Side by side
Pi vs SWE-agent
Both stand on ai coding assistants. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan AndroidLinuxMac+2
Pi offers a customizable terminal agent with broad provider support, multiple operating modes, and navigable session history. Its permission model requires care because tools and extensions run with the process’s access.
Visit Pi Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+2
SWE-agent offers a configurable research-oriented agent for repository work, vulnerability investigation, and custom tasks across major desktop systems. Its maintenance-only status and successor recommendation make mini-swe-agent the direction maintainers currently favor.
Visit SWE-agentThe facts
| Pi | SWE-agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Android, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows | Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Not published |
| Plans published | 1 | None |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | pi.dev | swe-agent.com |
| On ai coding assistants | #46 of 103 | #42 of 103 |
Pi: what it does well
- Free and MIT-licensed
- Inspects files and runs terminal commands
- Supports many listed model providers
- Extensible through TypeScript modules and packages
- Sessions support branching and export
What to know first
- Model access requires a connected provider or endpoint
- Tool calls are not sandboxed
- No built-in sub-agents or plan mode
- Android use requires Termux
SWE-agent: what it does well
- Open-source and free to use
- Autonomous repository browsing, editing, and code execution
- Configurable through a documented YAML file
- Supports LiteLLM and local models
- Runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows
What to know first
- Now in maintenance-only mode
- Maintainers recommend mini-swe-agent instead
- Requires model credentials and sometimes GitHub credentials
- Docker may limit environment choices