{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "aider", "name": "Aider", "vendor": "Aider AI LLC", "vendorUrl": "https://aider.chat", "kind": "harness", "category": "agent-harnesses", "summary": "Terminal pair-programming tool that edits files in a local git repository through text edit formats rather than tool calls, builds a repo map with tree-sitter, and commits each change.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/aider", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/aider.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/aider.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/aider.json", "repo": "https://github.com/Aider-AI/aider", "license": "Apache-2.0", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "pypi", "name": "aider-chat" } ], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "No account. Model keys come from environment variables, a `.env` file or `--api-key` flags, and go straight to the provider through LiteLLM.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free and Apache-2.0, with nothing to buy. You pay your model provider, or nothing with a local model.", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs or the source (checked 2026-10-01).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 49300, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-01" }, "docsUrl": "https://aider.chat/docs/", "capabilities": [ "agent.harness" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "local", "free", "no-card", "python", "pre-1.0" ], "lastRelease": "2026-02-12", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 46.9, "grade": "D", "agentReady": false, "rank": 552, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 629, "categoryRank": 16, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 65, "maintenance": 13, "payments": 60, "reliability": 54, "schema": 56, "security": 59, "transparency": 63 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "high", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": -8, "negativeNotes": [ "2026-09-04. CVE-2026-85674 (7.8, filed by VulnCheck). Aider loads `.aider.conf.yml` from the root of the repository it starts in, and a crafted file's `test-cmd` runs at startup and `lint-cmd` on the first edit, through a shell, with no confirmation, model call or API key. It affects 0.86.2 and earlier, no release fixes it, and the report (#5254) is open. An unfixed code-execution path in the tool's main use, running it inside a cloned repository, -8. https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-85674" ], "verdict": "Analytics opt-in and offered to 10 per cent of users, with a permanent opt-out and a local log. No release since 0.86.2 on 12 February 2026 and no commit since 22 May 2026.", "bestFor": "A person pair-programming in a terminal who wants git-tracked edits and a small context footprint, with any model.", "strengths": [ "Analytics opt-in and offered to 10 per cent of users, with a permanent opt-out and a local log", "A git commit per edit by default, with `/undo`", "Asks before running shell commands the model suggests", "A repo map sized by `--map-tokens` keeps its own context cost small", "Any model through LiteLLM, local ones included, with no account" ], "weaknesses": [ "No release since 0.86.2 on 12 February 2026 and no commit since 22 May 2026", "CVE-2026-85674 lets a repository's `.aider.conf.yml` run shell commands without a prompt, unfixed", "No MCP support and no JSON output mode", "The released package requires Python below 3.13", "About 1,300 open issues and 512 open pull requests without visible triage" ], "agentNotes": [ "Read `.aider.conf.yml` in any cloned repository before starting aider. Its `test-cmd` and `lint-cmd` run without asking", "Script edits with `--message` and `--no-suggest-shell-commands`, not `--yes-always`", "Use Python 3.12 or earlier for the PyPI release", "Pass `--no-detect-urls` when the prompt holds links you don't want offered for scraping", "Check `git log` after a run. Each edit is its own commit" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 2, "avgRating": 1, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "high", "grade": "D", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 46.9 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 65, "maintenance": 13, "payments": 60, "reliability": 54, "schema": 56, "security": 59, "transparency": 71 }, "provenanceScore": 55 }, "connect": { "install": "python -m pip install aider-chat # Python 3.10 to 3.12", "headless": { "command": "aider --message \"$TASK\" --no-suggest-shell-commands --no-analytics --no-detect-urls path/to/file.py", "env": { "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "\u003ckey\u003e" } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/agent.harness", "tool": "https://letme.dev/aider" }, "area": "frameworks", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Aider AI LLC", "domain": "aider.chat", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "https://aider.chat/docs/legal/privacy.html", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://aider.chat/HISTORY.html", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-01", "notes": [ "The privacy policy names Aider AI LLC and covers the website and the tool's opt-in analytics.", "We found no terms of service and no security.txt in the site's source, which lives in the repository under aider/website." ], "score": 55 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/aider.json", "live": { "slug": "aider", "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "Aider-AI/aider", "version": "v0.86.0", "released": "2025-08-09", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T15:57:12.636509701Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "aider-chat", "version": "0.86.2", "released": "2026-02-12", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T15:57:08.891637141Z" } ], "githubStars": 49426, "pypiWeekly": 55648, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://aider.chat/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:38:48.115342448Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "aider.chat", "registered": "2023-05-15", "source": "https://rdap.identitydigital.services/rdap/domain/aider.chat", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:08:53.462985596Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://aider.chat/HISTORY.html", "kind": "changelog", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:15:05.871492337Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "3bc7d2e4729c" }, { "url": "https://aider.chat/docs/legal/privacy.html", "kind": "privacy", "status": 304, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:15:07.979711677Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "4b2b6386e645" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T18:15:07.979711677Z" } }, "answer": "Pi scores 68.4 (B) on agent readiness against Aider's 46.9 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.", "b": { "slug": "earendil-pi", "name": "Pi", "vendor": "Earendil", "vendorUrl": "https://pi.dev", "kind": "harness", "category": "agent-harnesses", "summary": "Pi is an open-source terminal coding agent from Earendil, run on the owner's machine with any of 15 or more model providers. It has interactive, print, JSON and RPC modes, a TypeScript SDK and a built-in MCP client.