ToolRankBest AI coding tools that work with local models
Updated 16 Oct 2026 · Prices from vendor pages only · How we rank →
The short answer
Each of these tools can use locally run models. Zed comes first: a very fast native editor that's free forever with your own keys or external agents like Claude Agent and Codex CLI. Pro is a low $10/month. The cheapest verified paid plan here is Zed Pro ($10/month). 5 of the 5 have a free plan we could confirm. Every price below is from the vendor’s own page, checked 16 Oct 2026.
Ranked shortlist
- Zed: A very fast native editor that's free forever with your own keys or external agents like Claude Agent and Codex CLI. Pro is a low $10/month. Plan: Personal: $0
Own keys or external agents - Aider: Free and open source (Apache-2.0). Works with almost any LLM, including local ones, maps your whole codebase and commits each change to git so it's easy to undo. Plan: Free, open source: you pay only your LLM provider
- Kilo Code: Open-source coding agent for VS Code and JetBrains. Plan: Free & Open Source: Free
- Dyad: Free, local, open-source app builder; bring your own model keys. Plan: Dyad Free: Free
- Continue: Ranked low because it is discontinued. Continue was acquired by Cursor, its repo is read-only, and 2.0.0 was the last release. The open-source extension still runs with your own keys or local models. Plan: Open-source extension (Apache-2.0), self-run with your own model keys
Order follows ToolRank’s editorial ranking in Coding & App Building, filtered to tools that fit this page. Anything we couldn’t confirm on a vendor page says “Not yet verified”.
Side by side
| Rank | Tool | Relevant plan | Starting price | Free plan | Best for | Main limitation | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Zed | Personal: $0 Own keys or external agents | $10/month (Pro) | Personal: free forever, unlimited with your own API keys or external agents | Developers who want a fast native editor and a choice of AI (Zed-hosted, own keys or external agents) | Hosted AI beyond Pro's $5 of included tokens is billed at API list price plus 10%. SSO/SAML isn't available yet on Business. | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #2 | Aider | Free, open source: you pay only your LLM provider | Not yet verified | Free, open source: you pay only your LLM provider | Terminal users who want a free, model-agnostic pair programmer with clean git history | You bring and pay for your own model API, and there's no GUI. The GitHub repo had its last push on 22 May 2026, so check the release cadence before you rely on it. | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #3 | Kilo Code | Free & Open Source: Free | $15/user/month (Teams) | Free and open source; AI usage billed separately | Open-source coding agent with any model | Model usage costs extra | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #4 | Dyad | Dyad Free: Free | $20/month (Dyad Pro) | Dyad Free: free, open-source desktop app | Building apps locally with any model | Desktop app only | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #5 | Continue | Open-source extension (Apache-2.0), self-run with your own model keys | Not yet verified | Open-source extension (Apache-2.0), self-run with your own model keys | Existing users who want a frozen, self-run open-source assistant with their own models | Discontinued: no further updates or fixes and the hosted services are gone. Treat it as frozen software. | 16 Oct 2026 |
Prices as listed by each vendor on the last-checked date, USD, before tax. Plans and limits change, so follow the sources below.
Who should pick which
Pick Zed for developers who want a fast native editor and a choice of AI (Zed-hosted, own keys or external agents) (Personal: $0); think twice if you depend on the VS Code or JetBrains extension ecosystems. Pick Aider for terminal users who want a free, model-agnostic pair programmer with clean git history (free plan: Free, open source: you pay only your LLM provider); think twice if you want a polished IDE, a hosted service, or one bundled subscription. Pick Kilo Code for open-source coding agent with any model (Free & Open Source: Free). Watch out: model usage costs extra. Pick Dyad for building apps locally with any model (Dyad Free: Free). Watch out: desktop app only. Pick Continue for existing users who want a frozen, self-run open-source assistant with their own models (free plan: Open-source extension (Apache-2.0), self-run with your own model keys); think twice if you need a maintained tool. Look at Cline, or at Cursor, which acquired Continue.
FAQ
Which of these is cheapest?
Zed Pro ($10/month) is the lowest paid price we verified on this list (https://zed.dev/pricing, checked 16 Oct 2026). Check the vendor page for tax, billing period and usage limits.
Which of these have a free plan?
Zed: Personal: free forever, unlimited with your own API keys or external agents; Aider: Free, open source: you pay only your LLM provider; Kilo Code: Free and open source; AI usage billed separately; Dyad: Dyad Free: free, open-source desktop app; Continue: Open-source extension (Apache-2.0), self-run with your own model keys.
How were these tools chosen?
They are the tools in ToolRank's rankings with local models or Ollama listed by the vendor, confirmed on the vendor's own website on 16 Oct 2026. Tools we could not verify are left out rather than guessed, and anything unconfirmed is marked Not yet verified.
Sources
- Zed: Zed pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Aider: Aider homepage checked 16 Oct 2026
- Aider: Aider GitHub repository checked 16 Oct 2026
- Kilo Code: Kilo Code pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Dyad: Dyad pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Continue: continue.dev: Continue was acquired by Cursor checked 16 Oct 2026
- Continue: Continue GitHub README (read-only, final 2.0.0 release) checked 16 Oct 2026
Related comparisons
Profiles: Zed · Aider · Kilo Code · Dyad · Continue
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