Does Aider cost anything?

Aider is free. Cost depends entirely on the token pricing of whichever provider you bring your own key for.

What are Claude Code's paid plans?

Free at $0, Pro at $17/month with annual subscription discount or $20 billed monthly, and Max (5x or 20x) from $100/month.

Which models can Aider use?

OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, and local Ollama models via bring-your-own-key.

Which models can Claude Code use?

Anthropic Claude Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku. GPT and Gemini are not supported out of the box.

Do both tools work in the terminal?

Yes. Both run as CLI tools on mac, Windows, and Linux. Claude Code additionally offers web, VS Code extension, and JetBrains plugin.

Which tool has a GUI?

Neither ships a full GUI. Aider is command-line only. Claude Code is terminal-first with VS Code and JetBrains plugins, but no standalone GUI is listed.

Does either tool commit code automatically?

Aider commits every accepted change to git with a generated commit message. Claude Code ships pull requests, but automatic git commits are not listed as a feature in the sheet.

Aider vs Claude Code: How They Actually Differ

Pick Aider if you want an open, model-agnostic terminal agent with bring-your-own-key across multiple model providers and automatic git commits. Pick Claude Code if you want Anthropic-native depth with MCP, skills, hooks, and IDE plugin availability, and you're okay paying for a Claude plan.

Compiled 2026-08-27 from our catalogue entries for Aider and Claude Code.

The short answer

Pick Aider if: You want a free, Apache-2.0 terminal agent that works with OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, or local Ollama models and commits every accepted change to git with a generated message.
Pick Claude Code if: You want first-class Claude Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku support, native MCP as both client and server, skills, hooks, slash commands, and IDE plugin availability on VS Code and JetBrains.
Cheapest way in: Aider is free to install with no subscription; cost tracks whatever your chosen provider charges for tokens. Claude Code has a free tier at $0, with Pro at $17/month on annual or $20 billed monthly, and Max (5x or 20x) from $100/month.
What we could not compare: Docs are not listed for either product. Claude Code has no public repo on file, and Aider has no verified plans on file. We did not compare token-by-token cost, latency, or model output quality because those are not in the sheet.

Aider and Claude Code are both terminal-first AI coding agents aimed at developers who live in the command line, but they take opposite bets on openness. Aider is free, open-source under Apache 2.0, and model-agnostic through a bring-your-own-key setup, while Claude Code is Anthropic's official paid agent locked to Claude models.

Where Aider leans on git discipline — committing every accepted change with a generated message — Claude Code leans on extensibility, with native MCP support, skills, hooks, slash commands, and plugins for VS Code and JetBrains alongside the CLI and web. The choice comes down to whether you want model flexibility and openness or depth on Claude and a richer extension surface.

Side by side

Every cell is a field on our catalogue entry for that tool, copied as recorded. Rows where the two differ come first; blank fields say so rather than being filled in.

	Aider	Claude Code
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starts at	Free	Free — $0
Runs on	mac, win, linux, cli	web, mac, win, linux, cli, vscode-ext, jetbrains-plugin
Public source code	Yes — public repo	No public repo listed
Category	AI Coding Agents	AI Coding Agents
Public docs	Not listed	Not listed

Public source code: From the repository link on each catalogue entry, not a licence audit.

Where Aider is the better fit

Fully open source under Apache 2.0 with a public repo at github.com/Aider-AI/aider.
Bring-your-own-key across OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, and local Ollama models.
Every accepted change is automatically committed to git with a generated commit message.

Full Aider entry

Where Claude Code is the better fit

First-class support for Anthropic Claude Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku.
MCP server protocol is natively supported as both client and server.
Skills, hooks, and slash commands for encoding workflow primitives, plus VS Code and JetBrains plugins and a web platform on top of mac, Windows, and Linux.

Full Claude Code entry · Claude Code pricing, verified

Which one should you pick?

Solo founder already paying OpenAI or another provider who wants zero new subscriptions

Aider

Free, Apache 2.0, and point it at whichever provider key you already have. Git commits are automatic, so you keep a clean history without extra tooling.

Small team already on Claude who wants MCP, custom skills, and IDE plugin support

Claude Code

First-class Claude model support, native MCP client and server, and skills, hooks, and slash commands let the team encode its own workflows. VS Code and JetBrains plugins cover the IDE side.

Developer who wants to run models locally and avoid vendor lock-in

Aider

Bring-your-own-key includes local Ollama models, and Apache 2.0 means no lock-in. The trade-off is that cost tracks whatever provider's token pricing applies.