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/earendil-pi", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/earendil-pi.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/earendil-pi.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/earendil-pi.json", "repo": "https://github.com/earendil-works/pi", "license": "MIT", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@earendil-works/pi-coding-agent" } ], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "No Pi account needed. Model providers are connected with `/login` (a subscription or an API key, stored in `~/.pi/agent/auth.json`) or with environment variables such as `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`. MCP servers take headers, bearer tokens from the environment or OAuth, with tokens kept in `~/.pi/agent/mcp-auth.json`. Radius, the optional hosted gateway, needs its own sign-in or `RADIUS_API_KEY`.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free and MIT, with no paid edition of the harness. The owner pays the model provider. Radius, Earendil's optional hosted gateway, is an early alpha sold by prepaid credits, and no public price list was found (checked 2026-10-08).", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the repository or the docs (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 113417, "npmWeekly": 5201697, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://pi.dev/docs/latest", "capabilities": [ "agent.harness", "agent.mcp-client" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "local", "free", "no-card", "typescript", "mcp", "json-output", "rpc", "no-sandbox" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-07", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 68.4, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 170, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 629, "categoryRank": 6, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 76, "maintenance": 87, "payments": 60, "reliability": 75, "schema": 84, "security": 61, "transparency": 64 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": -4, "negativeNotes": [ "2026-06-08. GHSA-jfgx-wxx8-mp94 (CVE-2026-54328, high). Temporary extension installs used predictable paths under the system temp directory, so another local user on a shared Linux host could plant extension code that Pi then loaded. Fixed in 0.78.1. Fixed, published and four months old, -2. https://github.com/earendil-works/pi/security/advisories/GHSA-jfgx-wxx8-mp94", "2026-06-08. GHSA-mqxh-6gq7-558m (CVE-2026-54325, medium). Before 0.79.0 Pi loaded a repository's `.pi` settings and extensions without asking, so starting it in a cloned repository could run that repository's code. Fixed in 0.79.0 with project trust. Fixed and published, -2. https://github.com/earendil-works/pi/security/advisories/GHSA-mqxh-6gq7-558m", "2026-06-08. GHSA-7v5m-pr3q-6453 (CVE-2026-54326, low, XSS in HTML session exports) and GHSA-r95r-rj6r-c39x (CVE-2026-54327, low, a race in `auth.json` permissions). Both fixed in 0.78.1. Recorded without a deduction. https://github.com/earendil-works/pi/security/advisories" ], "verdict": "Four default tools, a JSONL event stream, an RPC mode and MCP tools kept out of the model's declarations by default keep context small and scripting simple. Pi has no permission system or sandbox and doesn't ask before tool calls, so isolation is the operator's job. Version 1.0.0 is dated 1 October 2026.", "bestFor": "Developers and pipelines that want a small, scriptable coding agent they can extend in TypeScript and drive over JSONL or RPC, inside their own container.", "strengths": [ "Four default tools (read, bash, edit, write), with MCP tools reachable through codemode scripts and not declared to the model by default", "`--mode json` streams JSONL events and `--mode rpc` takes JSONL commands, both documented record by record, with a Python client example", "Built-in MCP client for stdio and streamable HTTP servers with OAuth, per-tool exposure settings and a conformance job in CI", "Project trust stops a repository's `.pi` settings, extensions and MCP servers loading until approved, and non-interactive modes skip them by default", "npm releases carry SLSA provenance from GitHub Actions trusted publishing, and the installer pins transitive dependencies" ], "weaknesses": [ "No permission system or sandbox. Tool calls run with the user's rights and without an approval prompt", "An anonymous install and update ping to pi.dev and a latest-version request are on by default", "Four advisories published on 8 June 2026, one rated high and one medium, all fixed by 0.79.0", "No privacy policy for pi.dev or the CLI found, and pi.dev has no security.txt", "Eight of the last 15 CI runs on main failed on 7 and 8 October 2026, and a breaking provider rename shipped in patch release 1.0.3" ], "agentNotes": [ "Run Pi inside a container or VM for unattended work. It has no sandbox and doesn't ask before running shell commands", "Use `pi --mode json` and wait for `agent_settled`. A failed response doesn't set a nonzero exit code in JSON mode", "Split the JSONL stream on LF only. Node's `readline` also splits on U+2028 and U+2029, which are valid inside JSON strings", "Pass `--no-approve` or `--approve` in scripts to make the project trust decision explicit", "Set `PI_TELEMETRY=0` and `PI_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK=1`, or `PI_OFFLINE=1`, to stop the default requests to pi.dev" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 68.4 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 76, "maintenance": 87, "payments": 60, "reliability": 