AI coding & IDEs · B tier

Aider, B tier

79/100

Terminal-first developers who want commits, not a new IDE.

Open-source terminal pair programmer that edits a git repo and proposes commits with your model.

Best for

Terminal-first developers who want commits, not a new IDE.

What it is

Aider is an open-source terminal pair programmer. You point it at a git repository and a model, and it proposes file edits and commits. The tool is free; you pay whatever model API you connect.

open-sourceterminalgitAI coding & IDEs

Score breakdown

Capability 40%80
Ease 25%66
Value 20%96
Momentum 15%72

Weights: capability 40, ease 25, value 20, momentum 15. Momentum is the editor’s judgment. How the score works.

Pricing

Free

Starting price: $0

The CLI is open source and free. Model usage is billed by the provider you choose.

Dates

Released 2023 (year precision).

Added to StackPick 14 Oct 2026.

Alternatives

A tier · 82

Cline

People who want an IDE agent without a subscription to the agent itself.

B tier · 79

Continue

Editors who want open-source chat and autocomplete with their own keys.

A tier · 88

Claude Code

People who already like Claude and want an agent in the terminal or IDE.

Questions

What is Aider best for?

Terminal-first developers who want commits, not a new IDE.

How much does Aider cost?

Free. Starting price: $0. The CLI is open source and free. Model usage is billed by the provider you choose.

What are alternatives to Aider?

Cline, Continue, Claude Code are the alternatives we file next to it. Open a comparison when one exists.