Team that wants Anthropic-native depth and is okay with a paid plan

Claude Code

Built around Claude Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku, with MCP, skills, hooks, slash commands, and IDE plugins. The trade-off is being locked to Anthropic models with no GPT or Gemini support out of the box.

Frequently asked questions

Does Aider cost anything?: Aider is free. Cost depends entirely on the token pricing of whichever provider you bring your own key for.
What are Claude Code's paid plans?: Free at $0, Pro at $17/month with annual subscription discount or $20 billed monthly, and Max (5x or 20x) from $100/month.
Which models can Aider use?: OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, and local Ollama models via bring-your-own-key.
Which models can Claude Code use?: Anthropic Claude Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku. GPT and Gemini are not supported out of the box.
Do both tools work in the terminal?: Yes. Both run as CLI tools on mac, Windows, and Linux. Claude Code additionally offers web, VS Code extension, and JetBrains plugin.
Which tool has a GUI?: Neither ships a full GUI. Aider is command-line only. Claude Code is terminal-first with VS Code and JetBrains plugins, but no standalone GUI is listed.
Does either tool commit code automatically?: Aider commits every accepted change to git with a generated commit message. Claude Code ships pull requests, but automatic git commits are not listed as a feature in the sheet.

What we compared

This page states nothing that is not in the two catalogue entries below. The exact text used to write it is reproduced here so you can check our reading, and both tools link through to their own pages and to the vendor.

/tools/aider — checked 2026-05-25 · official site
/tools/claude-code — checked 2026-05-25 · official site

Show the source text

## Aider (/tools/aider)
Tagline: Open-source CLI coding agent that pair-programs in your terminal and commits to git automatically.
Category: AI Coding Agents
Pricing model: free
Starts at: Free
Platforms: mac, win, linux, cli
Public repo: https://github.com/Aider-AI/aider
Docs: none listed
Verified plans: none on file
Strengths on file: Fully open source under Apache 2.0; no vendor lock-in.; Bring-your-own-key for OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, and local Ollama models.; Every accepted change is committed to git with a generated message.
Limits on file: No GUI — command-line only; no inline-edit overlay like Cursor.; Cost depends entirely on the underlying provider's token pricing.
Aider is an open-source CLI coding agent that pair-programs in your terminal and commits each change to git automatically.
Its edge is openness and git discipline: Apache-2.0 with no lock-in, bring-your-own-key across OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, and local Ollama models, and every accepted change landing as a git commit with a generated message.
It fits developers who live in the terminal and want a model-agnostic agent tied to version control. The trade-offs: there's no GUI or inline-edit overlay like Cursor's — it's command-line only — and cost tracks whatever provider's token pricing you bring.
It's the open, BYOK terminal agent next to Anthropic's Claude Code and IDE-native Cursor.

## Claude Code (/tools/claude-code)
Tagline: Anthropic's official CLI agent for Claude — runs in the terminal, edits files, executes commands, and ships PRs.
Category: AI Coding Agents
Pricing model: paid
Starts at: Free — $0
Platforms: web, mac, win, linux, cli, vscode-ext, jetbrains-plugin
Public repo: none listed
Docs: none listed
Verified plans (read 2026-08-24): Free $0 | Pro $17 / month with annual subscription discount, or $20 if billed monthly | Max (5x or 20x) From $100 / month
Strengths on file: First-class support for Anthropic Claude Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku.; MCP server protocol is natively supported as both client and server.; Skills, hooks, and slash commands let teams encode workflow primitives.
Limits on file: Locked to Anthropic models — no GPT or Gemini support out of the box.; Terminal-first UX has a learning curve for developers expecting an IDE.
Claude Code is Anthropic's official command-line agent for Claude — it runs in the terminal, edits files, executes commands, and ships pull requests.
Its strength is depth on Claude and extensibility: first-class support for Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku, native MCP as both client and server, and skills, hooks, and slash commands that let teams encode their own workflow primitives.
It's for developers comfortable in the terminal who want an agent that acts, not just autocompletes. Two trade-offs: it's locked to Anthropic models — no GPT or Gemini out of the box — and the terminal-first UX has a learning curve if you're expecting an IDE.
In the stack it's the terminal-first agent next to IDE-native Cursor and the open, model-agnostic Aider.

Change log

2026-08-27 — First published, compiled from the catalogue entries for Aider and Claude Code.