approach--you can use any Git service you want, but you need to set it up yourself.
For non-technical users, Shakespeare's automated Git integration is a huge advantage. For technical users who want to customize their Git setup, Goose offers more flexibility.
Note to Non-Technical Vibe Coders
Setting up GitHub for backups with both Goose and Shakespeare will be confusing to those who are completely unfamiliar. Goose leans toward a more complicated setup with GitHub requiring you enter both an access token and command; while this appears to be a mere few steps, non-technical users may get confused here.
Shakespeare vs Goose: Deployment Options
Shakespeare offers one-click deployment to many platforms like Netlify, Vercel, and others, making it simple to get your project online. Goose gives you complete control over deployment, but you need to handle the technical setup yourself.
Shakespeare Deployment Options
Shakespeare is better suited for beginners who just want to get their projects online quickly. Goose is better for technical users who want to customize every aspect of their deployment process.
Shakespeare vs Goose: Nostr Support
Goose has Nostr support through MCP servers that can help you build on this open protocol. However, it asks technical questions and assumes you understand development concepts. Shakespeare also supports Nostr but makes it much more accessible to non-technical users.
If you want to build on Nostr and are comfortable with technical tools, Goose is powerful. If you want to build on Nostr but need guidance, Shakespeare is more user-friendly. With Shakespeare, you don't have to understand Nostr development terms like NIPs or kinds.
Shakespeare vs Goose: Project Privacy
Both tools offer excellent privacy compared to closed-source platforms. With Goose, your code lives on your computer and is completely private. With Shakespeare, your code lives in your browser, which is also very private--much better than cloud-based, closed-source platforms that can see everything you're building.
Who Should Choose Goose?
Choose Goose if you:
- Are comfortable with technical tools and setup
- Want maximum control over every aspect of your projects
- Don't mind handling configuration and setup yourself
- Value having the most powerful and flexible options
- Are already familiar with development concepts
- Want to run AI completely locally for maximum privacy
Who Should Choose Shakespeare?
Choose Shakespeare if you:
- Want an easy-to-use, guided experience
- Are new to coding or AI-assisted development or have no knowledge of coding at all
- Prefer tools that handle technical setup for you
- Value accessibility and user-friendliness
- Want to get started quickly without technical hurdles
- Still care about privacy and open source principles
The Bottom Line
Goose is a power tool for people who want maximum flexibility and aren't afraid of complexity. Shakespeare represents freedom made accessible--open source principles in a package that anyone can use, regardless of technical skill. Devs will love Goose while Shakespeare democratizes AI for all to use, even those without technical skills.
For most people, Shakespeare is the better choice because it delivers the benefits of open source without requiring technical expertise. Goose is excellent for technical users who want maximum control and don't mind the learning curve.
Both tools respect your freedom and ownership, but Shakespeare makes that freedom accessible to everyone, while Goose reserves it for those with technical skills. Your choice depends on whether you prioritize power or accessibility.
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