Free Vibe Coding: Build Software Without Spending a Dollar
Manas Takalpati
Founder, Blue Orchid
You don't need $200/month in AI subscriptions to start vibe coding. Several tools offer generous free tiers, and open-source alternatives are surprisingly capable.
Free Tier Options
GitHub Copilot - Free for individual developers. Solid autocomplete and chat.
Replit - Free tier includes AI assistance and basic deployment. Limited compute.
Cursor - Free tier with limited AI requests per month. Full IDE features.
v0 - Free tier with limited generations. Good for occasional UI components.
ChatGPT - Free tier available. Not a coding agent, but useful for brainstorming and debugging.
Claude.ai - Free tier with daily limits. Excellent for code generation in chat.
Open-Source Alternatives
Aider - Open-source terminal coding agent. Bring your own API key (pay per use, no subscription).
Continue - Open-source IDE extension supporting multiple AI providers.
Ollama + Local Models - Run AI models locally for free (requires decent hardware).
The $0/month Stack
- GitHub Copilot (free) for inline coding
- Claude.ai (free tier) for brainstorming and complex questions
- v0 (free tier) for UI components
- Vercel (free) for deployment
This stack is limited but functional. You can build and deploy real applications.
When to Upgrade
Free tiers hit limits fast during active development. Upgrade when you're building daily and the friction of limits costs you more time than money.
For the complete tool comparison including paid options, see Best Vibe Coding Platforms.
Frequently Asked Questions
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