head to head · open source
Aider vs Dyad
Aider has 49,910 GitHub stars, 5,128 forks, 1,860 open issues and last shipped 6 months ago. Dyad has 22,166 stars, 2,787 forks, 359 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Aider leads on adoption by 125% (49,910 vs 22,166 stars). Aider is written in Python under Apache-2.0; Dyad is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. Aider has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, Dyad 13%. Dyad was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (anthropic, gemini), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Aider | Dyad | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 50K | ★ 22K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Python | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-05-22 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.1K | ⑂ 2.8K |
| 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 Dyad if
- You want the Dyad feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Dyad 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 Dyad
Dyad Dyad is a local, open source AI app builder. It's fast, private, and fully under your control — like Lovable, v0, or Bolt, but running right on your machine. More info at: 🚀 Features ⚡️ Local : Fast, private and no lock in. 🛠 Bring your own keys : Use your own AI API keys — no vendor lock in. 🖥️ Cross platform : Easy to run on Mac or Windows. 📦 Download No sign up required. Just download and go. 👉 Download for your platform 🤝 Community Join our growing community of AI app builders on Reddit : r/dyadbuilders share your projects and get help from the community! 🛠️ Contributing Dyad is open source (see…
More in Developer Tools
Related comparisons
More AI Assisted Coding projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the AI Assisted Coding field.
Frequently asked questions
Is Aider or Dyad more popular?
Aider has 49,910 GitHub stars and Dyad has 22,166. Aider has the larger community by that measure.
Are Aider and Dyad free?
Both are open source. Aider is licensed under Apache-2.0, and Dyad has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Aider and Dyad?
Aider is written in Python and Dyad in TypeScript. 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 Dyad?
Choose Aider if you want the larger community (49,910 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Dyad if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.