Which Coding Agents Don't Make You Pay to Keep Going?

You are mid-refactor, the agent finally understands the codebase, and a usage limit stops you cold. Losing momentum like that costs more than the money does. This workflow shows how to set up Freebuff, a coding agent that runs on your own machine and is funded entirely by ads, so the model usage is covered for you.

Why most agents interrupt you

Many coding agents are free to install and still bill you for the model behind them. OpenCode is free software, but model usage is charged separately. Other agents meter usage and stop you when the meter runs out. The agent itself is cheap to build, and the model tokens are what get rationed.

We took a different route. Freebuff is 100% free and supported by text ads, which is how we cover the model costs as well as the software. You install the Freebuff Desktop app, and the agent works on your files locally while the models run in the cloud. There is no credit card to enter.

Who this is for

This is for developers who use an agent daily and keep running into limits at the worst moment, side project builders, students, and anyone who wants to test an agent on a real task before committing to it.

Workflow

Stage 1: Install the Desktop app

Download Freebuff Desktop for macOS, Windows, or Linux from https://freebuff.com/desktop, sign in, and open your project folder. The desktop app can run multiple agents in parallel, each in its own workspace. No API key is needed.

Stage 2: Give it project context

Add an AGENTS.md file at the root of your project with your conventions: build and test commands, and the directories the agent should leave alone. Freebuff reads AGENTS.md (or CLAUDE.md if you have one from a previous tool) at the start of a chat, so you stop answering the same setup questions every session.

Following those rules is not guaranteed on the first attempt. Treat the file like onboarding notes for a new contractor, and tighten it as you see what the agent misses.

If you work in a terminal, the same agent is available from the command line:

npm install -g freebuff
cd your-project
freebuff

npm install -g freebuff
cd your-project
freebuff

Stage 3: Pick a model

Open the model picker to see what is available. The roster changes often, so trust the picker over any list written here. Switch models mid-session whenever a different one suits the task better.

Stage 4: Work until you are done

With a metered tool you ration your prompts. Here you can keep going on a real task without watching a meter. Chats are stored locally per project, so you can close the app and pick up later without losing context.

The ads are real. Text ads appear inline in the interface, in a box labelled "Ad", while the agent works. That is the whole exchange. If that tradeoff bothers you, Freebuff may not be your tool, and that is a legitimate position.

Stage 5: Read the privacy policy

Because ads fund Freebuff, it is worth knowing how data is handled before you point it at anything proprietary. Our privacy policy is at https://freebuff.com/privacy-policy, and the model picker may carry notes about data behavior for individual models. For private code, read those notes and choose accordingly.

Outcomes

After this workflow you have a coding agent on your machine with no per-token bill and no card on file. Model availability shifts from month to month, so expect the picker to change over time. For daily driving, that trade is easy to defend.

FAQ

Is Freebuff actually free?

Yes. It is 100% free end to end, including model usage, funded by text ads shown in the app.

How does this compare to OpenCode?

OpenCode is free software, but model tokens are charged separately. We cover model usage through ads, so there is no second bill.

Does the model run on my machine?

No. The agent runs locally, and the models run in the cloud. You need an internet connection.

Try it on a real task this week. Download the Freebuff Desktop app and see whether the ads bother you less than the interruptions did.