Updated 14 Nov 2026 · prices read on vendor pages

9 best Warp alternatives in 2027

Reviewed by Mehmet Elmicenni, founder of Zekai•Prices checked 14 Nov 2026•How we check

The short answer

The best Warp alternatives in 2027 are Claude Code (best overall, $20/mo), Gemini CLI (best free plan) and Wave Terminal (best open source, Apache-2.0). Warp itself starts at $20/mo. Zekai checked these prices on vendor pages on 14 Nov 2026; 6 more are compared below, including 2 with a free plan and 4 open source.

Open the Zekai Cost Finder Get price alerts

Best overallSee in table →

Claude Code

$20/mo

9.0

Best free planSee in table →

Gemini CLI

Free to self-host · Apache-2.0

8.3

Best open sourceSee in table →

Wave Terminal

Free to self-host · Apache-2.0

9alternatives compared

2with a free plan

6open source

$10/mocheapest paid · GitHub Copilot

$20/moWarp starts at

01 · Zekai Price Ledger

Which Warp alternatives are worth it in 2027?

Warp is free to download; Build costs $20 a month, or $18 billed yearly, and includes $20 of agent usage. The strongest alternatives for 2027 are Claude Code, GitHub Copilot and Kiro on the paid side, and Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Aider, Wave Terminal, Ghostty and iTerm2 as free software. Prices were read on vendor pages on 14 November 2026.

Zekai Cost Finder · team1 person

Tool	Type	Starting price	Free plan limit	Best for	Cost for your team	Checked
WarpThe tool you are replacing	You are here	$20/moBuild, $20 billed monthly or $18/mo billed yearly, with $20 of agent usage included; Max $200 monthly or $180 yearly; Business $50 per user monthly or $45 yearly (up to 25 seats)	Terminal free; agent usage pay-as-you-go; limited cloud agents; 30 stored conversations	Terminal with built-in agents for developers	—	14 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
Claude Code Zekai score 9.0Best overall	Paid	$20/moIncluded with Claude Pro: $20 billed monthly or $17/mo billed yearly ($200 up front); Max $100; Ultra $200. The Free plan does not include Claude Code	No free plan	Agentic coding in any terminal, IDE or CI	—	14 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
GitHub Copilot Zekai score 9.3Cheapest paid	Free plan + paid	$10/moPro, $10 per user per month; Pro+ $39; Max $100; yearly prices not listed on the page; Copilot CLI included on every plan	2,000 inline completions a month; limited chat and agent usage	Cheapest paid plan that includes a terminal CLI	—	14 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
Kiro Zekai score 7.6	Free plan + paid	$20/user/moPro, $20 per user per month for 1,000 credits; Pro+ $40; Pro Max $100; Power $200; add-on credits $0.04 each; yearly prices not listed	50 credits a month, open-weight models and Claude Sonnet 4.5	Spec-driven agent with IDE and CLI	—	14 Nov 2026	Pricing ↗
Gemini CLI Zekai score 8.3Best free plan	Open source	Free (self-hosted)	No limit, self-hosted (Apache-2.0)	Free Google-model agent in your terminal	$0	14 Nov 2026	Code ↗
OpenCode Zekai score 8.6	Open source	Free (self-hosted)	No limit, self-hosted (MIT)	Open-source agent with 200+ model providers	$0	14 Nov 2026	Code ↗
Aider Zekai score 7.7	Open source	Free (self-hosted)	No limit, self-hosted (Apache-2.0)	Git-native pair programming in the terminal	$0	14 Nov 2026	Code ↗
Wave Terminal Not yet reviewed by ZekaiBest open source	Open source	Free (self-hosted)	No limit, self-hosted (Apache-2.0)	Open terminal with built-in AI and widgets	$0	14 Nov 2026	Code ↗
Ghostty Not yet reviewed by Zekai	Open source	Free (self-hosted)	No limit, self-hosted (MIT)	Fast native terminal without AI	$0	14 Nov 2026	Code ↗
iTerm2 Not yet reviewed by Zekai	Open source	Free (self-hosted)	No limit, self-hosted (GPL-2.0 (LICENSE file; the README says GPLv3))	Mature Mac terminal with tmux integration	$0	14 Nov 2026	Code ↗

Every price was read on the vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. The Cost Finder assumes one entry plan per person, so it multiplies by your team size; yearly prices are shown per month, and team or business plans can cost more per seat. "Not checked" means we could not confirm a public price.

