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 and in the browser.
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 and in the browser.
- 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
The Freebuff web workspace runs the same agent in your browser with nothing to install, so it works on a Chromebook too. The Website Builder turns an idea into a site with sign-in, databases and publishing built in.
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 (web workspace) | No |
| Build and publish websites | Yes (Website Builder) | Not in DeepAI Code (DeepAI has a separate Website Builder) |
| 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. The Freebuff Website Builder takes an idea to a published site, with sign-in and a database built in.
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.