# Aider: how AI models rank it, September 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition. Named in 12 judge labels across 1 categories by 8 of 12 models. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/vendors/aider/

## Standing by category

| Category | Share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI coding assistants | 2% | 6 | 17% | 12 |

## What the models said for it

- "starting with Cline (or Aider) if you want an autonomous agent at zero cost" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, AI coding)
- "The cheapest AI coding assistants are free, open-source tools — Aider, Cline, and opencode" (Claude Haiku 4.5, AI coding)
- "a terminal agent for deep repo work (Claude Code or Aider)" (Claude Haiku 4.5, AI coding)
- "for terminal-centric teams, Aider is worth evaluating" (Mistral Small, AI coding)

## And against it

- "Be especially cautious with agentic tools that inherit your shell permissions" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, AI coding)
- "Cline / RooCode / Aider (open-source terminal agents) ... Why be cautious" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, AI coding)

## Record

- Method: https://it-ai-index.com/methodology/
- Raw judge labels and full responses: https://it-ai-index.com/data/
- License: CC BY 4.0. Cite as IT AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition, it-ai-index.com.