Aider
Aider-AI/aider
Terminal AI pair programmer that edits files in your git repo and auto-commits changes; works with most cloud and local models.
python -m pip install aider-install && aider-installOpen-source alternatives to Cursor
9 open-source AI code editors you can use instead of Cursor. Self-described alternatives are labelled separately from our own picks.
Our picks
Editorial picks: open-source projects that do a similar job to Cursor.
Tabby
TabbyML/tabby
Self-hosted AI coding assistant (code completion + chat) you run on your own GPU or CPU server, with IDE extensions.
Says it is an open-source alternative to GitHub Copilot (from its README)
docker run -it --gpus all -p 8080:8080 -v $HOME/.tabby:/data tabbyml/tabby serve --model StarCoder-1B --device cuda --chat-model Qwen2-1.5B-Instruct
goose
aaif-goose/goose
Extensible local AI agent (CLI + desktop) that can install, run, edit and test code with any LLM and MCP extensions.
curl -fsSL https://github.com/aaif-goose/goose/releases/download/stable/download_cli.sh | bash
Qwen Code
QwenLM/qwen-code
Open-source terminal coding agent from the Qwen team, tuned for Qwen coder models but usable with other OpenAI-compatible APIs.
npm install -g @qwen-code/qwen-code@latest
twinny
twinnydotdev/twinny
VS Code extension for code completion, chat, edits and reviews using local (e.g. Ollama) or hosted models.
npx twinny-server quickstartAlso listed on AIUseFlow
ZedZed is a high-performance, multiplayer code editor from the creators of Atom and Tree-sitter.ContinueContinue has been acquired by Cursor.ClineOpen-source AI coding agent with Plan/Act modes, MCP integration, and terminal-first workflows.OpenCodeOpenCode - The open source coding agent.
Stars, licences and last-commit dates come from the GitHub REST API, fetched 17 Oct 2026. Archived repos, repos with no commit in 12 months and non-open licences are excluded. Install commands are copied from each README.
FAQ
What are the best open-source alternatives to Cursor?
Our picks: Aider, Tabby, goose, Qwen Code, twinny, Zed, Continue, Cline, OpenCode. Each one is open source; check the licence before commercial use.
Can I self-host a Cursor alternative for free?
The software is free to use under its licence. You still pay for your own hosting and for any model API you connect, unless you run a local model.
More open-source alternatives
GitHub Copilot · Claude Code · Lovable, Bolt.new and v0 · ChatGPT · Perplexity · Notion · NotebookLM · Vercel, Netlify and Heroku