The Devin alternative: orchestrate your own agents, locally.

Devin is a cloud AI engineer you rent by the ACU. AIDEN is a desktop workspace that runs your own Claude Code and Codex CLIs on parallel branches, your machine, your plans, your cost control.

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Quick answer

Devin, by Cognition, is a cloud software engineer: hand it a task and it plans, codes, and opens a PR from Cognition's VMs, metered in ACU compute credits on a pay-as-you-go basis (from around $20). AIDEN reaches the same destination, stories in, reviewed PRs out, from the opposite direction: agents run locally through your own Claude Code and Codex CLIs, on git worktrees on your disk, behind a spec you approve before any code is written.

What AIDEN is: Desktop workspace running your Claude Code + Codex CLIs on parallel git branches
Platform: macOS 12+ (arm64 + x64), signed & notarized
Code privacy: Local, code never leaves your machine
Pricing: Free (1 project) · Solo $19/mo · Lifetime $169 · Team $10/seat

Stick with Devin when

You want fully hands-off cloud execution with zero local setup.
You need long unattended runs where the agent self-recovers without you at the keyboard.
You want Slack-native delegation and an enterprise audit trail.
Usage-based ACU billing fits how your team buys tools.

Switch to AIDEN when

You want to see and steer the work, specs to approve, worktrees to open, diffs to read, not a session log from someone else's VM.
You'd rather pay a flat $19/mo for the workspace and run models on the Anthropic/OpenAI plans you already have than watch an ACU meter.
Your code can't leave your machine, privacy, compliance, or IP.
You want Claude Code and Codex agents side by side on the same board.

Devin vs AIDEN, side by side

Across 9 features · AIDEN 1 · Devin 0

Feature	Devin	AIDEN
Execution model	Cloud VMs (Cognition infrastructure)	Local desktop, your machine
Code privacy	Code processed on Cognition's cloud	Never leaves your machine
Parallel sessions	Yes, multiple Devins, each burning ACUs	Yes, local agents on parallel worktrees
Spec approval before code	Interactive planning	Enforced approval gate
Kanban board view	No	Yes
Bring your own CLIs / keys	No	Yes, your Claude Code / Codex
Cost model	Usage-based ACU credits, pay-as-you-go from ~$20	Flat workspace fee + your existing model plans
Pricing	Scales with ACU consumption	Free, Solo $19/mo or $169 lifetime, Team $10/seat/mo (min 3)
Setup	None, cloud	Download .dmg + Claude Code or Codex CLI

Switching from Devin?

Download AIDEN free and bring your existing Claude Code or Codex setup. Runs on macOS in minutes, no credit card required.

Download AIDEN free

Free to start · macOS 12+ · No credit card required

A switcher's take

Renting Devin makes sense when you truly want to delegate: no environment to maintain, no babysitting, results arriving as PRs. The trade is opacity, you don't watch it work, and cost scales with ACU burn that's hard to predict up front. AIDEN is the ownership option: the same story-to-PR loop, but the agents are your CLIs, the branches are on your disk, and the only meter running is the model plan you already chose.

Devin vs AIDEN, FAQ

Is AIDEN as capable as Devin?

They draw on similar model families. AIDEN's capability is whatever your Claude Code or Codex CLI can do, which is state of the art. Devin's edge is its managed cloud environment and long unattended runs; AIDEN's edge is oversight: an approved spec, visible worktrees, and test runs you can watch locally.

How does pricing actually compare?

Devin is usage-based: pay-as-you-go ACU credits starting around $20, scaling with how much the agent works. AIDEN is a flat workspace fee, Free for 1 project, Solo $19/mo or a one-time $169 lifetime, Team $10/seat/mo (min 3), with model usage flowing through your own Anthropic/OpenAI plans, so you keep the cost lever.

Does AIDEN keep my code private?

Yes. AIDEN is a desktop app, your code never leaves your machine, and model calls go through your local CLIs. Devin runs on cloud VMs; your code is processed on Cognition's infrastructure.

Can I try AIDEN before buying?

Yes. AIDEN's free tier supports 1 project with the full multi-agent workspace. No credit card required. The Solo upgrade removes the project limit.

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Stop chatting. Start shipping.

Try AIDEN free. Bring your existing Claude Code or Codex setup.

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