Aider is an AI pair programmer focused on whole-file editing and git integration for terminal-based workflows, while GitHub Copilot is an IDE-integrated code completion tool that suggests individual code snippets. Aider excels at refactoring and large changes; Copilot is faster for quick completions within your existing editor.
Aider vs GitHub Copilot — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
AI pair programmer for terminal-based development with whole-file editing and git integration.
IDE-integrated AI code completion that suggests code snippets in real-time while you type.
Primary Interface. Code Generation Approach. Supported Models. Monthly Cost (Individual). Git Integration. Learning Curve. Refactoring & Large Changes
Choose Aider if you work primarily in the terminal, need to refactor large codebases, want to use open-source or self-hosted models, and prefer conversation-driven development with automatic git tracking. Choose GitHub Copilot if you work in a traditional IDE, need lightning-fast code suggestions without context-switching, value the seamless VS Code integration, and prioritize minimal workflow disruption.
Aider: 0.24x (4.2x better) | GitHub Copilot: N/A
Aider: Terminal CLI | GitHub Copilot: N/A
Aider: 10-15 minutes | GitHub Copilot: N/A
Aider: Open-Source (MIT/Apache) | GitHub Copilot: N/A
Aider: Any CLI + limited plugins (Git Bash, Zsh, Bash) | GitHub Copilot: 6 major platforms
Aider: 15-30 (CLI configuration required) | GitHub Copilot: N/A
Aider: Full repository with git awareness | GitHub Copilot: N/A
Aider: Free (open-source, no paid plan) | GitHub Copilot: N/A
Aider: All languages (LLM dependent, typically 40+) | GitHub Copilot: N/A
Aider: Yes—multi-file edits with git diff review | GitHub Copilot: N/A
Code Generation Accuracy (HumanEval Benchmark)
Aider: 92% (Claude 3.5 Sonnet) | GitHub Copilot: N/A
Monthly Operating Cost (5,000 token average session)
Aider: 0 (cloud-based) | GitHub Copilot: N/A
Aider: 70+ languages | GitHub Copilot: 80+ (Python, JavaScript, Java, C++, Go, Rust, etc.)
Data Privacy (0=external servers, 1=local only)
Aider: Yes (git diffs) | GitHub Copilot: N/A
Aider: 5 minutes | GitHub Copilot: 2-3 minutes
Aider: 200,000 (with Claude 3.5) | GitHub Copilot: N/A
Aider: Free (open-source) or variable API costs | GitHub Copilot: $10/month individual, $19/month business
Aider: Full project (unlimited via file listing) | GitHub Copilot: ~5-10 visible files in editor
Aider: 0 (terminal-based tool) | GitHub Copilot: 5+ (VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Vim, Neovim)
Aider: Yes—can edit and create files | GitHub Copilot: No—suggestions only, manual edit required
Aider: 4 (terminal + chat interaction) | GitHub Copilot: 1 (IDE-native, like autocomplete)
Average Response Time for Code Suggestion
Aider: 2-5 (multi-turn conversation) | GitHub Copilot: 0.5-1 (inline suggestion)
Aider: Claude 3.5, GPT-4, Llama 2/3, Mistral, local open models | GitHub Copilot: N/A
Aider: 8-12 steps (install, configure API key, learn CLI) | GitHub Copilot: 2–5 min (GitHub sign-in)
Aider: $0 (BYOK) to $20/month (optional commercial) | GitHub Copilot: N/A
Aider: Manual git commits, indirect via prompts | GitHub Copilot: N/A
Aider: Up to 200,000 tokens (depends on model) | GitHub Copilot: N/A
Aider: None—single-developer only | GitHub Copilot: N/A
Aider: Yes—with local models (Ollama, LM Studio) | GitHub Copilot: No (cloud-only)
Aider: Manual—requires explicit user prompt | GitHub Copilot: N/A
Aider: Claude 3.5 Sonnet, GPT-4, Claude 3 Opus, Llama 2, local/self-hosted models | GitHub Copilot: GitHub Copilot (proprietary, Codex-based)
Aider: 2000-5000ms per suggestion | GitHub Copilot: 50-100ms per suggestion
Aider: Variable ($0-50 based on Claude API usage; typical $20-30/month for heavy use) | GitHub Copilot: Fixed $10 (Copilot Individual) or $19 (Copilot Pro)
Aider: Multi-file editing (10+ files per session) | GitHub Copilot: Single file at a time
Aider: VS Code, Vim, Neovim, JetBrains, Emacs, other terminals | GitHub Copilot: VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, Visual Studio, Neovim
Aider: Native: automatic diff review, commit message generation, staged changes | GitHub Copilot: None: requires manual git commands outside Copilot
Aider: Yes: can use Claude 3, GPT-4, Llama, or fine-tune locally | GitHub Copilot: No: GitHub Copilot model is fixed and proprietary
Aider: 200,000 (Claude 3.5 Sonnet) | GitHub Copilot: ~8,000 (estimated Copilot context)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 3+ model choices
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Minimal (extension)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Copilot Pro $10/mo
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Free tier with limited completions/chat, plus free for verified students, teachers, and OSS maintainers
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Business $19/user/mo (Enterprise $39)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Plugin/extension installed into your existing IDE
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, Google Gemini (model picker in chat/agent)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Agent mode + Copilot Workspace + coding agent (issue-to-PR); strong but tighter loop trails Cursor
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Repository context, @workspace search, and Enterprise knowledge bases; less aggressive auto-indexing
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Very fast, low-latency completions; category pioneer and still excellent inline
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Org policy management, SSO, audit logs, content exclusion, data residency, IP indemnification
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 12,000 tokens (GPT-4)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Unlimited completions
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim, Visual Studio, Sublime
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Copilot (GPT-based, Good)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Limited to current + adjacent files
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 128K tokens
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Not available
