Guide

Free AI Coding Tools That Actually Help (Dec 2025)

A concise list of usable free options for AI coding in December 2025, with clear limits and where they fit.

By AI Coding Tools Directory•2025-12-07•4 min read
Last reviewed: 2025-12-07
ACTD
AI Coding Tools Directory

Editorial Team

The AI Coding Tools Directory editorial team researches, tests, and reviews AI-powered development tools to help developers find the best solutions for their workflows.

Short list (Dec 2025)

  • Aider (CLI, OSS): Free/MIT; BYO keys or local models (Ollama/LM Studio/OpenRouter). Great for git-native refactors and multi-file edits.
  • Continue (VS Code/JetBrains, OSS): Free; BYO/local models; lightweight chat/completions sidebar.
  • Windsurf Free (Codeium): VS Code fork; 25 prompt credits/month plus unlimited tab/inline edits; Cascade/agentic flows; no card.
  • Cursor Free: VS Code fork; small free quota (completions/requests) good for light trials; review diffs before apply.
  • GitHub Copilot (trial/students/OSS): 30-day trial; free for verified students/OSS maintainers; otherwise paid.
  • Claude.ai / ChatGPT Free: Browser chat for small tasks; limited contexts and model access; good for quick snippets/explanations.

What “free” covers (practical)

  • Aider/Continue: $0 with local models; cloud use incurs API cost (your key).
  • Windsurf Free: Credits meter prompt calls; inline/tab is unlimited. Fit: light monthly coding with a full IDE.
  • Cursor Free: Tight quota; fine to test Composer-style workflows before paying.
  • Copilot trial/edu/OSS: Great if you qualify; otherwise plan for paid.
  • Claude.ai/ChatGPT Free: Handy for quick generation/explanations; expect smaller contexts and slower service vs paid.

Picking the right free path

  • Want git-native terminal + local/offline: Aider.
  • Want an OSS sidebar with local or BYO cloud keys: Continue.
  • Want a free VS Code fork with inline + some credits: Windsurf Free.
  • Want to trial a Composer-like VS Code fork briefly: Cursor Free.
  • Student/OSS maintainer: activate Copilot for free.
  • Quick copy/paste in browser: Claude.ai or ChatGPT Free for small snippets.

Tips to stretch free tiers

  • Use local models in Aider/Continue for $0; reserve paid APIs for tough tasks.
  • Keep prompts short and scoped; reuse context instead of re-pasting whole files.
  • In Windsurf/Cursor, use inline completions for small edits and save credits for larger prompts.
  • Always review diffs (Aider commits, Cursor/Windsurf diff views) before applying.

Sources (December 2025)

  • Aider docs: https://aider.chat/docs
  • Continue: https://github.com/continuedev/continue
  • Windsurf pricing: https://codeium.com/pricing
  • Cursor pricing: https://cursor.com/pricing
  • GitHub Copilot plans: https://github.com/features/copilot/plans
  • Claude/ChatGPT free access: provider app pages

Explore more AI coding options (paid and OSS) in our directory.

Tools Mentioned in This Article

Aider

Open-source terminal pair programmer with git-native workflows

Open Source
→

Continue

Open-source, model-agnostic AI coding assistant for VS Code and JetBrains

Open Source
→

Cursor

The AI-first code editor built to make you extraordinarily productive

Freemium
→

GitHub Copilot

AI pair programmer built into GitHub and popular IDEs

Subscription
→

Windsurf

AI-native IDE from Codeium with SWE-1.5 and Fast Context

Paid
→

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s truly free to run long-term?
Aider and Continue (OSS) with local models are $0; you pay only if you use paid APIs. Windsurf Free has fixed credits but unlimited inline.
Is Copilot free?
Only for verified students/OSS maintainers or during a 30-day trial; otherwise paid.
Can I avoid cloud costs?
Yes—use Aider or Continue with local models via Ollama/LM Studio.

Explore More AI Coding Tools

Browse our comprehensive directory of AI-powered development tools, IDEs, and coding assistants.

Browse All Tools
← Back to Blog