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AI coding

Free and open-source Claude Code alternatives

Claude Code (Anthropic's agentic coding tool for the terminal and IDE) is a commercial product. These 3 tools do the same job and are free to use or to self-host.
Short answer: the best free alternatives to Claude Code are OpenCode, Aider and Gemini CLI. Claude Code starts at $20/mo (Claude Pro). Self-hosting is free; you pay only for the server (a small VPS is about $4–6/mo). Licenses and prices checked 2026-10-01.
  1. 1
    OpenCode

    Open-source AI coding agent for the terminal

    Terminal coding agent that works with many models.

    Open source (MIT) ·★ 212k GitHub stars · last commit 2026-10-07 · details

  2. 2
    Aider

    AI pair programming in your terminal

    AI pair programming in the terminal, git-aware.

    Open source (Apache-2.0) ·★ 49k GitHub stars · last commit 2026-05-22 · details

  3. 3
    Gemini CLI

    Google's open-source AI agent for the terminal

    Google's open-source terminal agent, with a free usage tier.

    Open source (Apache-2.0) ·★ 107k GitHub stars · last commit 2026-10-07 · details

Want paid options too? See all Claude Code alternatives or the full free alternatives list.

FAQ

Is there a free alternative to Claude Code?+

Yes. OpenCode, Aider and Gemini CLI do the same job for free; OpenCode, Aider and Gemini CLI are open source.

What is the best open-source alternative to Claude Code?+

OpenCode is the most starred on GitHub (212k stars). Terminal coding agent that works with many models.

Open source: OSI-approved license. Free to self-host: the code is public and free to run yourself, with limits in the license.