Compare
Aider vs Claude Code
Both work from the terminal. Aider is free, open source and works with cloud or local models; Claude Code is Anthropic's polished agent, on a paid Claude plan.
At a glance
| Fact | Aider | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Paul Gauthier (open source) | Anthropic |
| What it is | Open-source AI pair programming in your terminal. | Anthropic's agentic coding tool for the terminal and IDE. |
| Price | Free and open source; you pay for model usage | Paid from $17/month |
| Runs on | CLI | macOS, Windows, Linux, Web, CLI, Slack, iOS, Android |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Models | Claude 3.7 Sonnet, DeepSeek R1, DeepSeek Chat V3, OpenAI o1 | Opus, Sonnet, Haiku |
| Last verified | October 14, 2026 | October 14, 2026 |
| Official site | aider.chat | claude.com/product/claude-code |
Where they differ
- Price: Aider is free (you pay for model usage); Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan from $17/month.
- Models: Aider works with many cloud and local models; Claude Code runs Anthropic's.
- Extras: Aider maps your codebase and commits to Git; Claude Code adds IDE extensions and GitHub, GitLab and Slack integration.
Which to pick
Choose Aider if you want open source and your own choice of model.
Choose Claude Code if you want Anthropic's agent with IDE and GitHub tools built in.
Keep looking
- Aider listing
- Claude Code listing
- Aider alternatives
- Claude Code alternatives
- Claude Code vs Claude Cowork
- Claude Code vs Cline
- Claude Code vs Codex
- Claude Code vs Cursor
Facts from each maker's official pages, last verified October 14, 2026. How we verify.