Best Free AI Tools for Coding in 2026

Free AI coding tools at a glance

Prices and limits are from each tool's official page, as of November 2026. "Free" here means no subscription; several tools are free software but you still pay a model provider if you bring a cloud key.

Selection criteria

We ranked tools for people who want to write code with AI and spend as little as possible. Each pick had to meet these tests on its official pages:

• →A real free path: a $0 plan or free open-source software, not just a trial. Tools that only offer a time-limited trial are left out.
• →A published limit, or a clear note that none is published.
• →A clear next step: what the upgrade costs and who bills you.
• →An exit: open-source code, your own keys, or local models.
• →Still offered to individuals on the date we checked.

GitHub Copilot Free: the simplest place to start

• →Best for: someone who wants AI help inside an editor with no keys to manage.
• →Key facts (as of November 2026): GitHub's plans page says the Free plan supports the CLI and agent mode. GitHub's docs say Free uses Auto model selection only and includes an allowance of GitHub AI Credits.
• →Price (as of November 2026): Free is $0. Pro is $10 a month with unlimited completions and $15 in monthly credits (a $10 base).
• →Limits: Free is limited to 2,000 completions a month. Chat and agent use are described only as limited, with no numbers published.
• →Who should pick it: beginners and light users. If you hit the cap, compare it with the editors in our Cursor vs GitHub Copilot guide.

OpenCode: free hosted models and 200+ providers

• →Best for: developers who want an open-source agent and a way to start without an account.
• →Key facts (as of November 2026): OpenCode calls itself an open-source coding agent. It connects to 200+ providers through Models.dev, including local models, runs on macOS, Windows and Linux desktops and in the terminal, and its GitHub repository lists an MIT license. Its site says a set of free models is included and no account is needed.
• →Price (as of November 2026): The software is free. OpenCode Go offers curated models from $10 a month. Its Console is pay as you go, charged per request.
• →Limits: The free hosted models are labeled free for a limited time and the lineup changes. OpenCode's own docs say data from some free models may be used to improve the model, and its Nemotron free models are for trial use only, so do not send personal or confidential code to them.
• →Who should pick it: people who want zero setup cost and will move to their own keys or a local model for private work.

Cline: an approval-based agent with your own keys

• →Best for: developers who want an agent that asks before it edits files or runs commands.
• →Key facts (as of November 2026): Cline works in the editor and terminal, and its docs say every action requires your explicit approval. It ships as a VS Code extension, a JetBrains plugin, a CLI, a desktop app and an SDK. Providers are the Cline provider, ClinePass, or your own key for cloud or local models.
• →Price (as of November 2026): The open-source extension is free for individual developers and you pay only for AI inference. ClinePass is $9.99 a month. Enterprise is custom priced.
• →Limits: Cline's pricing page does not say which models are free. Its docs mention free model options on the Cline provider without naming them, so your real cost depends on the model you choose.
• →Who should pick it: people who want control over cost and model and are comfortable approving each step. Our Cline listing has more.

Kilo Code: model choice at provider rates

• →Best for: one open-source agent across VS Code, JetBrains and the terminal.
• →Key facts (as of November 2026): Kilo's GitHub repository lists an MIT license and support for VS Code, JetBrains and a CLI. Its pricing page lists inference as $0 with Auto Free, bring-your-own-key or local models, or the Kilo Gateway at exact provider rates with no markup.
• →Price (as of November 2026): The platform is free. Kilo Pass starts at $19 a month (up to $26.60 in credits). Teams is $15 per user a month. Credit purchases carry a 5% processing fee.
• →Limits: Cloud agents and code review are billed separately by the hour. The pricing page does not name the Auto Free models, so we cannot say what you get at $0.
• →Who should pick it: people who want to switch models freely without a markup.

