I want a ai coding agent that is free , Because I don't have the money to buy any sort of subscription , something like a local model and open code would work.

As there are amazing coding agents like Claude Code, Gemini Codex are available, what is the best available that is free, and of course, will get the work done like:
Checking codes in GitHub repos.
projects.

Asking this question here as this is the biggest AI community in my knowledge if someone knows a better place, then please let me know.

I wanna know which free AI tool is well suit to help me code for game development, since I'm broke and Brazilian, so any price tag for subscriptions are 6 times more expensive for me.

I have used Claude, Google Gemini, Google AI studio & ChatGPT for coding python and html and etc. I found Google AI studio to be the best one and Google Gemini pro 2nd best, but Gemini doesn't clearly understand what you want to say, it also does things itself without you noticing. Claude understands you best too but it's not free so you'll use up your credits and you'll need to shift your project to other ai which is bad and time taking. While ChatGPT is the poor one it understands you and also builds code up fast but for debugging solving errors it's the poor one for that. Gemini, Google AI Studio& Claude are best for solving errors. If you are a programmer and want free ai go with Google AI studio ( it too has limits but they are enough for you to code for 4-5 hours straight & they reset daily ). If you want simple html landing pages with best interface and ui go with Claude. You can use ChatGPT for only ideas later asking it for prompt for that project idea and shift to other ai.

I'm looking to use AI to code and run simulations (obviously not video game stuff just raw code and data) to collect data for a game im creating since people on Fiverr are useless and won't respond.

Whats the best one that will be cheap and or free without crazy time or prompt restrictions? I've never used AI or ceded anything before so I'm sure it will a few tries to get it right

EDIT: Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I use o1 and got it done in about an hour and a half!

I'm looking to set up an AI-assisted coding workflow but I'm working with basically no budget. I've been researching some options but would love to hear from people with actual experience.

Tools I'm considering:

• Windsurf (free tier) - seems promising but not sure about limitations

• Aider AI with local LLM - heard good things but setup seems complex

• Continue.dev - open source, works with VS Code

• Kilocode AI - newer option, not sure about pricing

• Any other recommendations?

What I'm looking for:

• Code completion and suggestions

• Ability to chat about code/debug issues

• Refactoring assistance

• Minimal setup complexity preferred

Questions:

1. Which of these have you actually used and what was your experience?

2. Are there other free options I'm missing?

3. What does a typical budget AI coding workflow look like in practice?

4. Any major limitations I should be aware of with free tiers?

I'm not looking for enterprise solutions or anything requiring a team - just a solo developer trying to be more productive without breaking the bank.

Thanks for any insights!

I’m trying to find a solid AI coding assistant that works inside the IDE so I don’t have to jump back and forth copying code into a chat window. Ideally something that works with a free or local model, but still handles project context decently.

I know VS Code has things like agent modes and extensions, but does anyone here use them with free models like DeepSeek or Qwen? Do they actually handle multi-file reasoning or is it still pretty limited?

Also curious how newer tools compare — stuff like Cline, Roo, or even Firebase Studio. And for JetBrains users, has anyone found a lightweight assistant that runs well without needing Copilot? I’ve been testing Sweep AI because it plugs right into the IDE and feels fast, but I’m not sure yet how it compares long-term to the VS Code agent setups.

What free or local AI agents are you all using that actually hold up day-to-day?

As a new coder, I've been getting some mediocre assistance from GPT 3.5, Claude, and Bard, but just learned about Meta's CodeLlama. I haven't tried it yet but I'm wondering if anyone knows if it's more accurate or if there's something even better that's available for free.

Hey everyone,
I’m looking for a completely free AI coding assistant or tool — something I can use without paying anything, not even small fees or trial-based credits.
I don’t mind if its performance isn’t perfect or as advanced as paid tools like Copilot or ChatGPT. I just want something that can help me with coding suggestions, debugging, or generating snippets without any cost involved.

If you know any good open-source or fully free options, please share!

Thanks in advance

So I've been using ChatGPT for coding help for a while now, works decent enough. Then I keep seeing people mention Blackbox AI specifically for programming and I'm curious if it's actually better or just hyped up.

I've also tried Claude a bit and honestly it seems pretty good at explaining code, maybe even better than GPT for some things? But then there's also Copilot which is built into VS Code so that's convenient.

I'm not trying to pay for like 5 different AI subscriptions though. Just want to know what people actually use day-to-day for coding.

From what I can tell:

• chatgpt is good all-around but sometimes gives outdated code

• Blackbox is supposed to be coding-focused but idk if that actually matters

• Claude seems smarter for complex logic but I'm on the free tier so limited messages

• Copilot is handy but the autocomplete can be hit or miss

For people who've actually used multiple ones, is there a clear winner? Or are they all basically the same and it doesn't really matter?

Also does Blackbox have the chat history thing where you can search old conversations? That's honestly one of my favorite features in ChatGPT and I'd miss it.

I know this question gets asked a lot, but AI tools keep evolving like every other week. So I'll state my case

I’ve been working on some hobby projects, in Python using VS Code. I’ve tried ChatGPT, copilot, cosine, claude for coding help. They’re great for smaller stuff, but once the project gets complex, they start to struggle losing context, giving half-baked fixes, or just straight-up breaking things that were working fine before.

They'll probably perform better if I have a paid version but I don't want to spend money if there are free alternatives I could use.

Suggest me something that can read my entire codebase and give responses based on it not just a few snippets at a time.

I’ve been programming since before the AI boom, and it feels like we’ve reached a point where most developers incorporate AI into their work in one way or another. I’m currently building a full-stack website and wanted to ask: what’s the best AI coding assistant/engine out there right now? I know GitHub Copilot is often considered one of the top choices, but I’d like to hear your thoughts.

Are there any free coding IDE’s where you can interact with llm’s and edit code in the same place. Everything I’ve seen on here seems like there’s a price attached.

Bard ? Chatgpt? Or sth else?

I tried Chat GPT but it only allows you to ask a few questions a day

I Tried DeepSeek but the servers are busy and crashes 70% of the time.

If none is really free is there a very cheap alternative?

Hey, what’s is currently the best AI tool for coding (build code from scratch)?

I tried replit, ChatGPT - both in combination and also Gemini but I am not very happy with any of those tools. I am a non coder, and sometimes they stuck in a bug loop, and I have to tell them how to solve it (cause the solution is so obvious)

Trying to find an AI which can code more reliable and “smart” without producing huge bugs for the simplest things.

Hey everyone,

I’m pretty new to coding and I’ve been using AI to help with my assignments and also to learn. I used ChatGPT for my first assignment, but sometimes it feels like the answers are a bit surface level or not always the most optimal solution.

Since I’m still learning, I’m looking for something that gives accurate code and explains things properly in depth, not just quick or shallow explanations. I want to actually understand the logic behind the code, not just copy something that might be wrong.

So I’d really like to hear from people here who actually code a lot and have experience with these tools — which AI do you think is the best for coding right now? Especially one that gives reliable results and deeper explanations.

Would really appreciate any suggestions!

I'd want it to be integrated into an IDE so no copy paste is needed.

e.g. Vscode's Copilot agent mode - does it work with a free model like Gemini 2.5? Does it work with Qwen3/Deepseek?

the other new choice seems to be Firebase Studio, is it the same results as AI studio?

what about cline/roo etc in Vscode, again using with a free llm option?

Hello everyone! I would like to ask, are there any good AI that I can use to vibe coding? I am looking for free solution, as I don’t have too much money for now. I am looking for something that actually works. I just want to use AI to do the foundation of the code and I will do the rest.

I also prefer if it is accessible through the web, so I can use it on the go.