Aider vs OpenCode
Aider vs OpenCode (Coding Agents (CLI & Cloud)). Agent test scores: Aider 9.3/10, OpenCode 9.2/10. Aider scored 0.1 higher overall in our separate rubric v0.1 tests (editions and tasks can differ — see Edition tested and the notes below). Pricing: Aider — Free open source (Apache 2.0); pay your LLM provider; OpenCode — Go $10/mo; Go Plus $40/mo; Zen pay-as-you-go ($20 prepaid).
Every fact on this page comes from our tool records and test logs. Last updated:
- VibeToolRank score
- 9.3/10
- Last tested
- 2026-10-16
- Runs
- 3 runs
- Outcome score
- 9/10
- Edition tested
- Aider 0.86.2 CLI with OpenRouter free model cohere/north-mini-code:free
- Free plan, as measured
- About 1.0K tokens sent and 1.3K received per bugfix run, $0 on a free OpenRouter model
- Free plan
- Yes: free tool, BYO API key or local models
- Price
- Free open source (Apache 2.0); pay your LLM provider
- Pricing checked
- 2026-10-16
- VibeToolRank score
- 9.2/10
- Last tested
- 2026-10-16
- Runs
- 3 runs
- Outcome score
- 9/10
- Edition tested
- OpenCode CLI 1.19.2, free Zen model opencode/big-pickle, no account
- Free plan, as measured
- $0 per bugfix run on a free OpenCode Zen model, no account or API key
- Free plan
- Yes: open-source agent free with own keys; some free Zen models
- Price
- Go $10/mo; Go Plus $40/mo; Zen pay-as-you-go ($20 prepaid)
- Pricing checked
- 2026-10-16
Side by side
| Field | Aider | OpenCode |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | AiderOpen-source AI pair programming in the terminal. | OpenCodeOpen-source AI coding agent for the terminal. |
| Pricing | AiderFree open source (Apache 2.0); pay your LLM provider | OpenCodeGo $10/mo; Go Plus $40/mo; Zen pay-as-you-go ($20 prepaid) |
| Free tier | AiderYes: free tool, BYO API key or local models | OpenCodeYes: open-source agent free with own keys; some free Zen models |
| Pricing verified | Aider2026-10-16 | OpenCode2026-10-16 |
| Edition tested | AiderAider 0.86.2 CLI with OpenRouter free model cohere/north-mini-code:free | OpenCodeOpenCode CLI 1.19.2, free Zen model opencode/big-pickle, no account |
| Tested on | Aider2026-10-16 | OpenCode2026-10-16 |
| Outcome score | Aider9 | OpenCode9 |
| Speed score | Aider10 | OpenCode10 |
| Cost score | Aider10 | OpenCode10 |
| Developer experience score | Aider8 | OpenCode7 |
| Reliability score | Aider10 | OpenCode10 |
| Overall score | Aider9.3 | OpenCode9.2 |
What our tests found
Aider
3/3 runs fixed our seeded cart bug (4/4 tests pass) in 9-13s with a free OpenRouter model, without touching the test file. Install needed uv because pip was blocked on the system Python.CLI, free model
- Fixed the seeded bug correctly in 3 of 3 runs, in 9-13 seconds
- Works with free OpenRouter models, so our test cost $0
- Built-in --auto-test loop runs your tests after each edit
- pip install was refused on Debian's system Python; we needed uv
- Unattended runs need several flags (--yes-always, --message, --test-cmd)
- Free model slugs change; one we tried returned 'unavailable for free'
Who it’s for: Terminal-first developers who want an open-source pair programmer that works with any model, including free ones.
OpenCode
3/3 runs: fixed a seeded cart-discount bug (2 failing tests) in 18-22s with a free Zen model and no account or API key, without touching the tests. Only task T3 was run. In scripts, opencode run hangs silently if stdin is left open.CLI, free model
- Solved our bug-fix task 3/3 in about 20s
- Free Zen models work with no account or API key
- Minimal, correct diffs that left the tests untouched
- opencode run hung silently in a script until stdin was redirected from /dev/null
- Free model names and availability change over time
- We only ran the bug-fix task (T3), not full app builds
Who it’s for: Developers who want an open-source terminal coding agent they can try for free and later point at their own model keys.
Verdict
Scores use rubric v0.1 from separate runs. Editions and tasks can differ (see Edition tested and What our tests found); some tests were a single run, which caps reliability scores. Overall: Aider 9.3, OpenCode 9.2. Check the free-tier limits above against your project before choosing.
FAQ
Which is better, Aider or OpenCode?
In our tests Aider scored higher overall (9.3/10 vs 9.2/10). Scores use the same rubric (v0.1) but came from separate runs; editions and tasks may differ (see Edition tested and test summaries), so check the per-dimension scores for what matters to you.
Is Aider free?
Yes: free tool, BYO API key or local models (pricing checked 2026-10-16).
Is OpenCode free?
Yes: open-source agent free with own keys; some free Zen models (pricing checked 2026-10-16).
How much does Aider cost compared with OpenCode?
Aider: Free open source (Apache 2.0); pay your LLM provider. OpenCode: Go $10/mo; Go Plus $40/mo; Zen pay-as-you-go ($20 prepaid).
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Scores come from our own tests and are never for sale; sponsored placements are always labelled. Some links are affiliate links (currently Railway). Disclosure