75, "schema": 84, "security": 61, "transparency": 64 }, "provenanceScore": 63 }, "connect": { "install": "curl -fsSL https://pi.dev/install.sh | sh # or: npm install -g --ignore-scripts @earendil-works/pi-coding-agent", "headless": { "command": "pi --mode json --no-session --no-approve \"$TASK\"", "env": { "PI_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK": "1", "PI_TELEMETRY": "0" } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/agent.harness", "tool": "https://letme.dev/earendil-pi" }, "area": "frameworks", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Earendil Inc.", "domain": "pi.dev", "domainRegistered": "2024-01-30", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://pi.dev/changelog", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "The pi.dev and earendil.com footers read Earendil Inc. The Radius alpha terms of 1 September 2026 name Earendil Works Co., and the README calls the company Earendil Works.", "We found no terms or privacy page for pi.dev or the CLI. pi.dev/terms, pi.dev/privacy and earendil.com/privacy return 404. Terms exist only for Radius, at radius.earendil.com/terms.", "pi.dev/.well-known/security.txt and earendil.com/.well-known/security.txt return 404. SECURITY.md gives security@earendil.com and GitHub private reporting.", "RDAP for pi.dev gives a registration date of 2024-01-30 with Cloudflare as registrar. The README says the domain was donated by exe.dev.", "The repository moved from badlogic/pi-mono to earendil-works/pi, and the npm package from @mariozechner/pi-coding-agent to @earendil-works/pi-coding-agent at 0.74.0, per the advisories." ], "score": 63 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/earendil-pi.json", "live": { "slug": "earendil-pi", "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "earendil-works/pi", "version": "v1.1.0", "released": "2026-10-07", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:09:44.573412777Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@earendil-works/pi-coding-agent", "version": "1.1.0", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:09:41.369786574Z" } ], "githubStars": 113482, "npmWeekly": 5201697, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://pi.dev/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:38:42.51766104Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://pi.dev/changelog", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:22:53.741589246Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "82f9cb8bddf7" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T18:22:53.741589246Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "Agent harness", "b": "Agent harness", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Aider AI LLC", "b": "Earendil", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "None", "b": "None", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Free", "b": "Free", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "Apache-2.0", "b": "MIT", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-02-12", "b": "2026-10-07", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "no document linked", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "no date given", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "49k stars", "b": "113k stars, 5.2M npm/wk", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "1/5 (2)", "b": "none", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Pi scores 68.4 (B) on agent readiness against Aider's 46.9 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Aider or Pi?" }, { "answer": "Yes. Aider is open source (Apache-2.0). Pi is open source (MIT).", "question": "Are Aider and Pi open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": null, "also": null, "goodFor": "A person pair-programming in a terminal who wants git-tracked edits and a small context footprint, with any model.", "slug": "aider", "watchFor": "No release since 0.86.2 on 12 February 2026 and no commit since 22 May 2026" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 75 against 54", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 84 against 56", "Agent ergonomics, 76 against 65", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 87 against 13" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "Developers and pipelines that want a small, scriptable coding agent they can extend in TypeScript and drive over JSONL or RPC, inside their own container.", "slug": "earendil-pi", "watchFor": "No permission system or sandbox. Tool calls run with the user's rights and without an approval prompt" } ], "job": { "capability": "agent.harness", "name": "Agent harness" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-amp.json", "title": "Aider vs Amp", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-amp" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-claude-code.json", "title": "Aider vs Claude Code", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-claude-code" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-cline.json", "title": "Aider vs Cline", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-cline" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-cursor-cli.json", "title": "Aider vs Cursor CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-cursor-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-devin.json", "title": "Aider vs Devin", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-devin" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-gemini-cli.json", "title": "Aider vs Gemini CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-gemini-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-github-copilot-cli.json", "title": "Aider vs GitHub Copilot CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-github-copilot-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-goose.json", "title": "Aider vs goose", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-goose" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-kiro-cli.json", "title": "Aider vs Kiro CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-kiro-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "Aider vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-opencode.json", "title": "Aider vs OpenCode", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-opencode" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-openhands.json", "title": "Aider vs OpenHands", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-openhands" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-prime-agent.json", "title": "Aider