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Aider

An open-source terminal pair-programmer that edits your code and commits to git.

Hand-reviewed by the Toolglade team·Updated Aug 2026
coding#write-code
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Free plan Self-hosted Offline mode
Toolglade’s take

A developer favorite that's free and open-source — you bring your own model API key, and it edits real files and commits to git.

Aider screenshot

About Aider

Aider is a free, open-source command-line AI coding tool that pairs with you in the terminal, editing files across your project and automatically committing changes to git. You supply your own model API key.

Aider is an open-source AI pair-programming tool that runs in your terminal. You point it at your repo, describe what you want, and it edits the relevant files, runs commands, and commits changes to git with sensible messages — keeping a clean history you can review or roll back. It's model-agnostic: you bring your own API key (Claude, GPT, DeepSeek, local models, etc.), so cost is just whatever you pay the model provider. Popular with developers who like a lightweight, transparent, terminal-first workflow, Aider is free software with no subscription of its own.

TL;DR

Aider is a free, open-source command-line tool for AI pair programming created by Paul Gauthier. It edits code directly in a local Git repository based on natural-language instructions and automatically commits changes with descriptive messages. Aider works with a wide range of large language models via API, including Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, and local models through Ollama. It is one of the most popular open-source AI coding tools, with tens of thousands of GitHub stars.

Company overview

Aider is an open-source project created and maintained by Paul Gauthier, distributed under the Apache 2.0 license. It is a community-driven tool rather than a commercial company product, and it runs locally in the user's terminal.

The project focuses on a pair-programming workflow in which the tool proposes and applies edits step by step while the developer reviews changes. It has grown into one of the most widely used open-source AI coding assistants.

Product features

Aider builds a map of the repository, sends relevant files as context to a chosen LLM, applies edits as diffs to local files, and commits each successful change to Git with a generated message. Users describe desired changes in natural language, and Aider works across multiple files while keeping the developer in the review loop.

It supports a broad set of models via API, including OpenAI GPT-4o and o1, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, and Mistral, as well as local models through Ollama or LM Studio. Because it is a local CLI, users supply their own model API keys and pay model providers directly.

Target market

Aider targets individual developers, open-source contributors, and technical teams who prefer a terminal-based, Git-native workflow and want flexibility to use their own choice of LLM without vendor lock-in.

Buyer personas

End users

Individual software developers and open-source contributors working in the terminal and Git.

Buyers

Typically the individual developer, since the tool is free; small teams may standardize on it informally.

Key influencers

Open-source community members, developer advocates, and technical bloggers.

Ideal customer profile

Developers who want a free, model-agnostic, Git-native AI pair programmer that runs locally in the terminal.

Funding & performance

Aider is a free and open-source project created by Paul Gauthier and released under the Apache 2.0 license. It is community and OSS driven with no major venture funding. There is no subscription for the software itself; users pay their chosen LLM providers directly for API usage.

Pros & cons

Pros

  • Free and open-source — no subscription
  • Bring your own model; use any provider or local models
  • Git-integrated edits keep a clean, reviewable history

Cons

  • Terminal-only; no polished GUI
  • You pay separately for model API usage
  • Requires comfort with command-line workflows

Pricing plans

Open Source
$0 / month
  • Free and open-source under Apache 2.0
  • Runs locally as a terminal CLI
  • Bring your own LLM API keys
  • Automatic Git commits of edits
  • Repository mapping for context
  • Works with local models via Ollama

Key features

Self-hosted
Offline mode
Multi-language
Integrations
Git, OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, Ollama, LM Studio
Input types
text, code
Output types
code, text
Best For
Terminal-based AI pair programming, Git-native code editing, Model-agnostic coding workflows

Compare key features

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Feature
Aider
GitHub Copilot
Replit AI
Pricing
Free
Freemium
Freemium
Free plan
Yes
Yes
Yes
Free trial
No
No
No
Self-hosted
Yes
No
No
Team support
No
Yes
Yes

Frequently asked questions

Is Aider free?+

Yes — Aider itself is free and open-source; you only pay for the AI model API you connect.

What is Aider?+

A terminal-based AI pair programmer that edits your code and commits changes to git.

Which models does Aider support?+

Most major models via API — including Claude, GPT, and DeepSeek — plus local models.

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