Aider vs Greptile: How They Actually Differ
Aider fits solo developers who live in the terminal and want a free, open-source coding agent that writes code and commits to git. Greptile fits small teams that want paid AI code review posting comments on GitHub or GitLab pull requests.
Compiled 2026-08-31 from our catalogue entries for Aider and Greptile.
The short answer
- Pick Aider if
- You want a free, open-source, terminal-first coding agent with bring-your-own-key model choice and automatic git commits for every accepted change.
- Pick Greptile if
- You want a paid AI reviewer that reads the entire repository, reasons about cross-file context, and posts comments directly on PRs in GitHub or GitLab.
- Cheapest way in
- Aider is Free with no recorded plans. Greptile lists a Starter Free plan, Pro at $30/seat/month, and Enterprise at custom pricing, though its limits note states access requires a paid plan.
- What we could not compare
- Documentation is listed as 'none listed' for both. Specific feature behavior beyond what is recorded, and any deeper plan limits, are not on file.
Aider and Greptile both sit in the AI Coding Agents category, but they solve different problems. Aider is a terminal coding agent that writes and edits code alongside you. Greptile is a code reviewer that comments on pull requests after the code is written.
The core split is write-time help versus review-time help. Aider works through the command line on mac, Windows, or Linux and commits every accepted change to git. Greptile runs as a web tool that reads the whole repository and posts comments on PRs in your connected Git host.
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 | Greptile | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free | Paid |
| Starts at | Free | Pro — $30 /seat/month |
| Runs on | mac, win, linux, cli | web, cli |
| 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, so there is no vendor lock-in.
- Bring-your-own-key across OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, and local Ollama models.
- Every accepted change is committed to git with a generated message.
Where Greptile is the better fit
- Analyzes the entire repository context rather than only the changed lines in a pull request.
- Posts review comments directly on pull requests in the connected Git host.
- Integrates with GitHub and GitLab to ingest and review code, using LLMs to reason about cross-file relationships and project conventions.
Which one should you pick?
It is free, open source, and model-agnostic, and ties every change to a git commit. You bring the API key, so your only cost is the underlying provider's tokens.
It reads the whole repo and posts comments directly on pull requests, surfacing cross-file issues a line-by-line diff check would miss.
Frequently asked questions
- Does either tool have a GUI?
- Aider is command-line only with no inline-edit overlay. Greptile is a web platform; the fact sheet does not list an IDE plugin.
- Can I use Aider with local models?
- Yes. Aider supports bring-your-own-key for local Ollama models alongside OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, and DeepSeek.
- Does Greptile work outside GitHub or GitLab?
- The fact sheet lists only GitHub and GitLab as supported Git hosts.
- Is there a free way to try Greptile?
- Verified plans list a Starter Free plan, alongside Pro at $30/seat/month and Enterprise at custom pricing, though the limits note states access requires a paid plan.
- How is Aider different from an IDE assistant like Cursor?
- Per the fact sheet, Aider has no GUI or inline-edit overlay like Cursor's; it is command-line only and pairs with your existing terminal workflow.
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/greptile — checked 2026-06-13 · 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. ## Greptile (/tools/greptile) Tagline: AI-powered code review that comments on PRs by understanding the entire codebase, not just the diff. Category: AI Coding Agents Pricing model: paid Starts at: Pro — $30 /seat/month Platforms: web, cli Public repo: none listed Docs: none listed Verified plans (read 2026-08-21): Starter Free | Pro $30 /seat/month | Enterprise Custom pricing Strengths on file: Analyzes the entire repository context rather than only the changed lines in a pull request.; Posts review comments directly on pull requests in the connected Git host.; Integrates with GitHub (and GitLab) repositories to ingest and review code.; Uses large language models to reason about cross-file relationships and project conventions during review. Limits on file: No free tier is offered; access requires a paid plan.; Code must be hosted on a supported Git provider, creating dependency on that integration. Greptile is an AI code reviewer that comments on pull requests by reading the whole codebase, not just the diff. Its edge is whole-repo context: it analyzes the entire repository rather than only the changed lines, reasoning about cross-file relationships and project conventions, and posts its comments straight onto PRs in your Git host (GitHub and GitLab). It's for teams that want reviews aware of the broader codebase, not line-by-line diff checks. Caveats: there's no free tier — it's paid only — review runs only through the web platform with no IDE plugin or CLI, and your code has to live on a supported Git provider. It's a PR-review tool like CodeRabbit, distinct from the in-editor assistants.
Change log
- 2026-08-31 — First published, compiled from the catalogue entries for Aider and Greptile.