head to head · open source
Aider vs Tabby
Aider has 49,910 GitHub stars, 5,128 forks, 1,860 open issues and last shipped 6 months ago. Tabby has 33,921 stars, 1,793 forks, 335 open issues and last shipped 4 months ago. Aider leads on adoption by 47% (49,910 vs 33,921 stars). Aider is written in Python under Apache-2.0; Tabby is written in Rust under a custom or non-standard licence. Aider has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, Tabby 5%. Tabby was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Aider | Tabby | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 50K | ★ 34K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Python | Rust |
| Last push | 2026-05-22 | 2026-06-30 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.1K | ⑂ 1.8K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Aider if
- You weight community size — 50K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Tabby if
- You want the Tabby feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You evaluated both and Tabby fits your workflow better
About Aider
AI Pair Programming in Your Terminal Aider lets you pair program with LLMs to start a new project or build on your existing codebase. Features Cloud and local LLMs Aider works best with Claude 3.7 Sonnet, DeepSeek R1 & Chat V3, OpenAI o1, o3 mini & GPT 4o, but can connect to almost any LLM, including local models. Maps your codebase Aider makes a map of your entire codebase, which helps it work well in larger projects. 100+ code languages Aider works with most popular programming languages: python, javascript, rust, ruby, go, cpp, php, html, css, and dozens more. Git integration Aider automatically commits…
read the full Aider overview →
About Tabby
🐾 Tabby 📚 Docs • 💬 Slack • 🗺️ Roadmap English 简体中文 日本語 Tabby is a self hosted AI coding assistant, offering an open source and on premises alternative to GitHub Copilot. It boasts several key features: Self contained, with no need for a DBMS or cloud service. OpenAPI interface, easy to integrate with existing infrastructure (e.g Cloud IDE). Supports consumer grade GPUs. 🔥 What's New 12/12/2025 Get your GitHub issues implemented by connecting them to Pochi tasks and create PRs directly from the sidebar with a breakdown of CI/Lint/Test results vscode@0.20.0. 07/02/2025 v0.30 supports indexing GitLab Merge…
read the full Tabby overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Aider or Tabby more popular?
Aider has 49,910 GitHub stars and Tabby has 33,921. Aider has the larger community by that measure.
Are Aider and Tabby free?
Both are open source. Aider is licensed under Apache-2.0, and Tabby has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Aider and Tabby?
Aider is written in Python and Tabby in Rust. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Aider or Tabby?
Choose Aider if you want the larger community (49,910 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Tabby if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.