Aider vs Make — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Make starts at $12/mo. Aider uses custom pricing — request a quote to compare.
How pricing works
These two tools don't price the same way, so the headline numbers below aren't directly comparable until you plug in your own volume.
- Aider (Per Usage) — Aider bills purely on usage. There is no fixed per-seat fee, so the monthly cost depends entirely on how much you consume.
- Make (Per Usage) — Make bills purely on usage — Operations/credits per month. There is no fixed per-seat fee, so the monthly cost depends entirely on how much you consume.
Per-minute, per-credit and per-token rates exclude any downstream model, speech or telephony costs unless the vendor states otherwise.
Open-source AI pair-programming CLI. Aider runs in your terminal, connects to any LLM via API, edits your codebase, and commits changes to git. Completely free (open source, MIT license) — users pay only for underlying LLM API tokens. Popular with terminal-heavy developers who prefer Unix workflows over GUI editors.
Visual workflow automation (formerly Integromat), positioned as the power-user alternative to Zapier. Distinctive for its visual scenario builder that handles complex multi-branch logic Zapier can't. Priced per operation with 1,000 free ops/month. Popular with developers, ops teams, and agencies who hit Zapier's complexity ceiling. Growing share from Zapier and losing some to n8n (self-hostable) as low-code automation splinters into three tiers by user sophistication.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Aider monthly | Aider annual | Make monthly | Make annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free / starter | Aider (CLI) / Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Entry paid | — / Core | — | — | $12 | $9 |
| Pro / power | — / Pro | — | — | $21 | $16 |
| Teams | — / Teams | — | — | $38 | $29 |
| Enterprise | — / Enterprise | — | — | Custom | Custom |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
Aider is worth it if… developers who live in the terminal and want an AI pair programmer without a GUI editor. The git-native workflow (every AI edit becomes a commit) is genuinely differentiated — you get an audit trail for free.
Make is worth it if… ops-savvy solopreneurs and small teams that need visual automation across hundreds of apps — particularly if you value flexibility over Zapier's simplicity. Free tier covers 1,000 ops/month; Core adds more ops and premium apps; Pro adds priority execution; Teams adds team collaboration.
Bottom line: Similar positioning, closer to a preference call than a strategic one.
Choose Aider over Make if…
Choose Aider if…
- You want to pay only for actual usage (per usage, custom pricing).
- You match the profile Aider is built for: developers who live in the terminal and want an AI pair programmer without a GUI editor.
- You need a general-purpose developer & infrastructure option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Make if…
- You want to pay only for actual usage (per usage, from $12/mo).
- You match the profile Make is built for: ops-savvy solopreneurs and small teams that need visual automation across hundreds of apps — particularly if you value flexibility over Zapier's simplicity.
- You need a general-purpose developer & infrastructure option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Aider | Make | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Entry price | Custom | $12/mo |
| Enterprise available | No | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Usage | Per Usage |
| Last verified | — | September 12, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 12, 2026. Tracked daily.