Free AI coding, explained
A free AI coding agent.
Without a credit counter.
OliveCode is a free, open-source terminal coding agent for macOS, Windows and Linux. Use free cloud models when available, or run an Ollama model on your own computer without a cloud request quota.
Can an AI coding agent really be free and unlimited?
The agent and the model are two different things. OliveCode does not charge a subscription, sell credits or impose its own task quota. A free cloud model can still reach its provider’s rate or usage limit. Automatic switching helps when another eligible model is available; it cannot create unlimited cloud capacity.
For coding without a cloud-model request quota, use OliveCode with a downloaded local Ollama model. Inference runs on your hardware. You still need enough memory and disk space, and speed and coding quality depend on the model and computer. Electricity, hardware and internet access are not made free by the app.
Local inference is the practical answer when “unlimited” means no hosted inference quota. It does not mean unlimited speed, perfect code, or that online tools become offline. Set up local coding with Ollama ↗
OliveCode, Aider or OpenHands?
All three can connect to local models. Choose the workflow you want, then check whether a capable model fits your computer. This comparison is written by OliveCode’s maintainers; it is not an independent ranking or a performance benchmark.
| Tool | Workflow to consider | Local-model route | Know before starting |
|---|---|---|---|
| OliveCode | Terminal coding with in-app free-model selection, hardware guidance, Assist reviews and optional Telegram Remote. | Choose a downloaded model from Local. | Public preview. Packages are unsigned. Native app control is macOS-only; model quality and provider availability vary. |
| Aider | Terminal pair programming with documented code-editing and Git workflows. | Connect to Ollama using its documented ollama_chat/ model route. | Its documentation warns that less capable models can struggle to produce usable code edits. |
| OpenHands | An agent platform with local and self-hosted deployment options. | Connect a supported local model server, including Ollama or LM Studio. | Its local-model guide describes model/server requirements and warns about limited functionality with less capable models. |
Sources checked 17 October 2026: Aider’s Ollama setup, Aider’s model guidance, OpenHands’ local-model guide, and OliveCode source. Model costs depend on the inference route you choose, not just the agent’s software license.
Start with OliveCode in your project folder
- Install the app. Use the command for your operating system on the installation guide. The installer selects a package for your machine and checks its checksum.
- Open your project. In Terminal, change into its folder and run
olivecode. - Choose your model. Use Cloud for an eligible free provider account, or Local for a downloaded Ollama model. For no cloud inference quota, choose a genuine local download rather than an Ollama cloud entry.
- Describe a concrete outcome. Ask for the change and how to check it. Inspect the resulting files and run the tests.
OliveCode’s optional Assist adds planning, second opinions and follow-through reviews. It does not guarantee correctness. Computer → Remote from phone can pair a private Telegram chat with an awake, online computer. These are reasons to try OliveCode’s workflow, rather than a claim that it outperforms every other agent.
Try a task you can actually verify
Use a disposable example project before handing an agent important code. Our slugify starter contains one deliberately incomplete function and ten fixed tests. It needs Bun, but no project dependencies.
- Copy
slug.tsandslug.test.tsinto an empty folder. - Run
bun test ./slug.test.tsto see the initial failures. - Start OliveCode there and send the prompt below.
- Review the diff and rerun the tests yourself. Tests passing are evidence for these examples, not proof of general coding ability.
Fix slug.ts so all existing slug.test.ts cases pass.
Read the files, change only slug.ts, run bun test ./slug.test.ts,
and report the actual results. Do not modify the tests.In one observed run on 17 October 2026, the public OliveCode 0.1.0 macOS ARM64 release used Laguna S 2.1 (free), with Assist reviews, to take this task from 4 passing / 6 failing to 10 passing / 0 failing. An independent rerun also passed, and the test file was unchanged. Inspect the code and verification record ↗. This is one small maintainer-run example, not a comparative benchmark or a guarantee for other models.