Best free AI coding agents (2026)
AI coding agents you can use without a paid subscription, ranked by our evidence-based score. Some are free open-source tools where you bring your own model key (or use free models), others are paid products with a usable free plan. Gemini CLI is missing on purpose: its free sign-in stopped being served on June 18, 2026, and Google now points free users to Antigravity CLI.
Editorial picks for this use case. See each tool page for its score breakdown. Last updated 2026-10-25.
#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11
O
OpenCode open source
Open-source AI coding agent for the terminal, desktop and IDE
Verified
87
/ 100
O
OpenAI Codex open source
OpenAI's coding agent
Verified
86
/ 100
K
Kilo Code open source
Open-source coding agent for VS Code, JetBrains and the CLI, with free models and 500+ paid ones at provider rates
Verified
83
/ 100
C
Cline open source
Open-source coding agent for VS Code
Verified
81
/ 100
G
GitHub Copilot
GitHub's AI coding assistant
Verified
80
/ 100
A
Antigravity CLI
Google's terminal coding agent (successor to Gemini CLI for consumers)
Verified
75
/ 100
J
Jules
Google's asynchronous coding agent that works on your GitHub repo in a cloud VM and opens PRs
Verified
74
/ 100
A
Amp
Frontier coding agent with cloud orbs, from your terminal, desktop or phone
Verified
80
/ 100
D
Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)
AI IDE with an agent command center (formerly Windsurf)
Verified
75
/ 100
K
Kiro
Spec-driven agentic IDE
Verified
72
/ 100
A
Aider open source
Open-source AI pair programming in the terminal
Verified
67
/ 100
Two kinds of free
“Free” means two different things here. Open-source agents (OpenCode, Cline, Aider) cost nothing to install, and you pay your model provider, use free models, or plug in a subscription you already have. Commercial agents (Codex, GitHub Copilot, Antigravity CLI, Windsurf, Kiro) have a free plan with a usage cap. The first kind has no ceiling but can run up an API bill; the second kind is truly $0 but stops when the quota runs out.
Free with no model bill
OpenCode (MIT) ships a set of free models that work without an account. OpenAI Codex is included with ChatGPT Free and Go plans, with usage limits. GitHub Copilot Free includes 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests a month. Antigravity CLI has a free individual plan with a weekly quota and rate limit. Kiro Free gives 50 credits (rate-limited), and Windsurf Free has a light agent quota with unlimited Tab and inline edits.
Free tool, bring your own model
Cline is a free open-source editor extension: you pay only for inference, through your own key or Cline’s provider. Aider is a free open-source terminal tool where you pay your model provider directly. Amp’s Hobby plan is free when you use your own API keys or an existing ChatGPT or Claude subscription. These are the best picks if you already pay for a model.
What happened to Gemini CLI’s free tier?
Gemini CLI is still free, open-source (Apache-2.0) software, but free sign-in through Gemini Code Assist for individuals stopped being served on June 18, 2026. It now needs a paid Gemini API key, Vertex AI or a Code Assist Standard/Enterprise license. Google points former free users to Antigravity CLI, which is why it’s on this list instead.
When to start paying
The free plans are enough to try every agent on a real task. Move to a paid plan when you hit the cap every week: Copilot Pro is $10/mo, Codex comes with ChatGPT Plus at $20/mo, and Windsurf Pro and Kiro Pro are $20/mo. With an open-source agent, the cost is whatever your model usage costs.
Side-by-side comparison
| Tool | Score | Free tier | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenCode | 87 | Yes: 100% free to use, with a set of free models that work without an account | Free and open source (MIT) with free models included; optional OpenCode Zen pay-as-you-go ($20 top-ups, pay per request at zero markup), OpenCode Go $10/mo, Go Plus $40/mo, or your own provider keys/subscriptions | Developers who want a free, model-agnostic terminal agent with no lock-in |
| OpenAI Codex | 86 | Yes: included with ChatGPT Free/Go plans, with usage limits | Included in ChatGPT Plus ($20/mo), Pro ($100, $200 or $500/mo), Business ($20/seat/mo annual or $25 monthly, 2+ seats); or API key billing | Delegating parallel coding tasks and PR reviews, especially if you already pay for ChatGPT |
| Kilo Code | 83 | Yes: the extensions and CLI are free, and Auto Free routes to free models through Kilo Gateway where available | Free for individuals (inference billed separately: free models, BYOK, local models, or Kilo Gateway at exact provider rates with a 5% fee on credit purchases); Kilo Pass from $19/mo with up to 50% bonus credits; Teams $15/user/mo; Enterprise custom. Cloud agents from $0.60/hr, code review $0.33/hr, billed per second | Developers who want a free, model-agnostic agent in VS Code or JetBrains and an easy way to try free models before paying for inference |
| Cline | 81 | Yes: the full open-source extension is free for individuals | Free extension; pay only for model inference (BYOK or Cline provider). Enterprise: custom | Developers who want a free, model-agnostic agent inside VS Code |
| GitHub Copilot | 80 | Yes: 2,000 completions/mo plus limited chat and agent usage | Pro $10/mo, Pro+ $39/mo, Max $100/mo (usage via GitHub AI Credits) | Teams already on GitHub who want AI in their existing editor |
