Aider
Aider
Terminal pair programming that commits as it goes, with any model you like.
Updated
The read
Aider is the minimal, durable version of this idea: a terminal program that edits your files, runs your tests and commits each step so you can always walk it back. It works with whatever model you point it at, which is why it has stayed useful across several years of churn underneath. There is no interface and no onboarding; it assumes fluency and a terminal you already live in. For an existing codebase in experienced hands, that is a feature rather than a gap.
Where it shines
- Commits each step, so every change is reviewable and reversible
- Model-agnostic, which is why it has outlasted several rivals
- Very wide language coverage
Worth knowing first
- Terminal only, with no graphical entry point at all
- Assumes real fluency with version control from the start
Index score
81.4
Provisional. This score is read from the product's public capability, not from the one-prompt rebuild the fully reviewed entries went through, so treat it as a placing rather than a verdict.
- Rank
- 05 of 54
- Builds
- Tools
- Category
- Coding agent
- Output
- Multi-file edits with one commit per step
- Pricing
- Free tier
- Best for
- Experienced hands on an existing codebase
Scores are our own editorial judgement, weighted craft 30, speed 25, control 25 and value 20.
Compare it with
Also worth a look
Full index- 01Claude CodeClaude CodeProvisionalA terminal agent for the problems that span a dozen files at once.Coding agentPaid only81.8
- 04ClineClineProvisionalAn open-source agent in your editor where you pay only for the model.Coding agentFree tier81.5
- 10OpenHandsOpenHandsProvisionalOpen-source agent infrastructure you can host and govern yourself.Coding agentFree tier79.1
