Best free AI coding agents: free tiers compared
What you can use without paying a subscription, per official sources checked 2026-10-12. We do not rank them; limits differ in kind (request caps, daily quotas, or free software where you pay for model usage). Read the exact terms below.
Last checked {e(lc)}.
Free tool or free plan available
| Tool | Free tier (as listed) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI Codex CLI | Yes. Free plan: GPT-6 Luna at Standard speed in the desktop app, subject to rollout. Plus lists Codex in the CLI; the CLI is also usable with an API key. A fixed Free-plan message limit is not published. | developers.openai.com/codex/pricing |
| GitHub Copilot (agent mode / cloud agent) | Yes: limited chat and agent usage; FAQ states 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests. Free supports CLI and agent mode. | github.com/features/copilot/plans |
| Gemini CLI | Yes: 60 requests/min and 1,000 requests/day with a personal Google account (README). | github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli |
| Aider | The tool is free; model costs depend on your provider. Local models also supported. | aider.chat |
| Cline | The extension and CLI are free; no subscription or seat fee. Inference is paid per use. | cline.bot/pricing |
| Windsurf (now Devin Desktop) | Yes: light quota to code with agents, limited model availability, unlimited inline edits and Tab completions. Quotas refresh daily and weekly. | devin.ai/pricing |
No free tier, or not verified
| Tool | Free tier (as listed) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | No. The Free Claude plan does not include Claude Code (pricing table: Claude Code – Free: No). | claude.com/pricing |
| Cursor | Unknown (cursor.com/pricing lists a Free plan with limited agent/chat requests; the docs pricing page lists no free plan). | cursor.com/pricing |
| Grok Build (official Grok CLI) | Unknown (no official free-tier statement found on x.ai/cli or the Grok Build docs). | x.ai/cli |
| GnamiSI | Unknown (no free tier stated on the fetched pages; IDE extensions require an active subscription). | gnamiai.com |
More comparisons
- Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex CLI
- Claude Code vs Cursor
- Cursor vs GitHub Copilot (agent mode / cloud agent)
- Cursor vs Windsurf (now Devin Desktop)
- OpenAI Codex CLI vs Gemini CLI
- Claude Code vs Gemini CLI
- Aider vs Cline
- Cline vs Cursor
- GitHub Copilot (agent mode / cloud agent) vs Claude Code
- Grok Build (official Grok CLI) vs Claude Code
- GnamiSI vs Cursor
- Windsurf (now Devin Desktop) vs Claude Code
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