Memdoor vs Aider
Memdoor vs Aider (Coding Agents (CLI & Cloud)). Agent test scores: Memdoor 9.1/10, Aider 9.3/10. Aider scored 0.2 higher overall in our separate rubric v0.1 tests (editions and tasks can differ — see Edition tested and the notes below). Pricing: Memdoor — Free and open source (Apache 2.0): the agent, the decision model and workflows. Pro is $10/month for phone remote control and workflow state kept on memdoor.ai. Every model call runs on your own key; Aider — Free open source (Apache 2.0); pay your LLM provider.
Every fact on this page comes from our tool records and test logs. Last updated:
- VibeToolRank score
- 9.1/10
- Last tested
- 2026-11-04
- Runs
- 3 runs
- Outcome score
- 10/10
- Edition tested
- Memdoor CLI v1.788.0 with OpenRouter free model cohere/north-mini-code:free (BYOK, $0)
- Free plan
- Yes: the CLI, decision model and workflows are free; bring your own model key (for example OpenRouter) or run a local model with memdoor connect local. No account needed
- Price
- Free and open source (Apache 2.0): the agent, the decision model and workflows. Pro is $10/month for phone remote control and workflow state kept on memdoor.ai. Every model call runs on your own key
- Pricing checked
- 2026-11-02
- 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
Side by side
| Field | Memdoor | Aider |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | MemdoorLightweight open-source coding and automation agent in one CLI binary for macOS, Linux and Windows. Run it locally or over SSH, headless from scripts, CI or cron, with multi-step YAML workflows, approval gates and a decision model that trims token use. Bring your own key or a local model. | AiderOpen-source AI pair programming in the terminal. |
| Pricing | MemdoorFree and open source (Apache 2.0): the agent, the decision model and workflows. Pro is $10/month for phone remote control and workflow state kept on memdoor.ai. Every model call runs on your own key | AiderFree open source (Apache 2.0); pay your LLM provider |
| Free tier | MemdoorYes: the CLI, decision model and workflows are free; bring your own model key (for example OpenRouter) or run a local model with memdoor connect local. No account needed | AiderYes: free tool, BYO API key or local models |
| Pricing verified | Memdoor2026-11-02 | Aider2026-10-16 |
| Edition tested | MemdoorMemdoor CLI v1.788.0 with OpenRouter free model cohere/north-mini-code:free (BYOK, $0) | AiderAider 0.86.2 CLI with OpenRouter free model cohere/north-mini-code:free |
| Tested on | Memdoor2026-11-04 | Aider2026-10-16 |
| Outcome score | Memdoor10 | Aider9 |
| Speed score | Memdoor8 | Aider10 |
| Cost score | Memdoor10 | Aider10 |
| Developer experience score | Memdoor6 | Aider8 |
| Reliability score | Memdoor10 | Aider10 |
| Overall score | Memdoor9.1 | Aider9.3 |
What our tests found
Memdoor
Memdoor fixed our seeded cart discount bug in 3 of 3 headless runs (35–47s each) with a free OpenRouter model, never touched the test file, and printed its own test receipt. Cost $0. Overall 9.1 (outcome 10, speed 8, cost 10, DX 6, reliability 10). DX lost points because the default free-model auto-pick hit an OpenRouter 403 and pinning a model needed environment variables.CLI, BYOK
- Fixed the seeded bug in 3/3 runs with a free model
- Single binary, no account, clean --json output for scripts and CI
- Ends each run with a receipt showing the tests it ran before and after
- Did not modify the test file in any run
- Default free-model auto-pick failed with an OpenRouter 403 in our test
- Pinning a specific model needed AI_GATEWAY_* environment variables
- Slower than paid-model agents (35–47s per run on a free model)
Who it’s for: Developers who want a small BYOK terminal agent they can run headless in CI, cron or over SSH, and script into repeatable multi-step workflows.
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.
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: Memdoor 9.1, Aider 9.3. Check the free-tier limits above against your project before choosing.
FAQ
Which is better, Memdoor or Aider?
In our tests Aider scored higher overall (9.3/10 vs 9.1/10). 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 Memdoor free?
Yes: the CLI, decision model and workflows are free; bring your own model key (for example OpenRouter) or run a local model with memdoor connect local. No account needed (pricing checked 2026-11-02).
Is Aider free?
Yes: free tool, BYO API key or local models (pricing checked 2026-10-16).
How much does Memdoor cost compared with Aider?
Memdoor: Free and open source (Apache 2.0): the agent, the decision model and workflows. Pro is $10/month for phone remote control and workflow state kept on memdoor.ai. Every model call runs on your own key. Aider: Free open source (Apache 2.0); pay your LLM provider.
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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