# The 22 best coding agents with a free tier (2026)

> Source: https://theagentsindex.com/best/coding-agents/free-tier (curated, re-verified)
> Prices read 2 Sep to 1 Nov
> AI answers 13 Oct

The best coding agents with a free tier in November 2026 are **Kilo Code, goose and Junie**. Kilo Code is the pick for developers who want to switch models freely, local ones included, with no lock-in. We read the price of all 22 on their own sites.

By [The Agents Index Editorial](https://theagentsindex.com/authors/editorial.md).

### All 16 agents that publish a monthly price start under $100 a month. The median first paid plan is $18.

*Coding agents with a free tier, first paid plan, November 2026*

- Under $25: 13
- $25 to $99: 3
- $100 to $299: 0
- $300 or more: 0

- **22** ranked
- **$18** median first paid plan
- **19** of the 22 have a free plan

First paid plan from each agent's own pricing page, read 2 September–1 November 2026.

## The short answer

**Kilo Code** ranks first. It has a free plan, and paid plans start at $15 a seat a month.

**goose** ranks second with a free plan, and **Junie** third with a free plan, then about $11 a seat a month. **Zed** has a free plan too.

Half of the 16 agents with a monthly paid plan charge $18 a month or less.

19 agents here have a free plan to try before you pay. The highest ranked are Kilo Code, goose and Junie.

## Pick by what you need

- A free plan before you pay: [Kilo Code](https://theagentsindex.com/kilo-code.md), Free, then $15 a seat a month
- Devs who want an open source coding agent: [goose](https://theagentsindex.com/goose.md), Free
- Developers and teams already standardized on a JetBrains IDE: [Junie](https://theagentsindex.com/junie.md), Free, then about $11 a seat a month
- The lowest monthly price we found: [Muse Code](https://theagentsindex.com/muse-code.md), From $5 a month
- Developers who want a fast, open-source editor: [Zed](https://theagentsindex.com/zed.md), Free, then $10 a month

## All 22 picks at a glance

| # | Name | Best for | Starts at |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Kilo Code](https://theagentsindex.com/kilo-code.md) | developers who want to switch models freely, local ones included, with no lock-in | Free, then $15 a seat a month |
| 2 | [goose](https://theagentsindex.com/goose.md) | Devs who want an open source coding agent that reuses an existing Claude or ChatGPT plan | Free |
| 3 | [Junie](https://theagentsindex.com/junie.md) | Developers and teams already standardized on a JetBrains IDE who want an agent that shares the same debugger, project index, and version control already built into their editor. | Free, then about $11 a seat a month |
| 4 | [Muse Code](https://theagentsindex.com/muse-code.md) | Cost-sensitive teams willing to trade code privacy for Contributor tier's roughly 12x cheaper input and 21x cheaper output, or anyone with a large multi-part refactor that benefits from several sub-agents working in parallel isolated worktrees. | From $5 a month |
| 5 | [Zed](https://theagentsindex.com/zed.md) | Developers who want a fast, open-source editor and the freedom to run Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI or other vendors' own agents natively via the Agent Client Protocol Zed created, instead of being locked into one editor's built-in agent. | Free, then $10 a month |
| 6 | [Warp](https://theagentsindex.com/warp.md) | Developers and teams who want one open platform that runs and coordinates multiple coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Warp Agent) side by side across terminal, CLI and cloud, with shared team context and programmatic API access to cloud agent runs. | Free, then $20 a month |
| 7 | [Google Antigravity CLI](https://theagentsindex.com/antigravity-cli.md) | Developers already inside the Google ecosystem (Google AI subscription, GCP billing) who want a free terminal agent with Gemini, Claude and gpt-oss model access, especially anyone migrating off a now-sunset Gemini CLI workflow. | Free, then $30 a seat a month |
| 8 | [CodeRabbit](https://theagentsindex.com/coderabbit.md) | Engineering teams, using a coding agent or writing code by hand, that want automatic, consistent PR review plus triage, explanation and continuous security across GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket or Azure DevOps before a human reviewer looks at it. | From $30 a seat a month |
| 9 | [Letta](https://theagentsindex.com/letta.md) | Developers and researchers who specifically need an agent whose memory, skills and identity genuinely persist and evolve across long-running sessions, rather than reset on every call. | Free, then $20 a month |
| 10 | [Bolt](https://theagentsindex.com/bolt-new.md) | Founders, designers and developers who want a working, deployed full-stack app straight from a prompt, Figma frame or Google Stitch design, with zero local setup. | Free, then $25 a month |
| 11 | [Codex CLI](https://theagentsindex.com/codex-cli.md) | Developers who already pay for a ChatGPT plan and want a terminal-native agent with granular, inspectable sandbox/permission controls across CLI, desktop and IDE surfaces. | Free, then $8 a month |
| 12 | [OpenCode](https://theagentsindex.com/opencode.md) | Developers who want a genuinely free, fully open-source coding agent that works with any model provider, including their own local Ollama models, without being locked into one vendor's terminal tool. | Free, then $10 a month |
| 13 | [zot](https://theagentsindex.com/zot.md) | Developers who want a fast, free, Go-native coding-agent harness with real session-branching control and are comfortable running fast-moving, self-described "beta forever" software from an independent maintainer. | Free |
| 14 | [Juggler](https://theagentsindex.com/juggler.md) | Developers who want hands-on visibility into what an AI coding agent is doing to their codebase and accept early-stage, self-hosted, open-source software. | Free |
| 15 | [OpenHands](https://theagentsindex.com/openhands.md) | Open source-minded engineering teams and enterprises that want a self-hostable coding agent platform | Free, then $0.10 per 1m input tokens |
| 16 | [Aider](https://theagentsindex.com/aider.md) | Developers who want free, model-agnostic AI pair programming in their terminal | Free |
| 17 | [Cline](https://theagentsindex.com/cline.md) | Developers and teams who want a transparent, open-source, model-agnostic agent they fully control and pay for by usage, with optional flat-rate access to open-weight models. | Free |
| 18 | [Devin](https://theagentsindex.com/devin.md) | Engineering teams offloading well-scoped migration tasks without adding headcount | Free, then $20 a month |
| 19 | [Devin Desktop](https://theagentsindex.com/windsurf.md) | Developers who want a full, agent-native desktop IDE and the freedom to run several coding agents, including third-party ones, side by side. | Free, then $20 a month |
| 20 | [Replit Agent](https://theagentsindex.com/replit-agent.md) | Non-technical founders who want a chat prompt to become a deployed, database-backed app | From $20 a month |
| 21 | [Cursor](https://theagentsindex.com/cursor.md) | Professional developers who want a powerful AI agent woven into a familiar VS Code-based editor, with first-class model choice and the option to be hands-off via Cursor Router. | Free, then $8 a month |
| 22 | [GitHub Copilot](https://theagentsindex.com/github-copilot.md) | Enterprise and team developers already in GitHub and mainstream IDEs who want governed, reviewable AI coding at scale, with optional access to Claude Code and OpenAI Codex through the same interface. | Free, then $10 a month |

