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Coding agent (CLI) · Aider-AI

Aider

Terminal pair-programming tool that edits files in your git repo through an LLM, auto-commits each change, builds a repo map, and runs your linters and tests. Scriptable with --message.

Reviewed by the Termdex team · facts checked 2026-10-28 against 8 vendor sources · how we check

Official site

Aider review

Aider is a terminal coding agent that edits files in your git repository through an LLM and commits each change. It is free and open source under Apache-2.0, and it runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. We read the vendor's pages and repository in October 2026. We did not run an independent test.

Who it is for

Developers who want a git-centred CLI coding agent that works with almost any model. It also suits people who want to call an agent from shell scripts. It is a single-agent chat loop, not an orchestrator.

What stands out

Aider works inside your repo and turns every edit into a git commit. That makes changes easy to diff and undo. It builds a repo map so the model sees the wider codebase in larger projects. It can also run your linters and tests.

Aider connects to most hosted models, including Claude, GPT, Gemini and DeepSeek, with your own API key. Local models work through Ollama or any OpenAI-compatible server. Its docs name Claude 3.7 Sonnet, DeepSeek R1 and V3, o3 and GPT-4.1 as the best performers.

For scripts, the `--message` flag runs one instruction without interaction, and there is a Python API. Install is `python -m pip install aider-install && aider-install`, or a one-line shell or PowerShell installer. The installer fetches Python 3.12 if you lack it. Voice input needs PortAudio on macOS and Linux.

Price and licence

Aider is free. We saw no paid plan on 28 October 2026. The licence is Apache License 2.0, so it is open source in the usual sense. You pay your model provider per token. You can also use free-tier providers such as OpenRouter's free models, or run local models at no per-token cost.

Where it falls short

Alternatives

For agents that add MCP, subagents or sandboxing, see terminal coding agents. Open-source options in the same space include OpenCode and Goose.

Facts: platforms, price and licence

platforms
macOSWindowsLinuxPython tool installed with aider-install or one-line uv-based installers (curl/sh for macOS and Linux, PowerShell for Windows); installs its own Python 3.12 if needed. Voice input needs PortAudio on macOS/Linux.
price
FreeAider is free (Apache-2.0, no paid plan seen, seen 2026-10-28). You pay your model provider per token, or use free-tier providers such as OpenRouter free models, or run local models via Ollama or any OpenAI-compatible server.
source
Open sourceLicence: Apache-2.0
github
Aider-AI/aider 49.8k stars, seen 2026-10-28

Aider features

✓ documented · – absent or not in its feature list · ? not verified

Aider strengths

  • Every edit becomes a git commit, so changes are easy to diff and undo.
  • Repo map gives the model whole-codebase context in larger projects.
  • `--message` mode and a Python API allow scripted, non-interactive runs.
  • Works with almost any LLM, including local models through Ollama or OpenAI-compatible servers.

Aider weak points

  • Release cadence has slowed: last GitHub release v0.86.0 is from Aug 2025 and the last commit on main is from May 2026 (about five months before this check).
  • No MCP client or subagent system found in the docs or repo; it is a single-agent chat loop.
  • No sandbox or approval layer is documented for running commands.
  • Default model guidance in the README still names older models (Claude 3.7 Sonnet, o3-mini).

Who Aider is for

best for
Developers who want a git-centred, model-agnostic terminal pair programmer they can also call from shell scripts.
look elsewhere if
Teams that need MCP tools, parallel subagents or a sandboxed autonomous agent.

Compare Aider

Lists that include Aider

Sources and what we could not verify

Checked 2026-10-28. Prices and features change; the vendor's page is the authority.

Not verified