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02 · Free plan

Is there a free version of Warp?

Yes. Warp Free costs $0 and includes the terminal, Warp Agent CLI access, limited cloud agents access, 30 stored cloud conversations and limited Warp Drive sharing. Extra agent usage is pay-as-you-go. Build at $20 a month adds $20 of included agent usage and full Warp Agent access.

Source: Warp pricing page, read 14 Nov 2026.

Free$0

Terminal free; agent usage pay-as-you-go; limited cloud agents; 30 stored conversations

Paid from$20/mo

Build, $20 billed monthly or $18/mo billed yearly, with $20 of agent usage included; Max $200 monthly or $180 yearly; Business $50 per user monthly or $45 yearly (up to 25 seats)

03 · Free alternatives

What are the best free Warp alternatives?

Gemini CLI has the largest free allowance read here: 60 requests a minute and 1,000 a day with a Google sign-in. GitHub Copilot Free includes Copilot CLI with 2,000 inline completions a month, and Kiro Free gives 50 credits. Ghostty and iTerm2 are free terminals, and Warp's own free plan bills extra agent usage pay-as-you-go.

GitHub Copilot

Cheapest paidFree plan + paid

2,000 inline completions a month; limited chat and agent usage

Paid from $10/mo

vs Warp →Zekai review

Kiro

Free plan + paid

50 credits a month, open-weight models and Claude Sonnet 4.5

Paid from $20/user/mo

vs Warp →Zekai review

04 · Open source

What are the best open-source Warp alternatives?

Warp's own client is open source: its GitHub repository shows AGPL-3.0 with MIT parts. Wave Terminal (Apache-2.0) is the open terminal with built-in AI, Ghostty (MIT) and iTerm2 (GPL) are terminals, and Gemini CLI (Apache-2.0), OpenCode (MIT) and Aider (Apache-2.0) are terminal coding agents. All run locally with your own model keys.

Gemini CLI

Apache-2.0★ 108.8k GitHub stars · 14 Nov 2026

To self-host: Install with npx @google/gemini-cli, brew install gemini-cli or npm; sign in with Google for the free allowance or use a Gemini API key.

Commercial use: Yes (Apache-2.0).
Runs on: Any machine with Node.js; installs with npx, npm, Homebrew or MacPorts.
Setup: Easy · One npx or Homebrew command, then sign in with Google.
Last commit: 13 Nov 2026

Last release 10 Nov 2026

Zekai open-source page Source code ↗Managed hosting slot

OpenCode

MIT★ 226.8k GitHub stars · 14 Nov 2026

To self-host: Install with the curl script, npm, bun or brew; use its free models without an account or connect your own Claude, GPT, Gemini or local models.

Commercial use: Yes (MIT).
Runs on: Desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux, or a terminal UI over any shell.
Setup: Easy · Install with one curl, npm or brew command and connect a model.
Last commit: 14 Nov 2026

Last release 13 Nov 2026

Zekai open-source page Source code ↗Managed hosting slot

Aider

Apache-2.0★ 50.1k GitHub stars · 14 Nov 2026

To self-host: Install with pip, then run aider in a git repository with your own model key; it maps the codebase and commits each change with a message.

Commercial use: Yes (Apache-2.0).
Runs on: Any machine with Python; needs a cloud model API key or a local model.
Setup: Moderate · pip install aider-install, then bring your own model and API key.
Last commit: 22 May 2026

Last release 9 Aug 2025

Zekai open-source page Source code ↗Managed hosting slot

Wave Terminal

Apache-2.0★ 22.7k GitHub stars · 14 Nov 2026

To self-host: Download from waveterm.dev; Wave AI works with your own OpenAI, Claude, Gemini or Azure keys or with local models through Ollama and LM Studio.

