Studio
A visual spec editor with graph visualization, parallel artifacts, and frontend mockups. Prepare and validate your spec before the agent runs — far beyond plan mode.
Explore Studio→ Back to home
Claude Code alternative
Claude Code alternative - cheaper on open source
Aexol routes to cheaper open-source LLM providers, exposes more generation parameters, and includes a visual Studio — without per-seat pricing or credit metering. Bring your own API keys and pay the provider directly.
Honest comparison
Where Aexol differs from Claude Code
Claude Code is a capable agentic CLI from Anthropic. This is a fair, five-axis comparison of where the two actually diverge.
| Feature | Claude Code | Aexol |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Subscription required (Pro $17/mo annual or $20/mo monthly, Max from $100/mo, Team $20–100/seat/mo) or pay-per-token API credits via Console. | Free and open source. Route to any provider — bring your own API keys. No per-seat pricing. |
| Provider routing | Locked to Anthropic models only (Sonnet 5, Opus 5, Haiku 4.5). No provider switching. | Route to any open-source or proprietary provider — Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Cerebras, or local. Pick the cheapest per task. |
| Generation parameters | Limited agent parameters exposed through the CLI. | Full control: temperature, max tokens, top-p, frequency/penalty, and spec-level parameters (models, providers, concurrency). |
| Visual Studio | Terminal/IDE only. No visual spec editor. | Visual Studio with graph visualization, parallel artifacts, frontend mockups, and real-time validation. |
| Cost transparency | Shared usage pool across web chat and Claude Code. Credits consumed from your subscription. | Per-project and per-person usage caps. Bring-your-own-keys means you pay provider-direct pricing. |
TRANSPARENT PRICING
Claude Code pricing today (July 2026)
Claude Code is included in all paid Claude plans and shares the same usage pool as web/mobile chat. For heavy coding, users typically switch to pay-as-you-go API credits via the Console.
Pro
$17/mo
Annual billing ($20/mo monthly). Shares usage pool with web chat.
Max
from $100/mo
5× or 20× usage tiers. Higher limits for heavy coding.
Team
$20–100/seat/mo
Standard $20 or premium $100 per seat. Shared workspace usage.
Pay-as-you-go API pricing (per 1M tokens)
| Model | Input | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Sonnet 5introductory | $2 | $10 |
| Opus 5 | $5 | $25 |
| Haiku 4.5 | $1 | $5 |
Aexol's contrast: Free and open source — no required subscription. Bring your own API keys to any provider (including Claude, or cheaper open-source models) and pay provider-direct pricing. No per-seat fees, no credit metering on top.
Why Aexol
Three advantages over Claude Code
Aexol is built around a visual Studio, granular generation parameters, and open-source provider routing — without per-seat pricing.
More parameters
Full control over generation: temperature, max tokens, top-p, frequency/penalty, model selection, provider routing, and concurrency. Spec-level parameters exposed in the Studio, per project.
Explore agent→Cheaper on open source
Route to any provider including open-source models. Bring your own API keys and pay provider-direct pricing. No per-seat fees, no credit metering on top.
See provider routing→FAQ
Questions about switching
Aexol is free and open source. Instead of a required subscription (Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan starting at $17/month or pay-per-token API), Aexol lets you route to any LLM provider — including cheaper open-source models — using your own API keys. You pay the provider directly, with no per-seat fees or credit metering on top.