Ranked · Coding agents
Best Coding agents for Open models
9 quality-gated coding agents for Open models, compared on structured facts · pricing $5–$15 · 75% of known offer an API.
The ranking
9 of the 25 coding agents in this index qualify for Open models — every one a Published, quality-gated listing, not a scraped row.
Across the set: 6 of 8 with known API status (75%) expose a public API, paid plans span $5–$15, and 8 offer a free or freemium tier.
9 of 9 carry a fact-verification date; the freshest check is 2026-08-24.
All four support open-weight models (Llama, DeepSeek, Mixtral-class and similar), but only through a bring-your-own-provider setup — none of these bundle a hosted open model for you, so the real differentiator is how much setup each one demands before you can point it at a local or self-hosted model.
How we ranked these
Assembled programmatically from the live index: every entry is a Published, quality-gated listing in Coding agents carrying the "Open models" tag, ranked by tier then name. The numbers (9 tools, 75% of known with an API, paid plans $5–$15) are computed from the structured facts on those listings — this page exists only because the underlying data clears the density gate.
All picks at a glance
All 9 compared on one screen. Pick a row to jump to the full entry.
The ranking
Editor’s pick
#1
Aider
Open-source AI pair programming in your terminal, free under Apache 2.0, built to run against 14 LLM providers
Best forLowest-friction path to a local or open model
The lowest-friction path to an open model: point Aider's CLI at any OpenAI-compatible endpoint (Ollama, OpenRouter, a local server) with one config line.
- #2
Cline
The open-source coding agent. Bring your own key. Runs in your editor, terminal, and as an SDK, with optional ClinePass for flat-rate open-model access.
- #3
Juggler
A free, open-source visual workbench for AI coding agents: each session is an editable Yjs tree, not a transcript. Single Go binary, no Electron, by the creator of JUCE.
Choose Juggler if you want a visual, branching session view over an open-model agent rather than a linear terminal transcript.
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Junie
JetBrains' own AI coding agent. Plans before it codes, drives the real IDE debugger, runs across the JetBrains IDE family plus a standalone CLI. Free 30-day Pro trial; Pro from $10/month.
- #5
Kilo Code
Open source AI coding agent for VS Code, JetBrains, CLI, and Cloud with 500+ models and no markup
- #6
OpenAI Codex CLI
OpenAI's open-source (Apache-2.0) terminal coding agent, bundled into ChatGPT plans from Free through Pro — Business seats are grandfathered-only.
- #7
OpenCode
A free, open-source (MIT) AI coding agent for the terminal, desktop and IDE, with 75+ model providers, built-in subscription login, and a tested model marketplace behind it.
Choose OpenCode if you want the widest provider list (75+, including local Ollama) and a desktop/IDE option, not just a CLI.
- #8
Zed
The open-source, GPU-native code editor built from scratch by Atom's creators — runs Claude Code, Codex and other agents via the Agent Client Protocol it created.
- #9
Zot
A free, MIT-licensed coding-agent harness in one Go binary. Branch any session from any past message, run 30+ model providers from one catalog, and DM the agent from Telegram.
Choose Zot if you want the smallest possible footprint — one static Go binary with 30+ providers built in, no separate install steps.
Side by side
All 9 compared. Scroll the table sideways, the fact column stays pinned →
| Feature | Aider | Cline | Juggler | Junie | Kilo Code | OpenAI Codex CLI | OpenCode | Zed | Zot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Open-source AI pair programming in your terminal, free under Apache 2.0, built to run against 14 LLM providers | The open-source coding agent. Bring your own key. Runs in your editor, terminal, and as an SDK, with optional ClinePass for flat-rate open-model access. | A free, open-source visual workbench for AI coding agents: each session is an editable Yjs tree, not a transcript. Single Go binary, no Electron, by the creator of JUCE. | JetBrains' own AI coding agent. Plans before it codes, drives the real IDE debugger, runs across the JetBrains IDE family plus a standalone CLI. Free 30-day Pro trial; Pro from $10/month. | Open source AI coding agent for VS Code, JetBrains, CLI, and Cloud with 500+ models and no markup | OpenAI's open-source (Apache-2.0) terminal coding agent, bundled into ChatGPT plans from Free through Pro — Business seats are grandfathered-only. | A free, open-source (MIT) AI coding agent for the terminal, desktop and IDE, with 75+ model providers, built-in subscription login, and a tested model marketplace behind it. | The open-source, GPU-native code editor built from scratch by Atom's creators — runs Claude Code, Codex and other agents via the Agent Client Protocol it created. | A free, MIT-licensed coding-agent harness in one Go binary. Branch any session from any past message, run 30+ model providers from one catalog, and DM the agent from Telegram. |
| Pricing | Free (Apache 2.0) / forever | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free | $0 / forever | Free |
| API | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Tags |
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This ranking
- 9 agents ranked
- 6 of 8 with known API status offer an API
- paid plans $5-$15
- 8 free or freemium
- verified August 24, 2026
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