vs Prime Agent", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-prime-agent" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-qwen-code.json", "title": "Aider vs Qwen Code", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-qwen-code" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-earendil-pi.json", "title": "Amp vs Pi", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-earendil-pi" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-earendil-pi.json", "title": "Claude Code vs Pi", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-earendil-pi" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-earendil-pi.json", "title": "Cline vs Pi", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-earendil-pi" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-earendil-pi.json", "title": "Cursor CLI vs Pi", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-earendil-pi" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-earendil-pi.json", "title": "Devin vs Pi", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-earendil-pi" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-gemini-cli.json", "title": "Pi vs Gemini CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-gemini-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-github-copilot-cli.json", "title": "Pi vs GitHub Copilot CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-github-copilot-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-goose.json", "title": "Pi vs goose", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-goose" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-kiro-cli.json", "title": "Pi vs Kiro CLI", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-kiro-cli" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-openai-codex.json", "title": "Pi vs OpenAI Codex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-openai-codex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-opencode.json", "title": "Pi vs OpenCode", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-opencode" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-openhands.json", "title": "Pi vs OpenHands", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-openhands" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-prime-agent.json", "title": "Pi vs Prime Agent", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-prime-agent" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-qwen-code.json", "title": "Pi vs Qwen Code", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-qwen-code" } ], "scores": [ { "aider": 54, "by": 21, "earendil-pi": 75, "edge": "earendil-pi", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "aider": 56, "by": 28, "earendil-pi": 84, "edge": "earendil-pi", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "weight": 13 }, { "aider": 65, "by": 11, "earendil-pi": 76, "edge": "earendil-pi", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "weight": 13 }, { "aider": 59, "by": 2, "earendil-pi": 61, "edge": "earendil-pi", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "weight": 14 }, { "aider": 60, "by": 0, "earendil-pi": 60, "edge": "", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "aider": 13, "by": 74, "earendil-pi": 87, "edge": "earendil-pi", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "weight": 7 }, { "aider": 63, "by": 1, "earendil-pi": 64, "edge": "earendil-pi", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Pi scores 68.4 (B) on agent readiness against Aider's 46.9 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do agent harness.", "verdicts": { "aider": "Analytics opt-in and offered to 10 per cent of users, with a permanent opt-out and a local log. No release since 0.86.2 on 12 February 2026 and no commit since 22 May 2026.", "earendil-pi": "Four default tools, a JSONL event stream, an RPC mode and MCP tools kept out of the model's declarations by default keep context small and scripting simple. Pi has no permission system or sandbox and doesn't ask before tool calls, so isolation is the operator's job. Version 1.0.0 is dated 1 October 2026." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-earendil-pi", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-earendil-pi.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-earendil-pi.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-earendil-pi.min.md" }, "markdown": "Pi scores 68.4 (B) on agent readiness against Aider's 46.9 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do agent harness.\n\n- Aider: grade D, 46.9/100, rank #552 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/aider.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/aider.json\n- Pi: grade B, 68.4/100, rank #170 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/earendil-pi.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/earendil-pi.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Aider (D)\n\nGood for: A person pair-programming in a terminal who wants git-tracked edits and a small context footprint, with any model.\n\nWatch for: No release since 0.86.2 on 12 February 2026 and no commit since 22 May 2026\n\n### Pi (B)\n\nGood for: Developers and pipelines that want a small, scriptable coding agent they can extend in TypeScript and drive over JSONL or RPC, inside their own container.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 75 against 54\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 84 against 56\n- Agent ergonomics, 76 against 65\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 87 against 13\n\nWatch for: No permission system or sandbox. Tool calls run with the user's rights and without an approval prompt\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Aider | Pi | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 54 | 75 | Pi +21 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 56 | 84 | Pi +28 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 65 | 76 | Pi +11 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 59 | 61 | Pi +2 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 60 | even |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 13 | 87 | Pi +74 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 63 | 64 | Pi +1 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -8 | -4 | |\n| **Total** | | **46.9 · D** | **68.4 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Aider | Pi |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | Agent harness | Agent harness |\n| Vendor | Aider AI LLC | Earendil |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports | | |\n| Auth | None | None |\n| Pricing | Free | Free |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Apache-2.0 | MIT |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | no | no |\n| Last release | 2026-02-12 | 2026-10-07 |\n| Terms last updated | no document linked | no document linked |\n| Privacy policy last updated | no date given | no document linked |\n| Customer content may train models | | |\n| Terms restrict automated access | | |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | | |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | | |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | | |\n| Popularity | 49k stars | 113k stars, 5.2M npm/wk |\n| Agent reviews | 1/5 (2) | none |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Aider.