Commercial use: Yes (Apache-2.0).
Runs on: macOS 11+, Windows 10 1809+ or Linux with glibc 2.28+.
Setup: Easy · Download the installer from waveterm.dev for your system.
Last commit: 5 Oct 2026

Last release 16 Apr 2026

Source code ↗Managed hosting slot

Ghostty

MIT★ 64.1k GitHub stars · 14 Nov 2026

To self-host: Download the macOS app or Linux build from ghostty.org; no account or AI service is involved, so it runs entirely on your machine.

Commercial use: Yes (MIT).
Runs on: macOS app (SwiftUI) or Linux (GTK); GPU rendering through Metal or OpenGL.
Setup: Easy · Download from ghostty.org/download for macOS or Linux.
Last commit: 14 Nov 2026

Source code ↗Managed hosting slot

iTerm2

GPL-2.0 (LICENSE file; the README says GPLv3)★ 18.3k GitHub stars · 14 Nov 2026

To self-host: Download from iterm2.com/downloads or build from source with make setup; its README describes an optional built-in LLM chat window that can read terminal content.

Commercial use: Yes; GPL means sharing source if you distribute modified versions.
Runs on: Mac with macOS; the README gives no minimum version.
Setup: Easy · Download the release from iterm2.com and drag it into Applications.
Last commit: 14 Nov 2026

Source code ↗Managed hosting slot

05 · Side by side

How does Warp compare with each alternative?

Warp Build is $20 monthly or $18 yearly with $20 of agent usage. Claude Code comes with Claude Pro at $20 monthly or $17 yearly, GitHub Copilot Pro is $10, and Kiro Pro is $20 for 1,000 credits. Warp Max is $200. Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Aider, Wave, Ghostty and iTerm2 are free software, with model usage billed separately.

Warp vs Claude Code

Best overallPaid$20/mo · checked 14 Nov 20269.0

The differenceRuns in any terminal, VS Code, JetBrains, a desktop app and the web, and comes with a Claude plan from $20 a month; it is an agent rather than a terminal app.

Switch to Claude Code ifyou already pay for Claude and want its agent in any terminal, IDE or CI job

Stay with Warp ifyou want a dedicated terminal app with Warp Drive and a free plan that bills extra agent usage pay-as-you-go

Pros

Acts as an agent, understanding the entire project context.
Handles complete workflows from issue to pull request.

Cons

Requires a paid Claude Pro, Max, or Team plan for access.
Effective use demands familiarity with development tools (terminal, IDE).

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Claude Code · Verdict: Your AI dev partner.

Visit Claude Code Read the Zekai review Price alert

Warp vs GitHub Copilot

Cheapest paidFree plan + paid$10/mo · checked 14 Nov 20269.3

The differenceCopilot Pro is $10 per user a month and every plan, including Free, includes Copilot CLI; Warp Build is $20 a month with $20 of agent usage included.

Switch to GitHub Copilot ifyou want one $10 subscription covering Copilot CLI and editor completions across IDEs

Stay with Warp ifyou want a dedicated terminal with cloud agents and shared workflows rather than a CLI bundled in an IDE plan

Pros

Context-aware code suggestions: Reduces time spent on syntax recall and common code patterns, accelerating feature development.
Boilerplate and repetitive task automation: Frees up cognitive load, allowing engineers to focus on intricate logic and novel solutions.

Cons

Occasional inaccurate or suboptimal code suggestions: Requires careful review to ensure correctness and adherence to project standards.
Potential for introducing security vulnerabilities: Generated code may not always follow secure coding practices, necessitating vigilant security audits.

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of GitHub Copilot

Visit GitHub Copilot Read the Zekai review Price alert

Warp vs Kiro

Free plan + paid$20/user/mo · checked 14 Nov 20267.6

The differenceShips an IDE and a CLI (installed with curl from cli.kiro.dev) on credit plans: Free is 50 credits a month, Pro is 1,000 credits, and add-on credits cost $0.04 each.

Switch to Kiro ifyou want spec-driven development with requirements and bugfix specs and a CLI alongside an IDE

Stay with Warp ifyou want a terminal that works with your own inference or limited cloud agents on a free plan

Pros

Spec-first approach with property-based test checks
Works as IDE, CLI, web and Crew

Cons

Free plan has only 50 credits
Add-on credits cost $0.04 each

Pros and cons from the Zekai review of Kiro · Verdict: Spec-driven AI IDE

Visit Kiro Read the Zekai review Price alert

Warp vs Gemini CLI

Best free planOpen sourceFree (self-hosted)8.3

The differenceFree tier with Google sign-in is 60 requests a minute and 1,000 a day on Gemini 3 models with a 1M-token context; it is a CLI, not a terminal app.

