AI Coding CLI Comparison
Side-by-side comparison of 27 AI coding command-line tools: model backend, local execution, pricing model and context window, to help you pick by need.
| Tool | Model Backend | Local Run | Pricing | Context Window | Open Source | Highlights | View Cheatsheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | Anthropic Claude | No (cloud) | Free to use (needs subscription / key) | 200K | No | Agentic coding with native Claude tool use and sub-agents | View Cheatsheet |
| Codex CLI | OpenAI Codex | No (cloud) | Free to use (needs subscription / key) | 200K | No | Cloud sandboxed execution, PR automation and multimodal input | View Cheatsheet |
| Gemini CLI | Google Gemini | No (cloud) | Free to use (needs subscription / key) | 1M | Yes | Native 1M context with a generous free tier | View Cheatsheet |
| Cursor | Multi-model (OpenAI / Claude / etc.) | No (cloud) | Free tier + paid plans | 200K | No | Deep IDE integration with Tab completions and agent mode | View Cheatsheet |
| Aider | Multi-model (OpenAI / Claude / local) | Local-capable (local models) | Free / OSS (bring your key) | Depends on model | Yes | Terminal pair-programming with native Git repo awareness | View Cheatsheet |
| OpenCode | Multi-model | Local-capable (local models) | Free / OSS (bring your key) | Depends on model | Yes | Terminal-native and fully self-hostable | View Cheatsheet |
| Goose | Multi-model (Block ecosystem) | Local-capable (local models) | Free / OSS (bring your key) | Depends on model | Yes | Local agentic with pluggable MCP extensions | View Cheatsheet |
| OpenHands | Multi-model | Local-capable (local models) | Free / OSS (bring your key) | Depends on model | Yes | Autonomous software-engineering agent, cloud or local | View Cheatsheet |
| Cline | Multi-model (VS Code extension) | Local-capable (local models) | Free / OSS (bring your key) | Depends on model | Yes | In-editor VS Code agent with per-step confirmation and budget control | View Cheatsheet |
| Ollama | Local models (Llama / etc.) | Yes (fully local) | Free / OSS (bring your key) | Set by local model | Yes | One command to run local models with an OpenAI-compatible API | View Cheatsheet |
| Qwen Code | Alibaba Qwen | No (cloud) | Free to use (needs subscription / key) | 128K | Yes | Alibaba Qwen ecosystem with long context and strong Chinese support | View Cheatsheet |
| GitHub Copilot | GitHub (OpenAI / etc.) | No (cloud) | Free tier + paid plans | 128K | No | Native GitHub integration with workflows and PRs | View Cheatsheet |
| Amazon Q | AWS (Bedrock models) | No (cloud) | Free tier + paid plans | Depends on model | No | AWS-native with enterprise and infrastructure awareness | View Cheatsheet |
| Amp | Multi-model (Sourcegraph) | No (cloud) | Free tier + paid plans | Depends on model | No | Research-oriented coding agent (Sourcegraph) | View Cheatsheet |
| LiteLLM | Multi-model proxy (LLM gateway) | Yes (fully local) | Free / OSS (bring your key) | Depends on model | Yes | Unified multi-model gateway with OpenAI-compatible API | View Cheatsheet |
| vLLM | Local inference engine | Yes (fully local) | Free / OSS (bring your key) | Set by local model | Yes | High-performance local inference with high-throughput batching | View Cheatsheet |
| llamafile | Local models (Mozilla) | Yes (fully local) | Free / OSS (bring your key) | Set by local model | Yes | Distribute local models as a single file with zero dependencies | View Cheatsheet |
| Continue | Multi-model (Continue.dev) | Local-capable (local models) | Free / OSS (bring your key) | Depends on model | Yes | Open-source AI coding assistant, self-hostable inside the IDE | View Cheatsheet |
| Hermes Agent | Nous Hermes (multi-backend) | Local-capable (local models) | Free / OSS (bring your key) | Depends on backend | Yes | Terminal multi-backend agent with gateway and guided setup | View Cheatsheet |
| Kilo Code | Multi-model (Kilo Code) | Local-capable (local models) | Free tier + paid plans | Depends on model | Yes | Autonomous coding agent as a VS Code extension | View Cheatsheet |
| Pi | Multi-model (earendil) | Local-capable (local models) | Free / OSS (bring your key) | Depends on model | Yes | Lightweight terminal coding agent with interactive planning | View Cheatsheet |
| Kimi CLI | Moonshot Kimi | No (cloud) | Free to use (needs subscription / key) | 128K | Yes | Long context with strong Chinese support in the Moonshot ecosystem | View Cheatsheet |
| Grok CLI | xAI Grok | No (cloud) | Free to use (needs subscription / key) | 128K | Yes | xAI real-time knowledge wired into the X ecosystem | View Cheatsheet |
| Warp | Multi-model (Warp terminal) | No (cloud) | Free tier + paid plans | Depends on model | No | AI-native terminal with Agent mode and command prediction | View Cheatsheet |
| Crush | Multi-model (Charm) | Local-capable (local models) | Free / OSS (bring your key) | Depends on model | Yes | Terminal TUI agent from Charm | View Cheatsheet |
| Antigravity | Google Gemini | No (cloud) | Free to use (needs subscription / key) | 1M | No | Google cloud IDE agent with plan-driven coding | View Cheatsheet |
| Plandex | Multi-model (Plandex) | Local-capable (local models) | Free / OSS (bring your key) | Depends on model | Yes | Long-horizon plan-driven coding with session-based change management | View Cheatsheet |
Context window and pricing vary by model / plan; the official docs of each tool are authoritative. Values here are common defaults. Open "View Cheatsheet" to verify sources.