An open-source coding agent keeps the repository on your machine and lets you choose the model. That is a different buying question from a hosted seat. The hosted-agent tour stays in AI coding agents that actually write code. This page is Continue, Aider, Cline, and OpenHands, plus a local model when the code cannot leave.
Key takeaway: Pick Continue in the IDE, Aider in the terminal, or Cline when you want an agent that asks before it runs a command. Use OpenHands in a sandbox. Open source does not cancel the model vendor's terms.
Research reviewed: October 30, 2026. This is desk research by the AI Savr editorial team. We did not run a private lab test, and we did not invent scores, traffic numbers, or hands-on results. Confirm live prices on the vendor page before you buy.
What makes a coding agent open source here?
The agent code is available for you to run, and you bring the model. Continue, Aider, and Cline match that pattern. OpenHands is the broader workspace project. A local model from https://ollama.com/ is a model host, not an agent. You still approve the diff. The directory view is coding assistants.
| Need | Start with | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Chat in the editor | Continue | Which model receives the code |
| Edits in the local git repo | Aider | Review every commit |
| An agent inside VS Code | Cline | Approve commands before they run |
| A separate agent workspace | OpenHands | Keep production credentials out |
How the open-source agents split
Continue when you want the IDE
undefined is an open-source assistant for VS Code and JetBrains. You connect a hosted model or a local one, so the choice of where code is sent stays visible.
Choose it when: people want chat and edits in the editor and the company wants to pick the model.
Leave it when: you need a vendor to administer seats and you have already standardized on Copilot or Cursor.
Price and access: Continue is open source. You pay the model provider, or you run a local model from https://ollama.com/. Confirm both licenses before company code is connected.
A real use: Point a pilot group at one repository and one model. Ask for a small refactor and read where the request went before you add a second repo.
Aider when the work is a git diff
undefined is a terminal agent that edits the local repository and can make git commits. The artifact you review is a commit, which is a good fit for people who already live in git.
Choose it when: you want multi-file edits from the command line and you will inspect each commit.
Leave it when: your reviewers only look at a hosted pull-request UI and nobody will read a local commit.
Price and access: Aider is open source. Model calls are billed by the provider you configure. Read https://aider.chat/ for the current setup and license.
A real use: Give Aider one issue and a branch. Inspect the commit message and the diff, then push only the hunks you can explain.
Cline when the agent must ask first
undefined is an open-source VS Code agent that can edit files and run terminal commands. The useful habit is the approval step before a command runs, not a promise that the agent is finished.
Choose it when: you want an in-editor agent and a person will approve file changes and shell commands.
Leave it when: you cannot watch the session. An unattended agent on a laptop with production keys is the wrong pilot.
Price and access: The extension is open source. You pay for the model you connect. Confirm the project license on https://github.com/cline/cline.
A real use: Ask Cline to reproduce a failing test and propose a fix. Approve the test command, then reject any follow-up command that touches deploy credentials.
OpenHands when the task needs a workspace
undefined is an open-source agent project you run as its own workspace. Use it on a branch or a sandbox. It is a poor place to paste production secrets just because the code is public.
Choose it when: you want a broader agent environment and you can isolate it from production systems.
Leave it when: the task is a one-line edit in an IDE. Continue or Aider is the smaller tool.
Price and access: OpenHands is published on GitHub. You still pay for the model, and you host the workspace. Read https://github.com/All-Hands-AI/OpenHands before you install it.
A real use: Run a task against a copy of a repo with no production keys. Compare the resulting patch with the issue, and merge only through your normal review.
A local-agent pilot that stays reviewable
Open source removes a vendor seat. It does not remove review. Use one repository and one model for the first week.
- Pick the surface. IDE chat, terminal commits, VS Code agent, or a separate workspace.
- Choose where the model runs. A hosted API or a local model from Ollama. Write that choice down.
- Strip secrets from the pilot. Use a sample repo or a branch with no production credentials.
- Require a diff. Every accepted change is a commit or a pull request a person can read.
- Stop unapproved commands. If the agent can open a shell, a human approves the command before it runs.
Limits open source does not remove
The agent can still invent an API, delete a test, or send code to a hosted model you did not mean to use. Local inference needs a machine that can run the model. The model license and the agent license are different documents. A public GitHub repo is not a support contract, and it is not permission to skip review on a client repository.
What an engineering manager should allow
Allow one open-source agent on a non-production repo for two weeks. Require a written note of which model saw the code. If the team needs admin controls more than a local setup, go back to the managed comparison in Best AI Coding Assistant in 2026 for Engineering Managers.
Questions worth asking before you buy
Ask which license covers the agent, which license covers the model weights, whether you can run it without sending code off the machine, and who patches the agent when a release breaks. Ask what the pilot will do with a command that needs network access.
For companies that need more than a subscription
Open-source agents are the right start when the blocker is data leaving the building. If that still cannot meet your approval or security rules, talk to AI Savr about a custom AI agent with a named human gate. Do not start there while Continue, Aider, or Cline still covers the edit.
If an off-the-shelf tool cannot meet your data, approval, or security rules, talk to AI Savr about a custom AI agent. Use the directory to compare live tools first, and vendors can submit a product.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best open-source AI coding agent in 2026?
Use Continue in the IDE, Aider for git commits in the terminal, and Cline when you want approvals inside VS Code. Use OpenHands only in a sandbox.
Does open source mean the model is free?
No. The agent can be open source while the model is a paid API or a weight file with its own license.
Can I keep code on my machine?
Yes if you configure a local model, such as one served by Ollama, and you confirm the agent is not also calling a hosted API.
Should an open-source agent merge its own pull requests?
No. A person reviews the diff. The agent can prepare the commit.
How is this different from the hosted agent article?
AI coding agents that actually write code covers hosted agents. This page is for tools you can run with your own model.
Is Ollama a coding agent?
No. Ollama runs models. Pair it with Continue, Aider, Cline, or another agent that edits the repo.