Do either of these have a graphical UI?

No. Both are command-line only per the fact sheet, and Aider's sheet explicitly notes there is no inline-edit overlay like an IDE.

Can Claude Code use GPT or Gemini?

Not out of the box. Its fact sheet lists it as locked to Anthropic models with no GPT or Gemini support out of the box.

Do I pay for Aider itself?

No. Aider is free and open source under Apache 2.0; the fact sheet notes your cost depends entirely on the underlying provider's token pricing.

Do either of them push changes to git?

Aider auto-commits every accepted change with a generated message. Claude Code's tagline says it can ship pull requests; whether it auto-commits locally is not specified in the sheet.

Do they run on Windows?

Yes. Both list mac, Windows, and Linux plus cli as supported platforms.

Aider vs Claude Code: How They Actually Differ

Claude Code fits small teams already committed to Anthropic models who want first-class Claude support and native MCP. Aider fits solo developers who want a free, open-source tool that swaps between model providers and ties every change to a git commit.

Compiled 2026-08-22 from our catalogue entries for Aider and Claude Code.

The short answer

Pick Claude Code if: you want first-class support for Claude Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku, native MCP as both client and server, and skills, hooks, and slash commands to encode team workflows.
Pick Aider if: you want a free, Apache 2.0 tool with bring-your-own-key across OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, or local Ollama models, and auto-committed git history on every accepted change.
Cheapest way in: Aider is free; Claude Code is freemium but its starting price is not recorded.
What we could not compare: Claude Code's verified plans and any tier pricing are not on file, and Aider's documentation link is not listed. No direct user counts or benchmarks are provided for either.

Both are terminal-first CLI coding agents that edit files, run commands, and live on mac, Windows, and Linux. They sit on opposite sides of the open-versus-proprietary line: Claude Code is Anthropic's official agent for Claude models, and Aider is an open-source tool under Apache 2.0.

The decision turns on model choice and workflow integration. Claude Code locks you into Anthropic but gives you native MCP support and customizable skills, hooks, and slash commands. Aider lets you bring your own API key across several providers and ties every accepted change to a git commit, with the trade-off that cost is whatever the underlying provider charges.

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	Freemium
Starts at	Free	Not recorded
Public source code	Yes — public repo	No public repo listed
Category	AI Coding Agents	AI Coding Agents
Runs on	mac, win, linux, cli	mac, win, linux, cli
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 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.

Full Aider entry

Where Claude Code is the better fit

First-class support for Anthropic Claude Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku.
MCP server protocol natively supported as both client and server.
Skills, hooks, and slash commands let teams encode workflow primitives.

Full Claude Code entry

Which one should you pick?

A solo founder already paying for an Anthropic API key

Claude Code

First-class Opus, Sonnet, and Haiku support plus native MCP as client and server.

A solo developer who wants to swap between model providers

Aider

Bring-your-own-key covers OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, and local Ollama under Apache 2.0.

A small team that wants every agent change tracked in version control

Aider

Every accepted change is auto-committed to git with a generated message.

A developer wiring up Model Context Protocol servers

Claude Code

MCP is supported as both client and server, and skills, hooks, and slash commands let you encode the workflow.

Frequently asked questions

Do either of these have a graphical UI?: No. Both are command-line only per the fact sheet, and Aider's sheet explicitly notes there is no inline-edit overlay like an IDE.
Can Claude Code use GPT or Gemini?: Not out of the box. Its fact sheet lists it as locked to Anthropic models with no GPT or Gemini support out of the box.
Do I pay for Aider itself?: No. Aider is free and open source under Apache 2.0; the fact sheet notes your cost depends entirely on the underlying provider's token pricing.
Do either of them push changes to git?: Aider auto-commits every accepted change with a generated message. Claude Code's tagline says it can ship pull requests; whether it auto-commits locally is not specified in the sheet.
Do they run on Windows?: Yes. Both list mac, Windows, and Linux plus cli as supported platforms.

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: freemium
Starts at: Not recorded
Platforms: mac, win, linux, cli
Public repo: none listed
Docs: none listed
Verified plans: none on file
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

2026-08-22 — First published, compiled from the catalogue entries for Aider and Claude Code.