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7 alternatives ranked by real activity

Open-source Amazon Q Developer alternatives

A curated, ranked list of the 7 best open-source alternatives to Amazon Q Developer.

The best open-source alternative to Amazon Q Developer is Gemini CLI. If that doesn't suit you, other good options are OpenHands, Continue, Kilo Code and Aider.

Amazon Q Developer alternatives are mainly AI tools. 5 of them shipped code in the last 30 days, 7 can be self-hosted, and 6 use a permissive licence.

Last updated October 2, 2026 · ranked by GitHub stars, growth and recent commits

Gemini CLI

An open-source command-line AI agent that brings Google's Gemini models into the terminal, with built-in tools and Model Context Protocol support.

GitHub stars
107k
Last commit
yesterday
Latest release
v0.62.0
Licence
Apache-2.0
geminicli.comGemini CLI homepage screenshot

Gemini CLI is Google's open-source terminal agent for working with Gemini models from the command line. It offers a lightweight path from a prompt on the command line to the model, and it is designed for developers who spend their day in a shell. The project is written in TypeScript and licensed under Apache-2.0.

Built-in tools cover Google Search grounding, file operations, shell commands and web fetching, and further integrations can be added through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). The project highlights access to Gemini models with a large context window, and a free tier when you sign in with a personal Google account.

You can run it instantly with npx or install it globally with npm, Homebrew, MacPorts or Anaconda. It has preview, stable and nightly release channels published on a regular schedule. It suits developers who want an AI assistant for code and shell tasks without leaving the terminal.

Key features

  • Terminal-first AI agent powered by Gemini
  • Google Search grounding for current information
  • Built-in file, shell and web-fetch tools
  • MCP support for custom integrations
  • Install via npx, npm, Homebrew or MacPorts
  • Preview, stable and nightly release channels

Pricing: Free tier with a Google account; open source so it can be self-hosted. Paid routes (Google AI Pro, AI Ultra, Developer Program, AI Studio pay-as-you-go, Vertex AI) are listed without prices on this page.

Read more about Gemini CLIWebsite GitHub

OpenHands

A self-hosted control center for running coding agents, including OpenHands, Claude Code and Codex, locally, in Docker or in the cloud, with automations.

GitHub stars
90k
Last commit
today
Latest release
v1.24.0
Licence
MIT
Self-hosted
Yes
Hosted version
Available
openhands.devOpenHands homepage screenshot

OpenHands is an open-source project for AI-driven software development. Its current README centers on Agent Canvas, a self-hosted developer control center for starting conversations with coding agents and automating everyday engineering tasks. It is written mainly in TypeScript and released under the MIT license.

By default Agent Canvas uses the open-source OpenHands agent, but it can also drive third-party agents such as Claude Code, Codex and Gemini, or any ACP-compatible agent. It runs locally by default and can connect to several agent backends, including Docker containers, virtual machines and company infrastructure, so agents can be moved between local, remote and cloud setups without interrupting your work.

Automations can be triggered on a timetable or by incoming webhook events and connect with tools such as Slack, GitHub, Linear and Notion, for example publishing reports to Slack or breaking GitHub issues into tasks. Agents can optionally run on OpenHands Cloud or OpenHands Enterprise. It suits engineering teams that want to coordinate several coding agents from one self-managed place.

Key features

  • Self-hosted control center for coding agents
  • Runs OpenHands, Claude Code, Codex and Gemini
  • Local, Docker, VM and cloud agent backends
  • Scheduled and webhook-triggered automations
  • Integrations with Slack, GitHub, Linear and Notion
  • Optional OpenHands Cloud and Enterprise hosting

Pricing: Local open-source use and the hosted Individual tier are free (model usage is passed through at cost). Enterprise, in the cloud or self-hosted in your VPC, has custom pricing.

Read more about OpenHandsWebsite GitHub

Continue

Continue is an open-source coding agent for the command line, VS Code and JetBrains; the repository is now read-only and no longer maintained.