Zed: a fast editor where you bring the agent

• →Best for: a lightweight editor that works with the keys, local models or agents you already have.
• →Key facts (as of November 2026): Zed's Personal plan is free forever, with unlimited use of your own API keys or external agents such as Claude Agent and Codex CLI. Supported key providers include Anthropic, OpenAI, Google AI, Ollama, LM Studio and OpenRouter.
• →Price (as of November 2026): Personal is $0 and its listed AI feature is unlimited use with your own API keys or external agents; Zed-hosted models and unlimited edit predictions are described under Pro. Pro is $10 a month with $5 of tokens included, then API list price plus 10%. A 14-day Pro trial needs no credit card.
• →Limits: The Personal plan lists your own keys or external agents, not Zed-hosted models, so a useful agent needs a key, a local model or another subscription.
• →Who should pick it: developers who value speed and want to choose the model behind the agent.

Aider: the terminal pair programmer

• →Best for: working from the command line with your git repository.
• →Key facts (as of November 2026): Aider describes itself as pair programming with LLMs. Its GitHub repository lists an Apache-2.0 license. It maps your codebase, supports 100+ languages, automatically commits changes with sensible commit messages, and can fix problems detected by your linters and test suites. It connects to almost any LLM, including local models.
• →Price (as of November 2026): The software is free. You pay whichever model provider you connect, or nothing if you run a local model. Install with pip.
• →Limits: There is no hosted free model, and the site gives no price for the models it names, so your costs depend on the provider and how much you use it.
• →Who should pick it: terminal users who like clean git history. See also our agentic AI coding tools guide.

Continue: still open source, but now owned by Cursor

• →Best for: people who already use its VS Code or JetBrains extension.
• →Key facts (as of November 2026): Continue's site says it was acquired by Cursor and that its open-source codebase remains freely available as a foundation for others. Its docs describe extensions for VS Code and JetBrains, a CLI called cn, and agent, chat, edit and autocomplete modes, with guides for Ollama and running without internet access.
• →Price (as of November 2026): The page does not state a price and leaves its subscription question unanswered.
• →Limits: Continue's site does not say whether the extensions will keep getting updates, and its FAQ on data and subscriptions has no published answers. We would not start a new long project on it without checking.
• →Who should pick it: existing users, or anyone who wants an open codebase to build on.

Google Antigravity: a free individual plan with weekly limits

• →Best for: trying Google's agent platform without a subscription.
• →Key facts (as of November 2026): Antigravity's pricing page lists a free plan for individuals with access to a variety of agent models, unlimited Tab completions and unlimited Command requests. Its docs say quota refreshes weekly.
• →Price (as of November 2026): Free is $0. Business plans through Google Cloud start at $30 per seat a month. The page lists no price for Google AI Pro or Ultra.
• →Limits: The page says only "basic weekly rate limits" and gives no numbers. Google also announced that Gemini CLI and Code Assist would stop serving free individual users on June 18, 2026, so treat free Google access as something that can change.
• →Who should pick it: people who want to compare Google's agent against the open-source options. Our Google Antigravity listing covers it.

Other free tiers worth knowing

Devin Desktop, the product formerly called Windsurf, has a $0 Free plan with a light agent quota, limited model availability, and unlimited inline edits and Tab completions; Pro is $20 a month and Max is $200. Cursor has a Free plan with limited agent and chat requests; its Plus plan is $8 a month but only Grok models are available on it. OpenAI's pricing page lists Codex on the Free plan with GPT-6 Luna at standard speed in the desktop app, and says access is still rolling out. We left these out of the ranked picks because their free quotas have no published numbers or are tied to one vendor's account. For a wider look, see our best AI coding tools and best AI code editor rankings.

Which one fits your situation

• →You want the least setup: GitHub Copilot Free. Install it in your editor and use the monthly allowance.
• →You want to pay nothing and avoid keys: OpenCode's free hosted models, remembering the data notes above.
• →You work on private code: pair Aider, Cline, Kilo Code or Zed with a local model. Speed depends on your hardware, and we have no benchmarks.
• →You want an agent that asks before acting: Cline.
• →You live in the terminal: Aider or OpenCode.
• →You want a quick editor: Zed on the free Personal plan with your own key.
• →You are leaving Windsurf: read our Windsurf alternatives guide, then come back here for the free options.