| Antigravity CLI | 75 | Yes: free individual plan with a weekly quota and weekly rate limit (CLI included) | Free for individuals with a weekly quota and rate limit; Google AI Pro and Ultra subscriptions raise quotas (refreshed every five hours) and can buy AI credits for overages; teams via Google Cloud / Gemini Enterprise. No bring-your-own-key | Former Gemini CLI users and Google AI Pro/Ultra subscribers who want a free-to-start terminal agent on Gemini models |
| Jules | 74 | Yes: 15 tasks a day and 3 concurrent tasks with Gemini 2.5 Pro | Free: 15 tasks per rolling 24 hours, 3 concurrent (Gemini 2.5 Pro). Jules in Pro via Google AI Pro ($19.99/mo): 100 tasks/day, 15 concurrent, latest models. Jules in Ultra via Google AI Ultra (from $99.99/mo): 300 tasks/day, 60 concurrent. Paid plans currently only for personal @gmail.com accounts | Handing off bug fixes, version bumps and tests on GitHub repos without keeping an editor open, especially if you already pay for Google AI Pro |
| Amp | 80 | Yes: Hobby plan is free with your own API keys or ChatGPT/Claude subscriptions; cloud orbs are pay-as-you-go (or free on your own runners) | Hobby free (pay-as-you-go orbs, or your own runners free); Megawatt $20/mo (45,000 orb minutes); Gigawatt $200/mo (480,000 orb minutes); Teams at no extra charge; Enterprise custom. No Amp token fees when you use your own keys or ChatGPT/Claude subscriptions | Running many long-lived agents in cloud machines you can check from any device, using your own model subscriptions or keys |
| Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) | 75 | Yes: light agent quota, limited models, unlimited Tab and inline edits | Pro $20/mo, Max $200/mo, Teams $80/mo minimum ($40 per full seat) | Developers who want an IDE plus a manager for local and cloud agents |
| Kiro | 72 | Yes: 50 credits, open-weight models plus Claude Sonnet 4.5, rate-limited | Pro $20/user/mo, Pro+ $40, Pro Max $100, Power $200; add-on credits $0.04 each | Structured, spec-first builds where you want plans before code |
| Aider | 67 | Yes: fully free open-source tool (BYOK) | Free; you pay your LLM provider | Terminal users who want a lightweight, git-native BYOK assistant |
FAQ
- What are the best free AI coding agents in 2026?
- Our top pick is OpenCode (score 87/100): Open-source AI coding agent for the terminal, desktop and IDE. Runners-up: OpenAI Codex, Kilo Code, Cline, GitHub Copilot, Antigravity CLI, Jules, Amp, Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf), Kiro, Aider.
- Is OpenCode free?
- OpenCode free tier: Yes: 100% free to use, with a set of free models that work without an account. Paid pricing: Free and open source (MIT) with free models included; optional OpenCode Zen pay-as-you-go ($20 top-ups, pay per request at zero markup), OpenCode Go $10/mo, Go Plus $40/mo, or your own provider keys/subscriptions.
- Is OpenAI Codex free?
- OpenAI Codex free tier: Yes: included with ChatGPT Free/Go plans, with usage limits. Paid pricing: Included in ChatGPT Plus ($20/mo), Pro ($100, $200 or $500/mo), Business ($20/seat/mo annual or $25 monthly, 2+ seats); or API key billing.
- Is Kilo Code free?
- Kilo Code free tier: Yes: the extensions and CLI are free, and Auto Free routes to free models through Kilo Gateway where available. Paid pricing: Free for individuals (inference billed separately: free models, BYOK, local models, or Kilo Gateway at exact provider rates with a 5% fee on credit purchases); Kilo Pass from $19/mo with up to 50% bonus credits; Teams $15/user/mo; Enterprise custom. Cloud agents from $0.60/hr, code review $0.33/hr, billed per second.
- How are these tools ranked?
- Each tool is scored out of 100 on fit, vibe-coder friendliness, output quality, pricing, ecosystem, momentum and code ownership, using desk research of official docs and pricing pages. Affiliate status never affects scores.
- What is the best free AI coding agent?
- OpenCode (score 87): MIT-licensed, free to use, and it includes free models that work without an account. OpenAI Codex (86) is the strongest commercial option on a free plan, included with ChatGPT Free and Go with usage limits.
- Is GitHub Copilot free?
- Yes, there is a free plan with 2,000 code completions and 50 chat requests a month. Copilot Pro is $10/mo.
- Is Gemini CLI still free?
- The CLI itself is free open-source software, but its free sign-in stopped being served on June 18, 2026. It now needs a paid Gemini API key, Vertex AI or a Code Assist Standard/Enterprise license. Antigravity CLI is Google’s free option for individuals.
- Which free coding agent works with my own API key?
- Cline, Aider and OpenCode all work with your own model keys, and Amp’s free Hobby plan accepts your own keys or an existing ChatGPT or Claude subscription.
Sources (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- OpenCode
- OpenAI Codex
- GitHub Copilot plans
- Cline
- Aider
- Amp pricing
- Kiro pricing
- Windsurf pricing
- Gemini CLI to Antigravity CLI transition
Related guides
Official sites
- OpenCode official site & pricing (verified 2026-10-25)
- OpenAI Codex official site & pricing (verified 2026-10-24)
- Kilo Code official site & pricing (verified 2026-10-25)
- Cline official site & pricing (verified 2026-10-24)
- GitHub Copilot official site & pricing (verified 2026-10-24)
- Antigravity CLI official site & pricing (verified 2026-10-16)
- Jules official site & pricing (verified 2026-10-25)
- Amp official site & pricing (verified 2026-10-24)
- Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) official site & pricing (verified 2026-10-24)
- Kiro official site & pricing (verified 2026-10-24)
- Aider official site & pricing (verified 2026-10-24)
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