Filtered ranking
Best Free AI Coding Assistants in 2026
6 of the 7 AI coding assistants ranked on listme.name match: they can be used without paying (a free plan or free version). The order uses the same scores as the full ranking.
The ranking
- 1
Cursor
An AI-first editor with agents, cloud agents and team controls, and a free Hobby plan with limits. It is an editor you switch to, so teams that want to keep their current editor may prefer an extension.
Best for Developers who want an AI-first editor
macOSWindowsLinuxFree plan, paid upgrades
- 2
GitHub Copilot
Works in VS Code, the Copilot CLI and GitHub.com, and can take an issue to a pull request. Usage is metered in AI credits, and it fits best where code already lives on GitHub.
Best for Teams already hosting code on GitHub
WebWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand lineFree plan, paid upgrades
- 3
Cline
An Apache 2.0 agent for desktop, IDE, terminal and SDK, with Plan and Act modes and MCP support. Cost depends on the model provider, and its ability to run commands needs careful permission settings.
Best for Open-source agent that works with any model
WindowsmacOSLinuxCommand lineFree and open sourceOpen source
- 4
Aider
A terminal tool that commits each AI edit to git and runs lint and test loops after changes. It has no graphical editor, which suits developers who already work in the terminal.
Best for Terminal pair programming with git history
Command lineFree and open sourceOpen source
- 5
OpenAI Codex
An Apache 2.0 terminal agent from OpenAI that runs on the user's computer. The pages checked tie model access to OpenAI sign-in, and it offers no graphical interface.
Best for Open-source terminal agent in the OpenAI ecosystem
Command lineFree and open sourceOpen source
- 6
Zed
A fast multiplayer code editor with a free Personal plan and AI through Pro or your own keys. AI is an add-on to the editor, so it ranks below the dedicated coding agents here.
Best for Fast editor with optional AI and real-time collaboration
macOSLinuxWindowsFree plan, paid upgradesOpen source
At a glance
| Product | Score | Price | Platforms | Interface | Model choice | Commits to git |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cursor | 92.0 | Free plan, paid upgrades | macOSWindowsLinux | AI code editor | Several frontier models | Not listed |
 GitHub Copilot | 91.5 | Free plan, paid upgrades | WebWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line | Editor extension, CLI and GitHub.com | Several models | Not listed |
 Cline | 86.5 | Free and open source | WindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line | Desktop app, IDE, CLI and SDK | Any model the user connects | Not listed |
| Aider | 83.5 | Free and open source | Command line | Terminal | Cloud and local models | Automatic commits |
 OpenAI Codex | 81.0 | Free and open source | Command line | Terminal | OpenAI models | Not listed |
 Zed | 79.5 | Free plan, paid upgrades | macOSLinuxWindows | Code editor | Hosted models or your own keys | Not listed |