What free really costs

Cline, Kilo Code, Aider and Zed Personal cost $0, but the model behind them is not free unless you run one locally or use a provider's free tier. Cline says you pay only for AI inference. Kilo lists three separate costs (platform plan, AI inference, cloud compute), and adds a 5% fee on credit purchases. Zed's Pro plan charges API list price plus 10% after the first $5 of tokens. Copilot Free and the Antigravity individual plan avoid a model bill, but you accept caps: 2,000 completions a month on Copilot, and weekly limits on Antigravity with no published numbers. Set a spending cap, or use a local model, before pointing an agent at a large codebase.

Ownership and lock-in

If a free plan disappears, open code and your own keys are the escape hatch. OpenCode lists an MIT license, Kilo Code lists MIT, Aider lists Apache-2.0, and Cline describes its extension as open source, though its pricing page does not name the license. Continue shows how this can go wrong: its codebase stays available but the company behind it was acquired. Hosted free tiers can change terms, and Google's announced Gemini CLI change for June 2026 shows a free route closing. Keep your project in git and prefer tools that let you swap the model.

What changed recently and what we do not know

• →Gemini CLI: Google announced it would stop serving free Gemini Code Assist for individuals users and Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers on June 18, 2026. It says Gemini CLI stays available through paid API keys, so we do not list it as a free pick.
• →Continue was acquired by Cursor. Its site does not say if the extensions will keep being updated or what happens to subscriptions and data.
• →OpenCode's free model list rotates and is labeled limited time. We cannot tell you which models will be free next month.
• →Copilot Free: GitHub's plans page lists 35 models for Free while its docs say Auto model selection only. We could not resolve this, and neither page gives a chat or agent number or the credit amount.
• →Antigravity, Devin Desktop and Cursor publish free quotas without numbers, so we cannot compare how much work each allows.
• →Cline's free models and Kilo's Auto Free models are not named on their pricing pages. Aider's site states no license, so we used its GitHub page. We did not verify Zed's license, Aider's update pace, or Ollama and LM Studio pricing.

Verdict

For most people, start with GitHub Copilot Free: it needs no key and the cap is clear. Past that cap, try OpenCode's free models for non-sensitive work, or Cline, Kilo Code or Aider with a local model. Choose Zed if you want a fast editor, and treat Continue as an option only if you already use it. No hosted free tier publishes unlimited agent use, so check the official pricing page before you rely on one.

How we chose

We compared official published information on November 7, 2026: pricing pages, documentation, GitHub repositories and announcements. We did not test the products, so this page reflects what the vendors say, not how the tools perform. We also used Google's People Also Ask box and related searches to pick the questions answered here. Vibe Code Apps is an independent directory. Prices change often, so confirm on the vendor's page before you pay.

Our free AI coding picks

1

GitHub CopilotVerified

Best free start for most people: AI completions, chat and agent mode in your editor. Free plan: 2,000 completions a month and limited chat and agent use; Pro is $10 a month (as of November 2026).

other

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5.3

vibe

2

OpenCode

Open-source agent for terminal and desktop with 200+ providers, local models and rotating free hosted models. Free software; Go from $10 a month (as of November 2026).

other

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3

Cline

Open-source agent that asks before it acts. Free for individuals; you pay only for AI inference. ClinePass is $9.99 a month (as of November 2026).

other

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4

Kilo Code

Open-source agent for VS Code, JetBrains and the CLI. Free platform; bring your own key, run local, or use the gateway at provider rates (as of November 2026).

other

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5

ZedVerified

Fast editor with a free Personal plan for your own keys or external agents. Pro is $10 a month with $5 of tokens included (as of November 2026).

other

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6

Aider

Terminal pair programmer under Apache-2.0 that commits to git and works with almost any model, local ones included. The tool is free; the model is on you.

other

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7

Continue

Open-source assistant for VS Code and JetBrains, now owned by Cursor. Codebase stays open; future updates and pricing are not stated.

other

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8

Google Antigravity

Google's agent platform with a free individual plan: unlimited Tab completions and Command requests, with basic weekly rate limits (as of November 2026).

other

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