What is Aider?
Aider is a code & dev tool and completely free. AI pair programming in your terminal — edits real repos with git. We rate it 8.7/10 after hands-on testing. Because it is open source (Apache-2.0), you can run it yourself and keep full control of your data.
Aider at a glance
| Category | Code & Dev |
|---|---|
| Pricing | Free |
| Free version | ✓ Yes |
| Open source | ✓ Apache-2.0 |
| GitHub stars | ★ 28k |
| Our score | 8.7/10 |
| Partner deal | — |
Why we rate Aider
- Has a genuinely free version — no credit card to start.
- Open source (Apache-2.0) — self-hostable and yours to modify.
- Backed by a large community — 28k GitHub stars.
Aider FAQ
Is Aider free?
Yes. Aider is completely free to use.
Is Aider open source?
Yes — Aider is open source under the Apache-2.0 license and can be self-hosted.
What are the best Aider alternatives?
We track 15 other code & dev tools you can compare with Aider in the directory.
How do we rate Aider?
We score Aider 8.7 out of 10 after hands-on testing, weighing the free tier, output quality, ease of use and value. Scores are decided before any partnership and never bought.