Aider vs Claude Code
Aider and Claude Code are both terminal AI coding tools. Here's how they line up on the things that actually decide it — price, platform, and what they plug into.
| Aider | Claude Code | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Paid |
| Platform | windows, mac, linux | windows, mac, linux |
| Works with | claude, chatgpt, gemini | claude |
| In one line | Open-source AI pair programmer that runs in your terminal — paste a task, it edits your files and auto-commits the changes to git. | Anthropic's agentic AI coding CLI — runs in your terminal, reads your files, edits code, runs commands, and works through multi-step tasks autonomously. |
Which should you pick?
On budget alone, Aider is the lower-cost entry (free), so it's the safer place to start if you're not ready to pay. They both work with claude, so if that's your setup either one fits. For the full picture, read the reviews below — the verdict is where the real difference shows up.