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Build & Ship · Vibe Coding & App Builders

AI Code Editors

8 paid against 5 free you can run yourself.

Paid against free › Build & Ship › Vibe Coding & App Builders › AI Code Editors · Coding agents and dev tools on Repo Radar

AI code editors are editors and IDEs where AI is built into everyday coding: chat about the code, tab completion that predicts your next edit, and agents that change several files and run commands without leaving the editor. The paid options differ in which models they offer (Cursor now leans on Grok on its cheapest plan, Kiro on Claude), whether they let you bring your own keys or outside agents (Zed, Qoder, JetBrains AI) and how usage is metered. On the open-source side Zed and Visual Studio Code are full editors with AI built in, while Eclipse Theia and OpenSumi are frameworks for building your own AI IDE. Marks come from vendor pricing pages, product and AI documentation and project READMEs as of 18 October 2026; nothing was tested hands-on.

Paid 8 reviewed · 5 related

Prices and free tiers as checked, dated on each review.

CCursor

AI coding agent for building ambitious software.

$8free tierKKiro

Agentic development environment for building software with AI agents.

free tierDDevin Desktop

An IDE for managing coding agents locally.

$20free tierZZed

A high-performance, multiplayer code editor with built-in AI and collaboration.

$10free tierQQoder

Agentic coding platform with IDE, JetBrains plugin, CLI, and mobile control.

$20free tierGGoogle Antigravity

Agentic development platform for building software with AI agents.

$19.99free tierJJetBrains Air

JetBrains Air is a system for building software with AI agents.

free tierPPearAI

Open source AI code editor with chat, agent, and no-code creation.

$15free tier

Related paid tools

Their home is another job; they cover part of this one too.

RReplit

AI-powered platform to build, deploy, and manage apps from chat.

$18free tierCClaude

Anthropic's AI assistant for problem solvers, available on web, desktop, and mobile.

$17free tierNNova

Native Mac code editor and IDE from Panic.

free tierWWing Python IDE

A Python IDE for managing AI coding agents with debugging and testing.

free tierSSlickEdit

Cross-platform multi-language code editor for individual developers and teams.

free tier

Free 5 direct · 20 related

Free to use. You run it on your own server.

Direct alternatives

They do this job.

VSmicrosoft/vscode

Visual Studio Code

★ 194kFreeZEzed-industries/zed

Code at the speed of thought – Zed is a high-performance, multiplayer code editor from the creators of Atom and Tree-sitter.

★ 91.9kFreeTHeclipse-theia/theia

Eclipse Theia is a cloud & desktop IDE framework implemented in TypeScript.

★ 21.7kFreeTEcrynta/terax-ai

Lightweight (7MB) terminal-first AI-native development environment

★ 9.3kFreeCOopensumi/core

A framework helps you quickly build AI Native IDE products. MCP Client, supports Model Context Protocol (MCP) tools via MCP server.

★ 3.7kFree

Related alternatives

A second choice: they cover part of this job or are a building block for it.

OPanomalyco/opencode

A coding assistant that runs in a terminal and edits the files in the folder you start it in.

★ 213kFreeOPnexu-io/open-design

The 1st Collaborative AI Design Agent Workspace. Local-first and open source. Create motion, prototypes, websites, apps, dashboards, presentations, images, and videos with your team and AI agents. Share work, exchange feedback, and iterate together in one workspace.

★ 103kFreeOPOpenHands/OpenHands

A self-hosted control screen that runs several coding assistants and shows what each one is doing.

★ 90.8kFreeCLcline/cline

A coding agent that runs inside VS Code or a JetBrains editor, and also as a terminal command.

★ 70.3kFreeI-ayghri/i-have-adhd

A set of instructions that makes a coding assistant put the answer first.

★ 57.5kFreeAIAider-AI/aider

A coding assistant that works in a terminal and commits each change to git.

★ 49.6kFreeJAjanhq/jan

Downloads and runs language models entirely offline as a desktop application, and opens a local server other programs can use.

★ 45kFreeLAlapce/lapce

Lightning-fast and Powerful Code Editor written in Rust

★ 38.9kFreeTATabbyML/tabby

A coding assistant that runs the model on a machine the team controls.

★ 33.9kFreeVSVSCodium/vscodium

binary releases of VS Code without MS branding/telemetry/licensing

★ 33.7kFreeCRcharmbracelet/crush

A terminal program that drives an AI model over the code in the current folder.

★ 28.6kFreeONonlook-dev/onlook

A visual editor for React and Tailwind projects that writes every change back into the source files.

★ 26.9kFreeBIbiomejs/biome

One fast tool that both formats and checks JavaScript, TypeScript, CSS and JSON.

★ 26kFreeCOCodeEditApp/CodeEdit

📝 CodeEdit App for macOS – Elevate your code editing experience. Open source, free forever.

★ 23.1kFreeDYdyad-sh/dyad

A desktop program that builds a web application from a written description, running locally with keys the user supplies.

★ 21.9kFreeINJetBrains/intellij-community

IntelliJ IDEA & IntelliJ Platform

★ 20.6kFreeBOstackblitz-labs/bolt.diy

Turns a written description into a running web application in the browser, with any of more than 22 model providers.

★ 20kFreeZOZoo-Code-Org/Zoo-Code

An editor assistant with several agent modes, continuing a much larger project that was shut down in May 2026.