GitHub stars
36k
Last commit
today
Latest release
v2.0.0-vscode
Licence
Apache-2.0
continue.devContinue homepage screenshot

Continue is an open-source coding agent that was offered as a command-line tool, a VS Code extension and a JetBrains plugin. It is written in TypeScript and released under the Apache-2.0 license. According to the README, the project's GitHub repository has stopped receiving active maintenance and is now read-only, so new features and fixes should not be expected from it.

The team shipped a final 2.0.0 release for the VS Code extension, the CLI and the JetBrains plugin. That release removed anonymous telemetry and authentication, and fixed a batch of bugs. The maintainers recommend the CLI over the JetBrains plugin, and they point to the documentation for configuration and customization. The project describes the codebase as a foundation that others can build on, which makes it relevant as reference code more than as an actively developed product.

Key features

  • Agent-style assistant usable from a terminal CLI
  • VS Code extension and JetBrains plugin
  • Configurable through project documentation
  • Final release removed telemetry and authentication
  • Apache-2.0 codebase open for reuse
  • Repository archived as read-only

Pricing: Free and open source under the Apache-2.0 license.

Read more about ContinueWebsite GitHub

Kilo Code

Kilo Code is an open-source AI coding agent for VS Code, JetBrains and the command line that works with hundreds of models.

GitHub stars
27k
Last commit
today
Latest release
v7.8.3
Licence
MIT
Hosted version
Available
kilo.aiKilo Code homepage screenshot

Kilo Code is an AI coding agent that you can use in VS Code, in JetBrains IDEs or from the CLI. It is open source under the MIT license and written in TypeScript. According to the README, you can pick from more than 500 models and switch between them in the middle of a task, and you pay the model provider's rate with no markup. No API keys are needed to start.

Besides the local extensions, a Cloud Agent runs Kilo from the web without a local machine, and automated AI code reviews can be set up for pull requests. The CLI is started with the kilo command in a project directory and can be installed from release binaries for Windows, macOS on Apple Silicon and Intel, and Linux on x64 and ARM, with variants for older CPUs and Alpine-style images. The repository started in 2025 and its README is translated into many languages.

Key features

  • Agent for VS Code, JetBrains and CLI
  • Choice of hundreds of AI models
  • Switch models mid-task
  • Cloud Agent that runs from the web
  • Automated AI reviews for pull requests
  • CLI binaries for Windows, macOS and Linux

Pricing: The open-source extensions are free, with AI inference billed separately. Teams costs $15 per user per month with a 14-day trial; Enterprise is custom. Optional Kilo Pass credits start at $19 per month.

Read more about Kilo CodeWebsite GitHub

Aider

Aider is an open-source command-line tool for pair programming with large language models, editing your codebase and committing changes through git.

GitHub stars
49k
Last commit
4 mo ago
Latest release
v0.86.0
Licence
Apache-2.0
aider.chatAider homepage screenshot

Aider is AI pair programming in your terminal. It lets you work with large language models to start a new project or build on an existing codebase, asking for changes in plain language and letting the model edit the files in your repository.

It builds a map of the whole codebase to help in larger projects, supports more than 100 programming languages and commits changes to git with descriptive messages, so you can diff or undo AI edits with familiar tools. It can connect to cloud models and local models, accept images and web pages as context, take voice instructions, and run linters and tests after each change, attempting to fix problems they report. It can also be used from an IDE through code comments, or via copy and paste with a model's web chat.

Aider is written in Python and licensed under Apache-2.0. The README names a handful of commercial models it has been used with most, but says it can connect to almost any model, and installation and usage guides are available in the documentation.

Key features

  • Codebase map for larger projects
  • Works with cloud and local LLMs
  • Automatic git commits with clear messages
  • Support for 100+ programming languages
  • Image and web page context
  • Voice-to-code requests
  • Automatic linting and testing after edits

Pricing: Free and open source under the Apache-2.0 licence; model usage is billed by whichever LLM provider you connect.

