The best DeepAI Code alternative for Linux, the terminal and the browser
DeepAI Code is a desktop app for Mac and Windows. Freebuff runs the same kind of free agent on Linux, over SSH, in the browser and on GitHub.
In short
- DeepAI Code runs on macOS and Windows only. It has no Linux build, no command-line version and no web version.
- Freebuff is a free, ad-supported coding agent that runs as a desktop app on Linux (.deb and AppImage, amd64 and arm64), in any terminal, in the browser and on your GitHub repos.
- Install the CLI with
npm install -g freebuff. No card, no API key.
DeepAI Code is a desktop app, and only for two operating systems. That rules it out for a lot of real development: Linux workstations, remote servers, containers, cloud dev boxes and anyone who lives in a terminal. One of the most recent posts on DeepAI’s own feedback board says it in five words: "Maybe a linux code client?"
Where DeepAI Code runs
According to DeepAI’s product page, DeepAI Code runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs with macOS 13 or later, and on Windows PCs with Intel, AMD or Arm chips. That is the whole list. You install it, sign in with a DeepAI account, and work inside its window.
Where Freebuff runs
Linux desktop
Freebuff Desktop ships for Linux as a .deb package and an AppImage, for both amd64 and arm64, alongside the macOS and Windows builds. Each tab is an agent bound to a project folder, running in its own git worktree when the folder is a repository, so several agents can work in parallel without overwriting each other. A tab can also run your local Claude Code or Codex.
Any terminal
npm install -g freebuff
cd your-project
freebuffThe Freebuff CLI works anywhere you have a shell: a Linux box, a Mac, a Windows terminal, a server over SSH, a container or a tmux session that keeps running after you disconnect. It sits next to whatever editor you use, from Vim to VS Code.
The browser
Freebuff Web builds full-stack apps from a prompt in the browser and hosts them for you on a freebuff.app address. Nothing to install, and it works on a Chromebook.
Your GitHub repos
Freebuff Cloud connects to GitHub and runs agents against your repositories in the cloud, then opens pull requests for you to review. Your laptop does not have to stay open.
Side by side
| Feature | Freebuff | DeepAI Code |
|---|---|---|
| macOS | Yes (desktop and CLI) | Yes |
| Windows | Yes (desktop and CLI) | Yes |
| Linux | Yes: .deb and AppImage, amd64 and arm64, plus CLI | No |
| Command line / SSH | Yes | No |
| Browser, nothing to install | Yes (Freebuff Web) | No |
| Cloud agents that open pull requests | Yes (Freebuff Cloud) | No |
| Parallel agents in git worktrees | Yes | Yes |
| Cost to start | $0, funded by ads | $0, funded by ads |
Who should switch
- Linux developers. DeepAI Code does not run on your machine. Freebuff Desktop and the CLI do.
- Anyone who works on remote machines. Run the Freebuff CLI on the server itself over SSH, next to the code and the data.
- Terminal-first developers. Keep your editor and your tmux layout; add an agent in a split.
- People who want to ship, not just edit. Freebuff Web takes a prompt to a hosted app, and Freebuff Cloud works straight on your repos.
If you are on a Mac or Windows PC and want a desktop app, both will work, and the comparison comes down to usage limits, the agent and privacy. We cover those in DeepAI Code vs Freebuff.
Get Freebuff on Linux, Mac or Windows
Desktop app, CLI or browser. Free, no card required.
Questions
Is there a Linux version of DeepAI Code?
Does DeepAI Code have a CLI?
npm install -g freebuff and runs in any terminal, including over SSH.