The Problem

I was paying $200/month for AI coding tools. Cursor ($20), GitHub Copilot ($10), ChatGPT Plus ($20), and various API costs. It added up fast.

The Solution

I found free alternatives that work just as well:

1. MonkeyCode — Free AI Coding Assistant

• Cost: Free (generous tier)
• Features: Multiple AI models, self-hosted option
• Link: monkeycode-ai.net

2. Ollama — Local AI Models

• Cost: Free (run locally)
• Features: 176K+ GitHub stars, no cloud dependency
• Link: github.com/ollama/ollama

3. Continue — VS Code AI

• Cost: Free (BYOK)
• Features: 34K+ stars, multiple models
• Link: github.com/continuedev/continue

4. Tabby — Self-hosted Copilot

• Cost: Free (self-hosted)
• Features: 33K+ stars, no cloud dependency
• Link: github.com/TabbyML/tabby

5. Dify — AI Workflow Builder

• Cost: Free tier
• Features: 148K+ stars, no-code AI apps
• Link: github.com/langgenius/dify

6. Hugging Face — AI Model Hub

• Cost: Free (inference API)
• Features: 1000+ models, community
• Link: huggingface.co

7. Google Colab — Free GPU

• Cost: Free
• Features: GPU access, Jupyter notebooks
• Link: colab.research.google.com

The Savings

How to Get Started

1. Install MonkeyCode: monkeycode-ai.net
2. Install Ollama: curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh
3. Pull a model: ollama pull llama3
4. Start coding!

What's Your Experience?

Have you switched to free AI tools? What's your favorite?

Let me know in the comments! 👇

ai #opensource #free #productivity