Read more about AiderWebsite GitHub

Tabby

A self-hosted AI coding assistant offering an on-premises, open-source alternative to GitHub Copilot, with code completion, chat and an answer engine.

GitHub stars
34k
Last commit
3 mo ago
Latest release
v0.32.0
Self-hosted
Yes
tabbyml.comTabby homepage screenshot

Tabby is an AI coding assistant that you host yourself, positioned as an on-premises, open-source alternative to GitHub Copilot. It is self-contained, so it needs no separate database management system or cloud service, and it exposes an OpenAPI interface that makes it easy to connect to existing infrastructure such as cloud IDEs.

It is designed to run on consumer-grade GPUs. Beyond code suggestions, the project has added a chat side panel, an Answer Engine whose conversations can be saved as shareable pages, the ability to switch between backend chat models, and the option to index repositories, your own documentation and GitLab merge requests as context. LDAP authentication and a VS Code extension with @-mentions for files are also covered in its updates.

Tabby is written in Rust and deployed on your own servers, which keeps source code and prompts inside your network. That suits organizations that cannot send code to a hosted service, and the docs, roadmap and a Slack community are linked from the repository.

Key features

  • Self-hosted AI code completion
  • Chat panel inside the IDE
  • Answer Engine with shareable pages
  • Repository and documentation indexing as context
  • OpenAPI interface for integrations
  • Runs on consumer-grade GPUs
  • LDAP authentication
  • Switchable backend chat models

Pricing: Free open-source Community plan for up to 5 users. Team costs $19 per seat per month for up to 50 users; Enterprise is custom and billed annually.

Read more about TabbyWebsite GitHub

ECA

ECA, the Editor Code Assistant, is an editor-agnostic server that adds AI chat, rewrite and completion to editors like Emacs, VS Code, IntelliJ and Neovim.

GitHub stars
1k
Last commit
4 days ago
Latest release
0.161.2
Licence
Apache-2.0
Self-hosted
Yes
eca.devECA homepage screenshot

Editor Code Assistant, or ECA, is a free open-source tool that brings AI pair programming to many code editors through a shared server and a well-defined protocol. The server is written in Clojure and is heavily inspired by the Language Server Protocol, with editors starting it as a subprocess and talking to it over standard input and output.

Because the logic lives in the server, features such as tool call management, interaction with multiple models, usage telemetry and configuration work the same way in every editor. ECA offers chat, rewrite and completion, multiple agents and subagents with different models and tools, context including MCP resources and prompts, and login to providers such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Copilot and local Ollama models. It can export OpenTelemetry metrics.

Official integrations exist for Emacs, VS Code, IntelliJ and a desktop app, and the protocol makes it easier for other editors to integrate. ECA is licensed under Apache-2.0 and runs on your own machine with your own model access. It suits developers and teams who want consistent AI assistance across editors.

Key features

  • Editor-agnostic protocol inspired by LSP
  • Chat, rewrite, and completion
  • Agents and subagents with configurable models
  • MCP resources and prompts as context
  • Support for OpenAI, Anthropic, Copilot, and Ollama
  • OpenTelemetry metrics export

Pricing: Free and open source under the Apache-2.0 licence.

Read more about ECAWebsite GitHub

Amazon Q Developer alternatives: questions

What is the best open-source alternative to Amazon Q Developer?
Gemini CLI is the top-ranked open-source alternative to Amazon Q Developer on Enlisted: An open-source command-line AI agent that brings Google's Gemini models into the terminal, with built-in tools and Model Context Protocol support. Other strong options are OpenHands, Continue, Kilo Code and Aider.
Are these Amazon Q Developer alternatives free?
All 7 are open source, so the code is free to use under its licence, and all of them can be self-hosted on your own server or computer. 2 also offer a paid or managed cloud version if you'd rather not host it yourself.
How is this list of Amazon Q Developer alternatives ranked?
By a score built from GitHub stars, star growth over the last 30 days and how recently the code changed. 5 of these projects shipped code in the last 30 days. Data is refreshed daily, and nobody can pay to move up.

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