Checked between 2 September 2026 and 1 November 2026. “About” figures are converted at the European Central Bank rate of 30 October 2026.

**22 agents, ranked.**

22 of our 32 coding agents are listed with a free tier.

Paid plans run from $1.25 to $25, and 19 have a free or freemium plan.

Last checked 27 October 2026.

"Free tier" means different things across this list: Aider, Cline, OpenCode and Zot are simply free and open-source with no vendor-imposed cap (you pay only for your own model API usage), while Cursor, Devin, Replit Agent, Windsurf and Bolt.new give you a capped free allowance on an otherwise-paid product. Check which kind of "free" you're actually getting.

## The ranking

### 1. Kilo Code

**A free plan before you pay**

**Best for:** developers who want to switch models freely, local ones included, with no lock-in

- Price: Free, then $15 a seat a month ([source](https://kilo.ai/pricing))
- MCP server: Not stated
- API: Yes
- Open source: Yes
- Self-host: Yes
- [Read the review](https://theagentsindex.com/kilo-code.md)

### 2. goose

**Devs who want an open source coding agent**

**Best for:** Devs who want an open source coding agent that reuses an existing Claude or ChatGPT plan

- Price: Free ([source](https://goose-docs.ai/))
- MCP server: Not stated
- API: Yes
- Open source: Yes
- Self-host: Yes
- [Read the review](https://theagentsindex.com/goose.md)

### 3. Junie

**Developers and teams already standardized on a JetBrains IDE**

**Best for:** Developers and teams already standardized on a JetBrains IDE who want an agent that shares the same debugger, project index, and version control already built into their editor.

- Price: Free, then about $11 a seat a month ([source](https://www.jetbrains.com/store/ai/?section=personal&billing=monthly))
- MCP server: Not stated
- API: Yes
- Open source: Not stated
- Self-host: Yes
- [Read the review](https://theagentsindex.com/junie.md)

### 4. Muse Code

**The lowest monthly price we found**

**Best for:** Cost-sensitive teams willing to trade code privacy for Contributor tier's roughly 12x cheaper input and 21x cheaper output, or anyone with a large multi-part refactor that benefits from several sub-agents working in parallel isolated worktrees.

