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. 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. | Credit-based billing with per-project usage you can cap. Route to any LLM provider — bring your own API keys. You pay generation through Stripe, not a per-seat subscription. |
| Provider routing | Locked to Claude models only (Sonnet 5, Opus 5, Haiku 4.5). No provider switching. | Route through OpenRouter or Codex (OpenAI) — pick the cheapest supported model 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: No required subscription. Bring your own API keys through OpenRouter or Codex (OpenAI) and pay provider-direct pricing. Generation is metered and billed through Stripe, with usage you can cap per project and per person.
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 subscription in the way.
See provider routing→FAQ
Questions about switching
Aexol is not open source and uses credit-based billing. Instead of a required subscription (Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan starting at $17/month or pay-per-token API), you route inference to the LLM provider you choose — including cheaper open-source models — using your own API keys. Aexol generation is metered and billed through Stripe.