★ 2kFreeMIJamessdevops/micracode

Open Source Alternative to Lovable, v0, Bolt, Replit, Emergent. 🌟 Star if you like it!

★ 297FreeBUHeyPuter/builder

📦✨ AI Builder For Creating Sites and Apps! An open-source alternative to Lovable, Replit, v0, and similar platforms.

★ 287Free

Feature by feature

Every paid tool and free repository we compared, marked against the same features.

✓has itPartlysome plans or extra work—confirmed not available?not confirmed✓the vendor's claim onlypricingClick a mark for its note and source

Paid · 8Free · 5
Featurezed-industries/zedmicrosoft/vscodeeclipse-theia/theiaopensumi/corecrynta/terax-ai
Starts at$8 per month, billed monthly (Plus; Grok models only)$20 per user per month (Kiro Pro)$20 per month (Pro)$10 per month (Pro)$20 per month (Pro)$19.99 per month (Google AI Pro, from Google's subscriptions page)$100 per user per year (AI Pro), billed yearly$15 per month (Maker, early-bird price)GPL-3.0MITEPL-2.0MITApache-2.0
Assistance
AI chat in the editorAsk questions about the code in a chat panel inside the editor.
Agent modeAn agent edits several files and runs commands from inside the editor.
Tab completion or edit predictionAI suggests the next edit or completes code as you type.
Models
Models from several vendorsChoose models from more than one AI company.
Own API keysUse your own provider API keys instead of bundled usage.
Local modelsRun with local models, for example through Ollama.
Agents
External agentsRun outside agents such as Claude Code, Codex or Gemini inside the editor.
MCP toolsConnect Model Context Protocol servers as tools.
Rules or skillsProject rules, instructions or skills the AI follows.
Cloud or background agentsAgents keep working on remote machines.
Parallel agentsRun several agents at the same time.
Editor
VS Code extension compatibilityUses VS Code extensions because it is VS Code or a fork of it.
Teams
Team admin and SSOOrganisation controls, role-based access or single sign-on.
Pricing
Extra usage at API ratesBuy usage beyond the plan at pay-as-you-go or API rates.
Licence
Open sourceThe editor's source code is published under an open licence.
Pricing
Free plan with AIA free plan that includes some AI features.

Excluded candidates

Looked at, and left out of the comparison, with the reason.

Paid apps

  • GitHub CopilotGitHub Copilot is compared in AI Coding Agents, where it works across many editors. Its home editor, Visual Studio Code, is listed here as the open-source G2.Source
  • TabnineThe Tabnine website now redirects to Tricentis product pages, so there is no self-serve editor plan to compare with the selected tools.Source

Repositories

  • voideditor/voidVoid was an open-source Cursor alternative built on VS Code. The repository is archived, with its last push on 2 June 2026, so it is not a supported choice today.Source
  • trypear/pearai-appThe open-source PearAI app, a VS Code fork, has had no push since 20 May 2025. The paid PearAI service is listed as P8 on the watchlist.Source
  • codestoryai/aideAide was an open-source AI-native IDE. The repository is archived, with its last push on 25 February 2025.Source
  • meltylabs/meltyMelty was a chat-first code editor; it has had no push since 14 November 2024, and its website now redirects to a different product.Source
  • microsoft/vscode-copilot-chatThe Copilot Chat extension's repository is archived because the code moved into the main VS Code repository, which is selected as G2.Source
  • lapce/lapceLapce is a fast code editor written in Rust. Its README describes no AI features, so it does not do the job of an AI code editor.Source
  • CodeEditApp/CodeEditCodeEdit is an open-source native code editor for macOS. Its README describes no AI features, so it does not do the job of an AI code editor.Source
  • JetBrains/intellij-communityThe IntelliJ platform source is published under custom JetBrains Open-Source Build Terms, and its AI comes from the paid JetBrains AI plans compared as P7.Source
  • GCWing/OpenBitFunOpenBitFun is a customisable agent workspace with several agent harness modes. It is an agent workspace rather than a code editor, closer to AI Coding Agents.Source
  • Sylixide/sylixSylix is a free AI code editor in Rust with bring-your-own-key, offered as a Cursor alternative. With two stars it is too early to compare with Zed or VS Code.Source

Gaps

What the research could not settle from the vendors' own pages.

What vendors don't publish

  • Antigravity's pricing page names Google AI Pro and Ultra but gives no prices or rate limits there; the prices come from Google's general subscriptions page and the limits only from an FAQ.Google Antigravity · checked 2026-10-18 · source 1 · source 2
  • Editors meter AI in different units (usage multiples, credits, AI credits, token dollars) without saying how many agent tasks a unit covers, so plans are hard to compare on real work.Cursor, Kiro, Qoder, JetBrains Air · checked 2026-10-18 · source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4
  • Qoder's plan cards mix regular credits with time-limited bonuses (doubled first-month credits, renewal bonuses), so the regular monthly allowance is not stated clearly.Qoder · checked 2026-10-18 · source 1

Where vendor pages disagree

  • Windsurf no longer has its own plans: windsurf.com/editor now redirects to Devin Desktop, and the editor is priced through Devin's plans. Windsurf users must read Devin's page to see their price.Devin Desktop · checked 2026-10-18 · source 1 · source 2

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