- Price: From $5 a month ([source](https://dev.meta.ai/products/muse-code))
- MCP server: Not stated
- API: Yes
- Open source: Not stated
- Self-host: Not stated
- [Read the review](https://theagentsindex.com/muse-code.md)

### 5. Zed

**Developers who want a fast, open-source editor**

**Best for:** Developers who want a fast, open-source editor and the freedom to run Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI or other vendors' own agents natively via the Agent Client Protocol Zed created, instead of being locked into one editor's built-in agent.

- Price: Free, then $10 a month ([source](https://zed.dev/pricing))
- MCP server: Not stated
- API: Yes
- Open source: Yes
- Self-host: Yes
- [Read the review](https://theagentsindex.com/zed.md)

## Questions buyers ask

### How much do coding agents with a free tier cost?

The median first paid plan is $18 a month, across the 16 of the 22 that publish a monthly price. They run from $5 to $30.

### Which coding agents with a free tier have a free plan?

19 of the 22 have a free plan.

### How current are these figures?

The prices were read 2 September–1 November 2026.

## Sources and method

Every price here was read on the maker's own pricing page.

### Pricing pages (22 read)

- [Kilo Code](https://theagentsindex.com/kilo-code.md): [kilo.ai/pricing](https://kilo.ai/pricing), checked 1 November 2026
- [goose](https://theagentsindex.com/goose.md): [goose-docs.ai](https://goose-docs.ai/), checked 23 October 2026
- [Junie](https://theagentsindex.com/junie.md): [jetbrains.com/store/ai](https://www.jetbrains.com/store/ai/?section=personal&billing=monthly), checked 1 November 2026
- [Muse Code](https://theagentsindex.com/muse-code.md): [dev.meta.ai/products/muse-code](https://dev.meta.ai/products/muse-code), checked 28 October 2026
- [Zed](https://theagentsindex.com/zed.md): [zed.dev/pricing](https://zed.dev/pricing), checked 24 October 2026
- [Warp](https://theagentsindex.com/warp.md): [warp.dev/pricing](https://www.warp.dev/pricing), checked 1 November 2026
- [Google Antigravity CLI](https://theagentsindex.com/antigravity-cli.md): [antigravity.google/pricing](https://antigravity.google/pricing), checked 30 October 2026
- [CodeRabbit](https://theagentsindex.com/coderabbit.md): [coderabbit.ai/pricing](https://www.coderabbit.ai/pricing), checked 30 October 2026
- [Letta](https://theagentsindex.com/letta.md): [docs.letta.com/pricing](https://docs.letta.com/pricing), checked 1 November 2026
- [Bolt](https://theagentsindex.com/bolt-new.md): [bolt.new/pricing](https://bolt.new/pricing), checked 24 October 2026
- [Codex CLI](https://theagentsindex.com/codex-cli.md): [learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing), checked 1 November 2026
- [OpenCode](https://theagentsindex.com/opencode.md): [opencode.ai/v2/docs](https://opencode.ai/v2/docs/), checked 21 October 2026
- [zot](https://theagentsindex.com/zot.md): [github.com/patriceckhart/zot/blob/main/LICENSE](https://github.com/patriceckhart/zot/blob/main/LICENSE), checked 28 September 2026
- [Juggler](https://theagentsindex.com/juggler.md): [juggler.studio](https://juggler.studio/), checked 1 November 2026
- [OpenHands](https://theagentsindex.com/openhands.md): [docs.openhands.dev/openhands/usage/llms/openhands-llms](https://docs.openhands.dev/openhands/usage/llms/openhands-llms), checked 2 September 2026
- [Aider](https://theagentsindex.com/aider.md): [aider.chat/docs/faq.html](https://aider.chat/docs/faq.html), checked 27 October 2026
- [Cline](https://theagentsindex.com/cline.md): [cline.bot/pricing](https://cline.bot/pricing), checked 29 October 2026
- [Devin](https://theagentsindex.com/devin.md): [devin.ai/pricing](https://devin.ai/pricing), checked 24 October 2026
- [Devin Desktop](https://theagentsindex.com/windsurf.md): [devin.ai/pricing](https://devin.ai/pricing), checked 24 October 2026
- [Replit Agent](https://theagentsindex.com/replit-agent.md): [replit.com/pricing](https://replit.com/pricing), checked 1 November 2026
- [Cursor](https://theagentsindex.com/cursor.md): [cursor.com/pricing](https://cursor.com/pricing), checked 31 October 2026
- [GitHub Copilot](https://theagentsindex.com/github-copilot.md): [github.com/features/copilot/plans](https://github.com/features/copilot/plans), checked 1 November 2026