Why you'd want it
Aider builds a map of your whole codebase so it can work in larger projects, and it commits its changes to git with descriptive messages so you can diff and undo them with normal git tools. It connects to most cloud LLMs and to local models, can lint and test after every edit and fix what fails, and also takes requests from comments you add in your editor. Images, web pages and voice input can be added to the chat.
Best for
- Git-centric terminal workflows
- Bring-your-own-model setups, including local models
- Editing existing codebases
Use it when
You want an agent that records every change as a git commit and lets you choose the model provider, including local models.
Skip it if
You want an IDE-native agent with visual diffs, or you do not want to manage your own model API keys.