Compare/Reviewed 14 Nov 2026
Use this, not that: terminal coding agents
These agents edit a repo from the terminal. The practical pick is usually the model family you already pay for — plus whether the project is still shipping.
First pick
Claude Code
Use Claude Code if you already subscribe to Claude Pro ($17/mo annual or $20 monthly), Max, Ultra, or Team, or will pay API rates. It is the most straightforward paid terminal/desktop agent in this set. It is not on Claude Free.
Use this, not that
Claude Code
Use this when
You already pay for a Claude plan (or will), and you want the official Anthropic agent in the terminal or desktop app.
Not that when
You only have a Claude Free account, or you are standardized on ChatGPT / Gemini billing.
OpenAI Codex
Use this when
You already pay for ChatGPT Plus ($20), Pro ($100), or Business ($20/user/mo annual, 2+ seats). The CLI is also open source.
Not that when
You are not in the OpenAI/ChatGPT billing family and do not want another subscription.
Gemini CLI
Use this when
You want an open-source Gemini agent and are already in Google’s AI ecosystem.
Not that when
You need a long-term paid IDE assistant SKU: official docs say Gemini Code Assist Standard/Enterprise are no longer for new purchase as of 9 Oct 2026, with agentic work moving to Antigravity.
Aider
Use this when
You already know Aider’s git-native workflow and are happy bringing your own keys.
Not that when
You want a project with very recent tagged releases. The latest tag we found was v0.86.0 on 9 Aug 2025. Prefer Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, or Goose if freshness matters.
Related use case: Run a coding agent in the terminal