Which AI tools for terminal coding agents are free?

OpenAI Codex (limited free tier), Devin (limited free tier), OpenCode (free), Harness (free), buddylist (free) and Recursive Flint (free). Claude Code, Gemini CLI and RunInfra don't have a free tier.

Which has the cheapest paid plan?

Of the prices we could read on official pricing pages, RunInfra starts lowest at $10/mo Starter coding plan (about $12 of usage a month). We couldn't verify a price for Gemini CLI.

How did you check these free tiers?

We compared all 9 free-tier notes on this page against each tool's official pricing page, or another official page, most recently on Oct 22, 2026. Each checked tool links to the page we used.

Which tool should I pick?

Claude Code is the pick for multi-file autonomous changes. OpenAI Codex is for multi-step coding tasks. Gemini CLI is for teams already paying for the Gemini API or Code Assist. See the full list below.

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Coding agents (terminal)

Best AI tools for terminal coding agents

9 tools for builders and vibe coders. Filter by what you're willing to pay.

Our shortlist for terminal coding agents is Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Gemini CLI, Devin, OpenCode, Harness, RunInfra, buddylist and Recursive Flint. 6 of the 9 have a free plan or free tier, and we checked all 9 free-tier notes against official pricing pages or other official pages. If you want to start for free, try OpenCode, Harness, buddylist and Recursive Flint first.

OpenAI Codex, one of the 9 tools here. Screenshot of its homepage, Oct 20, 2026.

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Claude Code (opens in a new tab)
Anthropic's agentic coding tool for terminal/IDE
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Good for multi-file autonomous changes
Pricing Claude Free plan doesn't include Claude Code; needs Pro ($20/month) or API credits
Pricing details & sources
Checked Oct 21, 2026 on the official pricing page for Claude Code (opens in a new tab).
Paid onlyPricing checked · Oct 21, 2026 · source for Claude Code's pricing (opens in a new tab)$20/mo, or $17/mo billed annually
OpenAI Codex (opens in a new tab)
OpenAI's coding agent for CLI, IDE and cloud
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Good for multi-step coding tasks
Pricing ChatGPT Free includes Codex for quick tasks in the desktop app (subject to rollout); the CLI needs Plus ($20/month) or a pay-as-you-go API key
Pricing details & sources
Checked Oct 21, 2026 on the official pricing page for OpenAI Codex (opens in a new tab).
Limited free tierPricing checked · Oct 21, 2026 · source for OpenAI Codex's pricing (opens in a new tab)$20/mo Plus for the CLI; Free and Go ($8/mo) cover the desktop app only
Gemini CLI (opens in a new tab)
Google's open-source terminal coding agent
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Good for teams already paying for the Gemini API or Code Assist
Pricing Since Jun 18, 2026 Gemini CLI no longer serves free personal Google accounts or Google AI Pro/Ultra plans. It still works with a paid Gemini API key or a Code Assist Standard/Enterprise license. Google now points individuals to Antigravity CLI
Pricing details & sources
Checked Oct 14, 2026 on Google's developer blog for Gemini CLI (opens in a new tab).
Paid onlyPricing checked · Oct 14, 2026 · source for Gemini CLI's pricing (opens in a new tab)n/a
Devin (opens in a new tab)
Cognition's autonomous software engineer agent
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Good for delegating tickets
Pricing Free $0: light agent quota, limited models; Pro $20/month
Pricing details & sources
Checked Oct 13, 2026 on the official pricing page for Devin (opens in a new tab).
Limited free tierPricing checked · Oct 13, 2026 · source for Devin's pricing (opens in a new tab)$20/mo lowest paid tier
OpenCode (opens in a new tab)
Open-source coding agent for the terminal, desktop or IDE that works with almost any AI model
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Good for people who want to switch models without switching tools
Pricing Open source and free to use, with some free models included; bring your own key or existing ChatGPT/Copilot plan for others
Pricing details & sources
Checked Oct 15, 2026 on its homepage for OpenCode (opens in a new tab).
Security note, Oct 2026 OpenCode reported a security breach in its hosted OpenCode Console that exposed API keys some users had stored there, and emailed affected users to replace their keys. Its co-founder said the open-source app and command-line tool weren't affected. Source: TechCrunch, Oct 19, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
FreePricing checked · Oct 15, 2026 · source for OpenCode's pricing (opens in a new tab)Free; optional Go model plan $10/mo, or pay-as-you-go Zen credits from $20
Harness (opens in a new tab)
Free, open-source app that puts Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and other coding agents from all your machines in one window, each on its own branch
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Good for keeping track of several agents across your laptop, a home server and cloud boxes
Pricing Free download for Mac and Linux, plus iOS and Android apps. Model usage comes from your own Claude, Codex or other accounts
Pricing details & sources
Checked Oct 16, 2026 on its product page for Harness (opens in a new tab).
FreePricing checked · Oct 16, 2026 · source for Harness's pricing (opens in a new tab)Free; you pay for your own agent plans
RunInfra (opens in a new tab)
Hosted open models (GLM, DeepSeek, Qwen and more) with plans you plug into Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and other coding agents
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Good for running your coding agent on low-cost open models
Pricing $1 of free credit to test the model APIs; then coding plans from $10/month or pay-as-you-go top-ups from $5
Pricing details & sources
Checked Oct 20, 2026 on the official pricing page for RunInfra (opens in a new tab).
Trial onlyPricing checked · Oct 20, 2026 · source for RunInfra's pricing (opens in a new tab)$10/mo Starter coding plan (about $12 of usage a month); pay as you go from a $5 top-up
buddylist (opens in a new tab)
Free desktop app that puts Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, OpenCode and Hermes in a messenger-style buddy list, each agent on its own git branch
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Good for running several coding agents on one project without them stepping on each other
Pricing Free download for Mac (Apple Silicon), Windows and Linux; each agent uses your own Claude, Codex, Gemini, OpenCode or Hermes account
Pricing details & sources
Checked Oct 20, 2026 on its homepage for buddylist (opens in a new tab).
FreePricing checked · Oct 20, 2026 · source for buddylist's pricing (opens in a new tab)Free; agents run on your own accounts and plans
Recursive Flint (opens in a new tab)
Free open-weight coding model that runs on your own computer through tools like Ollama, LM Studio or llama.cpp
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Good for private, offline coding on your own machine
Pricing Free open weights under Apache 2.0. You run it on your own hardware; Recursive tested it on an M4 Pro MacBook Pro and an NVIDIA RTX Spark
Pricing details & sources
Checked Oct 22, 2026 on its model card on Hugging Face for Recursive Flint (opens in a new tab).
FreePricing checked · Oct 22, 2026 · source for Recursive Flint's pricing (opens in a new tab)Free (open weights, Apache 2.0)