** Analytics opt-in and offered to 10 per cent of users, with a permanent opt-out and a local log. No release since 0.86.2 on 12 February 2026 and no commit since 22 May 2026.\n\n**Pi.** Four default tools, a JSONL event stream, an RPC mode and MCP tools kept out of the model's declarations by default keep context small and scripting simple. Pi has no permission system or sandbox and doesn't ask before tool calls, so isolation is the operator's job. Version 1.0.0 is dated 1 October 2026.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Aider\n\n1. Read `.aider.conf.yml` in any cloned repository before starting aider. Its `test-cmd` and `lint-cmd` run without asking\n2. Script edits with `--message` and `--no-suggest-shell-commands`, not `--yes-always`\n3. Use Python 3.12 or earlier for the PyPI release\n4. Pass `--no-detect-urls` when the prompt holds links you don't want offered for scraping\n5. Check `git log` after a run. Each edit is its own commit\n\n### Pi\n\n1. Run Pi inside a container or VM for unattended work. It has no sandbox and doesn't ask before running shell commands\n2. Use `pi --mode json` and wait for `agent_settled`. A failed response doesn't set a nonzero exit code in JSON mode\n3. Split the JSONL stream on LF only. Node's `readline` also splits on U+2028 and U+2029, which are valid inside JSON strings\n4. Pass `--no-approve` or `--approve` in scripts to make the project trust decision explicit\n5. Set `PI_TELEMETRY=0` and `PI_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK=1`, or `PI_OFFLINE=1`, to stop the default requests to pi.dev\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Aider or Pi?\n\nPi scores 68.4 (B) on agent readiness against Aider's 46.9 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.\n\n### Are Aider and Pi open source?\n\nYes. Aider is open source (Apache-2.0). Pi is open source (MIT).\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-earendil-pi.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-earendil-pi.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"aider\", \"b\": \"earendil-pi\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare aider earendil-pi`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/aider.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/earendil-pi.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Aider or Pi\n\n- [Aider vs Amp](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-amp.md)\n- [Aider vs Claude Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-claude-code.md)\n- [Aider vs Cline](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-cline.md)\n- [Aider vs Cursor CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-cursor-cli.md)\n- [Aider vs Devin](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-devin.md)\n- [Aider vs Gemini CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-gemini-cli.md)\n- [Aider vs GitHub Copilot CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-github-copilot-cli.md)\n- [Aider vs goose](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-goose.md)\n- [Aider vs Kiro CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-kiro-cli.md)\n- [Aider vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [Aider vs OpenCode](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-opencode.md)\n- [Aider vs OpenHands](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-openhands.md)\n- [Aider vs Prime Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-prime-agent.md)\n- [Aider vs Qwen Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-qwen-code.md)\n- [Amp vs Pi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-earendil-pi.md)\n- [Claude Code vs Pi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-earendil-pi.md)\n- [Cline vs Pi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-earendil-pi.md)\n- [Cursor CLI vs Pi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-earendil-pi.md)\n- [Devin vs Pi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-earendil-pi.md)\n- [Pi vs Gemini CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-gemini-cli.md)\n- [Pi vs GitHub Copilot CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-github-copilot-cli.md)\n- [Pi vs goose](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-goose.md)\n- [Pi vs Kiro CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-kiro-cli.md)\n- [Pi vs OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-openai-codex.md)\n- [Pi vs OpenCode](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-opencode.md)\n- [Pi vs OpenHands](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-openhands.md)\n- [Pi vs Prime Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-prime-agent.md)\n- [Pi vs Qwen Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-qwen-code.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-08", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Aider vs Pi", "url": "" } ], "description": "Pi scores 68.4 (B) on agent readiness against Aider's 46.9 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do agent harness. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Aider D 46.9", "Pi B 68.4", "scores" ], "h1": "Aider vs Pi", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-aider-vs-earendil-pi.png", "path": "/compare/aider-vs-earendil-pi", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Aider vs Pi for AI agents, D 46.9 vs B 68.4 | Anchor Terminal", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-08", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-earendil-pi" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2050, "slim": 480 }, "version": 1 }