Aider
Open-source AI pair programmer that lives in your terminal, edits your code, and auto-commits to git
Open Source
About Aider
Aider is a free, open-source command-line tool that turns any LLM into a git-aware pair programmer. You chat in plain English, it edits files directly in your repo and auto-commits each change with a sensible message. It builds a map of your whole codebase so it works in large projects, and it's model-agnostic: bring your own key for Claude, GPT, DeepSeek, Gemini, or run a local model. It suits developers who live in the terminal and want full git control over AI edits.
Key Features
- Runs entirely in the terminal as a CLI pair programmer
- Automatically commits each change to git with a descriptive message
- Repository map gives the model context across your whole codebase
- Model-agnostic: works with Claude, GPT, DeepSeek, Gemini and local models
- Auto-fix loop runs your linters and tests, then fixes and re-runs
- In-chat commands plus voice-to-code, image and web-page context
Pros & Cons
What we like
- Apache 2.0 licensed and completely free to run yourself
- Clean git history means every AI edit is easy to diff and undo
- Not locked to one provider, so you control model choice and cost
- Reportedly uses far fewer tokens than some IDE-based agents
Room for improvement
- Terminal-only with no graphical interface or IDE panel
- Requires bringing your own API key, so model usage costs add up
- Steeper learning curve than a one-click editor extension
- Quality depends heavily on which LLM you point it at
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Aider?
Aider is an open source AI pair programming tool that runs in your terminal rather than an editor. You point it at files, describe a change in plain language, and it edits your code across multiple files and automatically commits each change to git with a sensible message so every edit is tracked.
Is Aider free?
Aider is fully free and open source with no paid tiers. Your only cost is the underlying model API. You bring your own key from Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, or a local model and pay per token. A full day of heavy coding typically runs a few dollars to a few tens of dollars in API spend, as of 2026.
What is Aider best for?
Aider is best for developers comfortable in the terminal who want tight git integration and surgical, multi file edits on real codebases. It excels at refactoring, applying changes across many files at once, and keeping a clean commit history so you can diff and undo AI changes with familiar git tools.
What models does Aider work with?
Aider connects to almost any large language model, including Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, and local models run through Ollama or similar. It consistently ranks among the top performers on its own code editing benchmark, and you can swap models freely since you supply your own API key.
Best For
Building features on an existing codebase from the command lineRefactoring across many files with git-tracked, reversible editsPairing with local or open models for private, offline codingAutomating lint-and-test fix loops inside an existing git workflow
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