Free AI coding agents (2026)
AI coding agents, editors and CLIs you can start using without paying: open-source projects plus tools with a free plan. Here are the top 25 of 82 from the AgentScout directory.
How we picked and ranked: tools are matched by category, the pricing each maker states and what each tool says it does. They are ranked by GitHub stars as recorded on each listing (link checks 2026-10-18); tools without a tracked repo follow, by listing maturity. No paid placements.
1. opencode
Open-source terminal coding agent that works with many model providers.
Pricing (as stated): Open source · Active
2. OpenAI Codex CLI
OpenAI's open-source coding agent for the terminal; also runs in the cloud.
Pricing (as stated): Open source; uses ChatGPT plan or API · Mature
3. Graphify
Turns a codebase plus its docs, SQL schemas, configs and PDFs into a knowledge graph that coding agents can query.
Pricing (as stated): Open source · Mature
4. Gemini CLI
Google's open-source terminal agent powered by Gemini.
Pricing (as stated): Open source; free tier · Mature
5. Claude-Mem
Gives coding agents memory across sessions by capturing what they do, compressing it and feeding the relevant context back in later.
Pricing (as stated): Open source · Mature
6. Orca
Agent development environment for running a fleet of parallel coding agents on your own subscriptions and reviewing their work.
Pricing (as stated): Open source · Mature
7. OpenHands
Open-source platform for autonomous coding agents.
Pricing (as stated): Open source + paid cloud · Mature
8. Cline
Autonomous coding agent inside VS Code with step-by-step approvals.
Pricing (as stated): Open source · Mature
9. Strix
Open-source AI agents that run penetration tests on your app to find and help fix security vulnerabilities.
Pricing (as stated): Open source + cloud · Mature
10. Open Interpreter
Terminal coding agent forked from OpenAI's Codex and tuned for low-cost and open-weight models, with switchable harness modes that imitate tools like Claude Code.
Pricing (as stated): Open source · Mature
11. Goose
Extensible open-source AI agent that installs, runs, edits and tests code on your machine with any LLM and MCP extensions.
Pricing (as stated): Open source · Mature
12. Herdr
Runtime for running and managing many coding agents side by side.
Pricing (as stated): Open source · Mature
13. Codewhale
Rust agent engine and terminal coding client with model choice, tool approvals and review flows.
Pricing (as stated): Open source · Mature
14. Oh My Claudecode
Multi-agent orchestration layer for Claude Code that coordinates teams of specialized agents.
Pricing (as stated): Open source · Mature
15. DeepSeek-Reasonix
Coding agent built for complex software engineering tasks on DeepSeek models.
Pricing (as stated): Open source · Mature
16. Oh My Pi
Terminal coding agent with IDE features wired in, from Stencil Labs.
Pricing (as stated): Open source · Mature
17. PentAGI
Autonomous multi-agent system for running penetration testing tasks.
Pricing (as stated): Open source · Mature
18. Context Mode
Context window optimizer for coding agents that sandboxes tool output and persists session memory.
Pricing (as stated): Open source · Mature
19. AgentMemory
Persistent memory layer for AI coding agents.
Pricing (as stated): Open source · Mature
20. Crush
Charm's terminal coding agent with a polished TUI, multiple models and MCP support.
Pricing (as stated): Open source · Mature
21. Qwen Code
Open-source terminal coding agent from the Qwen team.
Pricing (as stated): Open source · Mature
22. Vibe Kanban
Kanban board for planning and running tasks with Claude Code, Codex and other coding agents.
Pricing (as stated): Open source · Mature
23. Beads
Issue-tracking memory for coding agents so they can keep track of long-running work.
Pricing (as stated): Open source · Mature
24. Planning With Files
File-based planning for coding agents, keeping Markdown plans that survive crashes and session resets.
Pricing (as stated): Open source · Mature
25. Happy Coder
Mobile and desktop app to run and control Claude Code, Codex and other agents using your own subscriptions.
Pricing (as stated): Open source · Mature
FAQ
What are the best free AI coding agents?
Ranked by tracked GitHub stars, the top free AI coding agents in our directory are opencode, OpenAI Codex CLI, Graphify, Gemini CLI, Claude-Mem. Stars measure popularity, not fit, so compare a few against your own task.
How many free AI coding agents does AgentScout list?
82 tools match. This page shows the top 25. Pricing mix on this page: Open source (23), Open source + cloud (2).
Are these tools really free?
Pricing is what each maker states on their site. Open-source tools are free to self-host but may need a paid model API key or offer paid cloud plans; freemium tools have a free plan with limits. Check each official site.
Where can I see every tool for writing code?
Our task page lists all 177 tools we match to writing code.
Related: All tools for writing code · Best AI Coding Agents · coding (82)
Similar searches: Open-source AI coding agents · AI coding agents for the terminal (CLI)
By role: For developers
All popular searches · AI agents by role · Free tools
Facts come from our directory listings; pricing is as each maker states it and can change. Check official sites before you choose.