Is Aider free?
Yes, Aider is open source and free. You pay for the AI models you use (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.) but Aider itself is completely free. Install via pip or homebrew.
What is Aider?
Aider is an AI pair programming tool that works in your terminal. It can read your codebase, understand context, and make edits directly to your files. Works with GPT-4, Claude, and other models.
How does Aider work?
Run aider in your project directory. Add files to the chat context, describe what you want, and Aider edits your code directly. It understands your git history and can make commits.
Aider vs GitHub Copilot?
Copilot does inline autocomplete. Aider is conversational and makes larger changes across multiple files. Aider is better for refactoring and feature implementation; Copilot for moment-to-moment coding.
What AI models does Aider support?
Aider works with OpenAI (GPT-4, GPT-3.5), Anthropic (Claude), Azure OpenAI, and local models via Ollama. GPT-4 and Claude give best results for complex code changes.