Switch to Gemini CLI ifyou want a free, Apache-2.0 terminal agent on Gemini models with a large daily request allowance

Stay with Warp ifyou want a terminal app with built-in agent, shared workflows and a choice between several model vendors

Visit Gemini CLI Read the Zekai review Price alert

Warp vs OpenCode

Open sourceFree (self-hosted)8.6

The differenceMIT-licensed agent with a terminal UI, desktop app and SDK that works with free models, 200+ providers or existing ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot subscriptions; OpenCode Go starts at $10 a month.

Switch to OpenCode ifyou want an MIT-licensed coding agent that can use free models or the subscriptions you already own

Stay with Warp ifyou want a polished terminal app with cloud agents, usage reporting and team plans rather than a bare agent

Visit OpenCode Read the Zekai review Price alert

Warp vs Aider

Open sourceFree (self-hosted)7.7

The differenceApache-2.0 terminal tool that auto-commits every edit to git, builds a map of your codebase across 100+ languages and lints and runs tests after each change; no terminal UI beyond the prompt.

Switch to Aider ifyou want every AI edit committed to git automatically and prefer to bring your own model key

Stay with Warp ifyou want a graphical terminal with command history, agents you can watch and cloud runners

Visit Aider Read the Zekai review Price alert

Warp vs Wave Terminal

Best open sourceOpen sourceFree (self-hosted)

The differenceApache-2.0 terminal where editors, browsers and an AI chat run as drag-and-drop blocks; Wave AI reads scrollback and edits files with approval, and works with local models through Ollama.

Switch to Wave Terminal ifyou want an open terminal with an AI that reads your output, keeps durable SSH sessions and runs local models

Stay with Warp ifyou want an agent that executes commands and runs in the cloud; Wave AI lists command execution as coming soon

Visit Wave Terminal Price alert

Warp vs Ghostty

Open sourceFree (self-hosted)

The differenceMIT terminal with native macOS (SwiftUI) and Linux (GTK) apps, Metal and OpenGL rendering and the Kitty graphics protocol; its README mentions no AI features, unlike Warp's agent.

Switch to Ghostty ifyou want a fast, native, MIT-licensed terminal and prefer to run Claude Code or another agent inside it

Stay with Warp ifyou want AI commands and an agent built into the terminal or a Windows build

Visit Ghostty Price alert

Warp vs iTerm2

Open sourceFree (self-hosted)

The differenceMac-only terminal with tmux integration, shell integration and hotkey windows; the README describes an optional LLM chat window that can run commands, while Warp ships on Mac, Windows and Linux.

Switch to iTerm2 ifyou are on a Mac and want tmux integration, triggers and a mature free terminal with optional AI chat

Stay with Warp ifyou need Windows or Linux support or an agent that works across several machines

Visit iTerm2 Price alert

06 · What changed

Why do people leave Warp?

30 Oct 2025
Warp's pricing announcement consolidated paid plans into one Build plan at $20 a month with 1,500 AI credits and retired Warp Pro, Turbo and Lightspeed; existing customers moved at their first renewal after 1 December 2025. (source)
14 Nov 2026
The Free plan lists limited cloud agents access and 30 stored cloud conversations, and extra credits on Free are reloaded at rates 20% above paid-plan rates. (source)
14 Nov 2026
Business is listed for up to 25 seats at $45 per user a month billed yearly ($50 monthly); larger organisations need Enterprise with custom pricing. (source)

08 · FAQ

Questions people ask about Warp alternatives

What is the best alternative to Warp in 2027?

Claude Code is the best overall Warp alternative on this page ($20/mo). For no cost, Gemini CLI has a free plan. To self-host, Wave Terminal is open source (Apache-2.0).

Is there a free version of Warp?