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 30 days (free tier limited)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: October 2023 (~27 months old)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Yes (OpenAI servers)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Deep (PR, commits, issues)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 180 code completions
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 15+ editors (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Neovim, etc.)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Suggestion-based only, no autonomous execution
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: OpenAI GPT-4 / Anthropic Claude
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: ~1200ms average completion
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Native PR reviews, CLI, GitHub.dev, Copilot X
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Data exclusion available (enterprise only)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: $120 (monthly) or $100 (annual with 17% discount)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Up to 150 lines
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 5 MB (as extension)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 27% of developers
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 2-5 seconds per suggestion
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 5 IDE integrations
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 20-40% faster on routine tasks
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 2 months free trial only
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 2 (GPT-4, Claude)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 4 major (VS Code, Visual Studio, GitHub.com, JetBrains Beta)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: No (cloud-only)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 1.5+ million (GitHub official, 2024)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Yes (GitHub Enterprise available)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Mandatory (cloud-based)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 30-day trial only
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 5 years (2021)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Plugin only (requires VS Code/JetBrains)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Limited to referenced files
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 5+ (VS Code, JetBrains suite, GitHub.com, etc.)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: $10 or free with GitHub Pro
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 150-250ms per suggestion
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 8,000 tokens (~6,000 words)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 8+ (VS Code, JetBrains Suite, Vim, Visual Studio, etc.)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 72% correct on HumanEval benchmark
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 2-5 seconds (in-editor, no switching)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Cloud (GitHub servers)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 250,000,000
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: $10 (Pro) or $0 (Limited)
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 0.5 minutes
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: 90+ languages
Aider: N/A | GitHub Copilot: Integration with VS Code
How to choose between Aider and GitHub Copilot
Aider vs GitHub Copilot — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Aider vs GitHub Copilot. Contains 145 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Aider vs GitHub Copilot — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Aider vs GitHub Copilot.
Can I use Aider offline or with my own local AI model?
Yes. Aider supports local models like Ollama-hosted Llama 2, Mistral, and others. You can run Aider entirely offline without cloud API calls. GitHub Copilot requires internet and GitHub servers.
GitHub Copilot is faster for individual line/snippet suggestions (50-100ms response). Aider is slower per-suggestion (2-5 seconds) but excels when you need multiple files edited together, saving time on complex refactors. For quick completions, Copilot wins; for large changes, Aider is faster overall.
Do these tools commit code to git automatically?
Aider reviews diffs and can auto-commit with AI-generated messages. GitHub Copilot generates code suggestions but doesn't interact with git—you must commit manually. Aider's git integration is a significant workflow advantage for tracking AI changes.
What happens to my code when I use these tools?
Aider: Claude/GPT code is processed by Anthropic/OpenAI APIs (covered by their privacy terms); local models never leave your machine. GitHub Copilot: Code snippets are processed by GitHub servers; GitHub uses public code for model training. Both offer enterprise privacy options.
GitHub Copilot is easier for beginners—it works inside familiar IDEs with minimal setup. Aider requires terminal comfort and understanding of git, making it better for intermediate+ developers comfortable with CLI workflows.
How to Choose Between Aider and GitHub Copilot
Primary Interface: Aider has Command-line terminal, while GitHub Copilot has IDE extension (VS Code, JetBrains, etc.).
Code Generation Approach: Aider has Whole-file editing with automatic git commits, while GitHub Copilot has Line/snippet-level completion suggestions.
Supported Models: Aider has Claude 3.5 Sonnet, GPT-4, Llama 2, local models, while GitHub Copilot has GitHub Copilot (proprietary fine-tuned model).
Monthly Cost (Individual): Aider has $0-20 (depends on Claude API usage), while GitHub Copilot has $10 (Copilot Individual) or $19 (Copilot Pro).
Git Integration: Aider has Native git awareness and automatic commits, while GitHub Copilot has No native git integration.
Learning Curve: Aider has Moderate (terminal-based, conversational), while GitHub Copilot has Minimal (IntelliSense-style suggestions).
Refactoring & Large Changes: Aider has Optimized for multi-file refactoring, while GitHub Copilot has Better for incremental completion.