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WhichAgent

Aider

Coding agent by Aider AI (Paul Gauthier)

MaintenanceOpen source · Apache-2.0Verified Oct 22, 2026

Open-source terminal pair-programming tool that edits files in your local git repo, commits its changes automatically, and works with most LLM providers.

Key facts

Type
Coding agent · CLI
Pricing
Free tool; you pay for API usage
Free tier
Free and open source. You pay only your model provider's API costs, or nothing when using local models or free API tiers.
License
Apache-2.0
Models
Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Most other LLMs via OpenAI-compatible APIs and OpenRouter, Local models via Ollama or OpenAI-compatible local servers
Platforms
macOS, Linux, Windows
Bring your own API key
Yes
Local models
Yes
MCP support
No
Self-hostable
No
GitHub stars
49,684
Last commit
May 22, 2026

Best for

  • Terminal users who want git-native AI edits with automatic commits
  • Developers who want a BYO-key or local-model tool with no subscription
  • Benchmark-minded users who follow Aider's LLM leaderboards

Pros

  • Apache-2.0 licensed, with no vendor account or subscription
  • Tight git integration: changes are committed with descriptive messages
  • Repository map gives the model codebase-wide context
  • Works with most hosted LLMs and with local models

Cons

  • Development has stalled: no feature release since August 2025 and no commits since May 2026
  • No native MCP support (only open feature requests)
  • No official IDE plugin; editor use relies on the --watch-files comment workflow
  • The latest PyPI release requires Python <3.13 (the official installer provisions Python 3.12)
Sources (9)