Aider vs Bolt: Side-by-Side Comparison 2026
Aider vs Bolt comparison 2026. Side-by-side features, pricing & capabilities.
| Feature | Aider | Bolt |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Agent | Builder |
| Starting Price | Free | Free |
| Model Family | Multi-model (any) | Claude |
| Context Window | Depends on model | 200K (via Claude) |
| Code Completion | ✗ | ✗ |
| Chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| Inline Editing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Agentic Mode | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-File Editing | ✓ | ✓ |
| Terminal Commands | ✓ | ✓ |
| Browser Use | ✗ | ✗ |
| Test Generation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Debugging | ✓ | ✓ |
| Refactoring | ✓ | ✓ |
| Code Review | ✗ | ✗ |
| PR Review | ✗ | ✗ |
| Documentation | ✗ | ✗ |
| Image to Code | ✗ | ✗ |
| Voice Input | ✓ | ✗ |
| App Generation | ✗ | ✓ |
| Deployment | ✗ | ✗ |
| Git Integration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Supported IDEs | Terminal (editor-agnostic) | Bolt (browser-based IDE) |
| Open Source | Yes (Apache 2.0) | No |
Pricing verified 2026-02-05. Aider pricing | Bolt pricing
Overview
Aider is ai agent from Paul Gauthier (Open Source). Bolt is app builder from StackBlitz. Both tools are actively maintained as of 2026.
Aider: What You Get
Open-source CLI tool for AI pair programming. Works with OpenAI, Claude, and other models to edit code in your local git repo.
- Git-aware editing
- Multi-file editing
- Model agnostic
- Voice coding
- Image support
- Linting integration
Pricing: Free. 1 plan available.
Models: Claude 3.5 Sonnet, GPT-4o, GPT-4, Gemini, DeepSeek, Groq, local (Ollama), any OpenAI-compatible
Bolt: What You Get
Browser-based AI app builder by StackBlitz that generates, runs, and deploys full-stack web applications from natural language prompts.
- Full-stack generation
- In-browser IDE
- One-click deploy
- Package management
- Live preview
Pricing: Free / $20/mo. 5 plans available.
Models: Claude 3.5 Sonnet
Key Differences
- Category: Aider is ai agent, Bolt is app builder.
- Model family: Aider uses Multi-model (any); Bolt uses Claude.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Aider if you want Fully open-source with transparent development. Choose Bolt if you want Go from idea to deployed app in minutes. Both tools are strong options — the right choice depends on your workflow and priorities.
Stay in the loop
Get weekly insights on the best AI coding tools, tips, and tutorials.
Newsletter coming soon. Unsubscribe anytime.