# What is Aider? Facts, license and pricing (Oct 2026)

Canonical: https://theagenticweekly.com/what-is/aider · Last verified: 2026-10-25 · Published: 2026-10-25 · Author: Agentic Weekly (operated independently from Texas, US) · Evidence: Evidence: Reported. Everything here was read from Aider's own pages and the public GitHub API on 2026-10-25 (America/Chicago). We have not run Aider for this page, so it says nothing about quality or speed.

> Aider is open-source AI pair programming in your terminal that maps your codebase and connects to almost any LLM, including local models. License: Apache-2.0. Its GitHub repository (Aider-AI/aider) had 49,752 stars on Oct 25, 2026. Facts were read from official pages on Oct 25, 2026 and are Reported, not Tested.

## What Aider is

Aider's site says it lets you pair program with LLMs from the terminal, builds a map of your entire codebase to help on larger projects, and can connect to almost any LLM including local models. The GitHub repository lists the Apache-2.0 license. The newest release tag we saw is v0.86.3.dev (Feb 12, 2026).

We list Aider under AI coding agents.

## Aider key facts

Table: Aider facts (vendor pages and GitHub, 2026-10-25)

|  | Aider |
|---|---|
| Vendor | Aider-AI (open-source project) |
| License | Apache-2.0 |
| Platforms | Terminal (command-line tool); supports most popular programming languages per the site |
| Pricing model | Free and open source |
| Free tier | Free software; you pay your LLM provider |
| GitHub | Aider-AI/aider: 49,752 stars, last push May 22, 2026 (GitHub API, Oct 25, 2026) |
| Latest release we saw | latest on Feb 12, 2026 |
| Evidence | Reported from vendor pages |

## Who Aider is for

- Good for: Developers who live in the terminal and want git-friendly AI edits.
- Good for: People who want to pick their own model or run local models.
- Skip if: You want a GUI editor with an integrated agent.
- Skip if: You want a vendor-supported product with an SLA.

## How to start with Aider

1. Follow the install instructions on aider.chat and connect an API key for your chosen model.

## Aider alternatives

- goose: Open-source, extensible AI agent that installs, runs, edits and tests code with the LLM of your choice.
- opencode: Open-source terminal coding agent with a TUI, a desktop app and many model providers.
- Cline: Open-source coding agent as an IDE extension, a CLI and an SDK.
- Claude Code: Anthropic's agentic coding tool for your terminal, IDE and GitHub.

## What we did not verify

- Current maintenance pace.
- Quality with current frontier models (not tested).
- Output quality, speed and reliability of Aider: we have not run it for this page.

## FAQ

### What is Aider?

Aider's site says it lets you pair program with LLMs from the terminal, builds a map of your entire codebase to help on larger projects, and can connect to almost any LLM including local models. The GitHub repository lists the Apache-2.0 license. The newest release tag we saw is v0.86.3.dev (Feb 12, 2026).

### What license is Aider under?

Apache-2.0. Read from the project's own pages on Oct 25, 2026.

### Is Aider free?

Free software; you pay your LLM provider. Checked Oct 25, 2026; prices change, so confirm on the vendor's page.

## Sources

- [Aider](https://aider.chat/) (fetched 2026-10-25)
- [Aider repository (GitHub)](https://github.com/Aider-AI/aider) (fetched 2026-10-25)
- [Aider releases](https://github.com/Aider-AI/aider/releases) (fetched 2026-10-25)

## Related

- [Aider facts and sources](https://theagenticweekly.com/tools/aider)
- [Alternatives to Aider](https://theagenticweekly.com/alternatives/aider)
- [AI coding agents: all tools we track](https://theagenticweekly.com/best/ai-coding-agents)
- [Aider vs Cline](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/aider-vs-cline)
- [Aider vs goose](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/aider-vs-goose)
- [Aider vs Kilo Code](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/aider-vs-kilo-code)
- [Aider vs opencode](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/aider-vs-opencode)
- [Aider vs OpenHands](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/aider-vs-openhands)
- [Claude Code vs Aider](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/claude-code-vs-aider)
- [Codex CLI vs Aider](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/codex-cli-vs-aider)
- [Cursor vs Aider](https://theagenticweekly.com/compare/cursor-vs-aider)

## Changelog

- 2026-10-25: First published from official pages read on 2026-10-25.

## How to cite

Agentic Weekly, "What is Aider? Facts, license and pricing (Oct 2026)", last updated 2026-10-25, https://theagenticweekly.com/what-is/aider