Aider vs Devin: How They Actually Differ
Aider fits solo developers and small teams who want a free, open-source terminal agent with bring-your-own-key model choice and automatic git commits. Devin fits teams willing to pay premium pay-per-ACU rates to hand off whole tasks to a managed cloud sandbox.
Compiled 2026-09-01 from our catalogue entries for Aider and Devin.
The short answer
- Pick Aider if
- You want a free, Apache-2.0 CLI tool, you already use git, and you want to bring your own key across OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, or a local Ollama model.
- Pick Devin if
- You want a fully managed cloud sandbox, you need long-horizon tasks (research, plan, code, test, PR) handled in one run, and non-engineers on your team need to file work through Slack or Linear.
- Cheapest way in
- Aider: free to install, with cost depending entirely on the underlying provider's token pricing. Devin's starting price is not recorded; the sheet only notes it is the highest-cost option in the category, billed pay-per-ACU.
- What we could not compare
- Devin's exact plans and pricing tiers (not recorded), official docs for either product (none listed), and any head-to-head feature beyond what the fact sheets state.
Aider is an open-source CLI coding agent that pair-programs in your terminal and commits each accepted change to git with a generated message. It is free, runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux, and lets you bring your own key for OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, or a local Ollama model. There is no GUI and no inline-edit overlay — it is command-line only.
Devin is Cognition's autonomous software engineer, a closed-source, entirely cloud-hosted agent that runs tasks in a managed sandbox with its own browser, terminal, and editor. It handles long-horizon work — research, planning, code, testing, and a pull request — in a single run, and integrates with Slack and Linear so non-engineers can file work. The fact sheet flags it as the highest-cost option in the category, billed pay-per-ACU, and explicitly unsuitable for air-gapped work.
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 | Devin | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free | Paid |
| Starts at | Free | Not recorded |
| Runs on | mac, win, linux, cli | web |
| 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 no vendor lock-in.
- Bring-your-own-key across OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, and local Ollama models.
- Every accepted change is auto-committed to git with a generated message.
Where Devin is the better fit
- Fully managed cloud environment — no local setup required.
- Long-horizon tasks: research, planning, code, test, and PR handled in a single run.
- Slack and Linear integrations let non-engineers file tasks.
Which one should you pick?
It is free, open source, BYOK, and ties every change to a git commit — no sandbox or vendor account required.
Slack and Linear intake plus a managed cloud sandbox lets tasks go from ticket to PR without driving an editor locally.
Free to install; cost tracks whatever provider's token pricing you bring, which the fact sheet implies is lower than Devin's pay-per-ACU model.
Frequently asked questions
- Does either product have a desktop GUI?
- Aider is command-line only with no inline-edit overlay. Devin is web-based and runs in a managed cloud sandbox; there is no local app on the sheet.
- Can Devin be used offline or on an air-gapped network?
- No. The fact sheet states Devin is closed source and entirely cloud-hosted, and is not suitable for air-gapped work.
- Will Aider cost me nothing to run?
- Aider itself is free, but the fact sheet notes that cost depends entirely on the underlying provider's token pricing — you still need an API key or local model.
- Are there official docs for either tool?
- None are listed on file for Aider or Devin. Aider does have a public repository at github.com/Aider-AI/aider; Devin lists no public repo.
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/devin — checked 2026-08-21 · 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. ## Devin (/tools/devin) Tagline: Cognition's autonomous software engineer — runs tasks in a managed cloud sandbox with browser, terminal, and editor. Category: AI Coding Agents Pricing model: paid Starts at: Not recorded Platforms: web Public repo: none listed Docs: none listed Verified plans: none on file Strengths on file: Fully managed cloud environment — no local setup required.; Long-horizon tasks: research, planning, code, test, and PR in a single run.; Slack and Linear integrations let non-engineers file tasks. Limits on file: Highest-cost option in the category — pay-per-ACU pricing.; Closed source and entirely cloud-hosted; not suitable for air-gapped work. Devin is Cognition's autonomous software engineer — it runs tasks in a managed cloud sandbox with its own browser, terminal, and editor. Its pitch is autonomy at length: a fully managed cloud environment with no local setup that takes long-horizon tasks — research, planning, code, test, and PR — in a single run, with Slack and Linear integrations so non-engineers can file work. It suits teams that want to hand off whole tasks rather than drive an editor. The trade-offs are real: it's the highest-cost option in the category, priced pay-per-ACU, and it's closed source and entirely cloud-hosted — not an option for air-gapped work. It's the managed, hands-off end of the spectrum, where OpenHands offers a self-hostable open alternative.
Change log
- 2026-09-01 — First published, compiled from the catalogue entries for Aider and Devin.