Best Free AI for Coding (2026): Real Free Limits

The best free AI for coding in October 2026 is GitHub Copilot Free for in-editor help, paired with Codex in ChatGPT Free when you want an agent to do a whole task. If you need something with no caps at all, the only truly free option is an open-source agent like OpenCode or Cline running a local model through Ollama.

"Free" means three different things here, and the difference matters more than the brand. Some tools have a free tier with a quota. Some are free software where you bring your own API key (BYOK) and pay the model provider. And some run a model on your own hardware, which costs nothing per prompt.

How we researched this: official docs, pricing pages and changelogs as of October 2026. We haven't run our own benchmarks. Where a vendor doesn't publish a number, the table says so instead of guessing.

Free AI coding tools: the exact limits

These are the free limits each vendor publishes as of October 2026. Several popular lists still quote older numbers, like Gemini Code Assist's free daily quota, which no longer exists.

Which AI is 100% free?

Only a local setup is free with no limits: an open-source agent plus an open-weight model running on your own computer. Every hosted free tier above has a quota, and most don't publish it.

The simplest 100% free stack is OpenCode or Cline, pointed at Ollama, running a Qwen coding model. OpenCode is MIT-licensed and Cline's open-source extension is free for individuals. Neither charges you anything when the model runs locally.

The cost moves to your hardware. A good local coding model needs a lot of memory, as the next section shows.

What is the best free local AI for coding?

Our pick is Qwen3-Coder-Next, if your machine can hold it. Alibaba's Qwen team built it for agentic coding and local development. On Ollama it's an 80B-parameter model with only 3B active per token, a 256K context window, and a 52 GB download at the default quantization.

If that's too big, Qwen3-Coder 30B is a 19 GB download with the same 256K context. Cline's Ollama guide gives a rough rule: 16 to 32 GB of RAM for small or quantized models, 32 to 64 GB for mid-size coding models, and 64 GB or more for larger models.

Setup takes three steps:

1. Install Ollama and pull a model, such as ollama pull qwen3-coder.
2. Install OpenCode or the Cline extension.
3. Pick Ollama as the provider (Cline uses http://localhost:11434) and select the model.

Expect local models to trail the best hosted models on hard, multi-file work. That's the trade for privacy and zero cost. Our OpenCode vs Claude Code comparison shows what you give up.

Best free AI for coding by use case

Best for most people: GitHub Copilot Free

Copilot Free works in VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, Xcode, Eclipse, Neovim and more, with no credit card. You get 2,000 completions a month plus chat and agent mode. The catch is that GitHub only says chat and agent use is "limited" and doesn't publish the number, and you're stuck with auto model selection.

GitHub also says it may train on Free users' interaction data unless you opt out, per the Copilot page. Our GitHub Copilot review covers the paid plans if you outgrow it.

Best for students: Copilot Student

Verified students get Copilot Student free. Per GitHub's plans docs, it adds unlimited completions, the cloud agent and code review, which Copilot Free doesn't have. Verified teachers and maintainers of popular open source projects may qualify for Copilot Pro free.

Best free agent: Codex in ChatGPT Free

Codex is included in ChatGPT Free, according to OpenAI's Codex pricing page. Codex is OpenAI's coding agent, available in the CLI, an IDE extension, the desktop app and the web. Free users get GPT-6 Luna in the desktop app.

The downside is that OpenAI publishes no numeric limit for Free, and access is "subject to rollout." If you hit the cap often, ChatGPT Go at $8 a month is the cheapest upgrade.

Google Antigravity is the other strong free agent. Its free tier has unlimited tab completions and a weekly rate limit that, per its plans docs, depends on how much work each task takes. It uses Gemini models such as Gemini 3.8 Flash as the core agent.

Best for unlimited autocomplete: Antigravity or Devin

If you mostly want tab completions, Antigravity and Devin (the product Windsurf's pricing page now redirects to) both list unlimited tab completions on their free plans. Copilot Free caps you at 2,000 a month.

Best for privacy: OpenCode or Cline with a local model

Nothing leaves your machine with a local model. If you use OpenCode's built-in free hosted models instead, read its model list first. Some, like Big Pickle and MiMo-V2.6-Flash Free, may use your data to improve the model during the free period, while others have a zero-retention policy.

Best for JetBrains users: Junie Lite

Every JetBrains account gets Junie Lite, a free model that's always on. AI Free adds 3 credits per 30 days. That's thin, but you can also bring your own key at provider rates with no markup, including local models.

Gemini Code Assist and Gemini CLI are no longer free

Many "best free" lists still recommend Gemini Code Assist for individuals and the free Gemini CLI login. Both stopped working on June 18, 2026. Google's deprecation notice says the IDE extensions stopped serving the individual tier and "Login with Google" no longer works for them or for Gemini CLI.

Google points those users to Antigravity instead. Gemini CLI itself is still open source under Apache 2.0, per its GitHub repo, but without the free login you now connect it with a Gemini API key or Vertex AI.

Is ChatGPT good for coding?

Yes, ChatGPT is good for coding questions, explaining errors and writing small functions, and its free plan now includes Codex for real repo work. For multi-file changes, Codex in the CLI or IDE is a better fit than pasting code back and forth into chat.

The free plan's limits aren't fixed numbers, so heavy users will hit caps. Claude Free is a good second opinion for chat-based coding with Sonnet, but it doesn't include Claude Code.

How we picked

We looked at what each free plan includes, whether the limit is published, which models you get, and what happens to your code. A published, generous limit beats a vague "limited" label. Local setups rank high for privacy because the limits are your hardware, not a vendor's policy.

For paid picks, see our guide to the best AI for coding, and if you're leaving Copilot, our GitHub Copilot alternatives list.

FAQ

Which AI is 100% free for coding?

A local setup: OpenCode or Cline with a Qwen coding model running in Ollama. You pay nothing per prompt and have no quota, but you need enough RAM, roughly 32 GB or more for mid-size models.

What is the best free local AI for coding?

Qwen3-Coder-Next on Ollama, if you have the memory for its 52 GB download. Qwen3-Coder 30B at 19 GB is the lighter option, and both have a 256K context window.

Is ChatGPT good for coding?

Yes. It handles explanations, debugging and snippets well, and ChatGPT Free includes Codex for agent-style work in your repo. OpenAI doesn't publish free usage limits, so expect caps.

Is GitHub Copilot free?

Yes. Copilot Free includes 2,000 completions a month and limited chat and agent use. Verified students get Copilot Student free, with unlimited completions.

Is Cursor free?

Cursor has a free plan with limited agent and chat requests, but it doesn't publish exact numbers. Its cheapest paid plan, Plus, is $8 a month and only includes Grok models.