Yes. Warp has a free plan: Terminal free; agent usage pay-as-you-go; limited cloud agents; 30 stored conversations. Paid plans start at $20/mo, checked on 14 Nov 2026.

Is there a 100% free alternative to Warp?

Yes. Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Aider, Wave Terminal, Ghostty, iTerm2 are open source and free to self-host. GitHub Copilot, Kiro have a free plan with limits, shown in the table.

What is cheaper than Warp?

GitHub Copilot starts at $10/mo, against $20/mo for Warp, as listed on each vendor's pricing page on 14 Nov 2026.

How much do Warp alternatives cost for a team of 5?

If each of 5 people buys the entry paid plan, at the prices Zekai checked on 14 Nov 2026, the monthly cost is GitHub Copilot $50/mo, Claude Code $100/mo, Kiro $100/mo, against Warp $100/mo for Warp. Team and business plans can cost more per seat. The Zekai Cost Finder on this page recalculates for any team size.

Which is better, Claude Code or Warp?

Runs in any terminal, VS Code, JetBrains, a desktop app and the web, and comes with a Claude plan from $20 a month; it is an agent rather than a terminal app. Choose Claude Code if you already pay for Claude and want its agent in any terminal, IDE or CI job. Stay with Warp if you want a dedicated terminal app with Warp Drive and a free plan that bills extra agent usage pay-as-you-go.

Why are people leaving Warp?

The documented reasons are: Warp's pricing announcement consolidated paid plans into one Build plan at $20 a month with 1,500 AI credits and retired Warp Pro, Turbo and Lightspeed; existing customers moved at their first renewal after 1 December 2025 (30 Oct 2025); The Free plan lists limited cloud agents access and 30 stored cloud conversations, and extra credits on Free are reloaded at rates 20% above paid-plan rates (14 Nov 2026). Each is sourced in the section above.

What is the best Warp alternative?

For a free terminal, Ghostty and iTerm2 are the usual picks, and Wave Terminal adds built-in AI. For an agent, Claude Code, Gemini CLI and OpenCode run inside any terminal. The right pick depends on whether you want a terminal or an agent.

09 · Method

How did Zekai check this page?

Zekai independently reviews AI tools. For this page we read each vendor's own pricing and product pages and recorded the starting price, the free-plan limit and the date of the check. Only tools that do the same job as Warp are listed, and sponsors never change the order or the scores.

Mehmet Elmicenni

Founder of Zekai. Reviews the alternatives pages and the price checks behind them.

About the founder · How Zekai scores tools

1 · Same job onlyEvery alternative does the same task as Warp; tools for other jobs are left out.

2 · Vendor pages onlyPrices and free limits come from each vendor's own pricing page, never from blogs.

Zekai score0–10, from four published weights: ease 25%, output quality 30%, value 20%, time saved 25%. How we score

3 · Re-checkedA price older than 35 days is re-read or the page falls back to an older version.

Change log

14 Nov 2026
Page rebuilt on v6 (wave 9); all prices re-read on vendor pages, monthly and yearly billing shown, open-source rows given licence, hardware and setup details.

9 best Warp alternatives in 2027

Claude Code

Gemini CLI

Wave Terminal

Which Warp alternatives are worth it in 2027?

Know first when Warp or an alternative changes price

Your tool here

Is one of these tools yours?

Is there a free version of Warp?

What are the best free Warp alternatives?

GitHub Copilot

Kiro

What are the best open-source Warp alternatives?

Gemini CLI

OpenCode

Aider

Wave Terminal

Ghostty

iTerm2

How does Warp compare with each alternative?

Warp vs Claude Code

Warp vs GitHub Copilot

Warp vs Kiro

Warp vs Gemini CLI

Warp vs OpenCode

Warp vs Aider

Warp vs Wave Terminal

Warp vs Ghostty

Warp vs iTerm2

Why do people leave Warp?

More comparisons for AI terminal

Questions people ask about Warp alternatives

What is the best alternative to Warp in 2027?

Is there a free version of Warp?

Is there a 100% free alternative to Warp?

What is cheaper than Warp?

How much do Warp alternatives cost for a team of 5?

Which is better, Claude Code or Warp?

Why are people leaving Warp?

What is the best Warp alternative?

How did Zekai check this page?