How to choose

Start with what you're willing to pay. OpenCode, Harness, buddylist and Recursive Flint are tagged free or generous free tier. OpenAI Codex and Devin have a limited free tier. Claude Code, Gemini CLI and RunInfra need a trial or a paid plan.

Where we could read a price on the official pricing page, the lowest paid plans start at: Claude Code $20/mo, or $17/mo billed annually; OpenAI Codex $20/mo Plus for the CLI; Devin $20/mo; RunInfra $10/mo Starter coding plan (about $12 of usage a month). Prices change often, and we don't always know whether a figure is billed monthly or annually, so confirm on the tool's site.

Claude Code is the pick for multi-file autonomous changes: Anthropic's agentic coding tool for terminal/IDE. Free tier: Claude Free plan doesn't include Claude Code; needs Pro ($20/month) or API credits.
OpenAI Codex is for multi-step coding tasks: OpenAI's coding agent for CLI, IDE and cloud. Free tier: ChatGPT Free includes Codex for quick tasks in the desktop app (subject to rollout); the CLI needs Plus ($20/month) or a pay-as-you-go API key.
Gemini CLI is for teams already paying for the Gemini API or Code Assist: Google's open-source terminal coding agent. Free tier: since Jun 18, 2026 Gemini CLI no longer serves free personal Google accounts or Google AI Pro/Ultra plans. It still works with a paid Gemini API key or a Code Assist Standard/Enterprise license. Google now points individuals to Antigravity CLI.
Devin is for delegating tickets: Cognition's autonomous software engineer agent. Free tier: free $0: light agent quota, limited models; Pro $20/month.
OpenCode is for people who want to switch models without switching tools: open-source coding agent for the terminal, desktop or IDE that works with almost any AI model. Free tier: open source and free to use, with some free models included; bring your own key or existing ChatGPT/Copilot plan for others.
Harness is for keeping track of several agents across your laptop, a home server and cloud boxes: free, open-source app that puts Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and other coding agents from all your machines in one window, each on its own branch. Free tier: free download for Mac and Linux, plus iOS and Android apps. Model usage comes from your own Claude, Codex or other accounts.
RunInfra is for running your coding agent on low-cost open models: hosted open models (GLM, DeepSeek, Qwen and more) with plans you plug into Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and other coding agents. Free tier: $1 of free credit to test the model APIs; then coding plans from $10/month or pay-as-you-go top-ups from $5.
buddylist is for running several coding agents on one project without them stepping on each other: free desktop app that puts Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, OpenCode and Hermes in a messenger-style buddy list, each agent on its own git branch. Free tier: free download for Mac (Apple Silicon), Windows and Linux; each agent uses your own Claude, Codex, Gemini, OpenCode or Hermes account.
Recursive Flint is for private, offline coding on your own machine: free open-weight coding model that runs on your own computer through tools like Ollama, LM Studio or llama.cpp. Free tier: free open weights under Apache 2.0. You run it on your own hardware; Recursive tested it on an M4 Pro MacBook Pro and an NVIDIA RTX Spark.

Most-Starred Claude Code Skills on GitHub (2026), Counted

Prefer an editor to a terminal agent? See 6 Cursor alternatives and what they cost.

Free tiers last checked Oct 22, 2026 against each tool's official pricing page, or another official page (linked on each tool). Prices change often, so confirm on the tool's site.

Questions

Which AI tools for terminal coding agents are free?: OpenAI Codex (limited free tier), Devin (limited free tier), OpenCode (free), Harness (free), buddylist (free) and Recursive Flint (free). Claude Code, Gemini CLI and RunInfra don't have a free tier.
Which has the cheapest paid plan?: Of the prices we could read on official pricing pages, RunInfra starts lowest at $10/mo Starter coding plan (about $12 of usage a month). We couldn't verify a price for Gemini CLI.
How did you check these free tiers?: We compared all 9 free-tier notes on this page against each tool's official pricing page, or another official page, most recently on Oct 22, 2026. Each checked tool links to the page we used.
Which tool should I pick?: Claude Code is the pick for multi-file autonomous changes. OpenAI Codex is for multi-step coding tasks. Gemini CLI is for teams already paying for the Gemini API or Code Assist. See the full list below.

Disclosure: some links on StackDrop are affiliate links. If you sign up or buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Tools in a "Featured" box labeled Sponsored are paid placements. They're shown separately from our regular listings. How we choose and order tools.

9 tools for terminal coding agents

How to choose

Questions