Free tool
AI Coding Assistant Comparison (2026)
Every major AI coding tool by price, billing model, form, and features: Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Cline, Zed, JetBrains Junie, Replit, Amazon Q, Tabnine, Augment, Gemini Code Assist, and Google Antigravity. Filter by tool, billing, or open-source. Most prices re-read on the vendor's own page 2026-09-19; a handful still carry 2026-08-17 figures, named under the table.
All, Any billing. 33 of 33 plans listed.
- AiderOpen-source / BYO-keyFreefree/BYO-keyCLIopen-source
Terminal pair programmer, edits + auto-commits to your git repo, repo map, 100+ languages, OSS
- Models: Any LLM (Claude, GPT, DeepSeek, local)
- Best for: Terminal-first devs wanting free, model-agnostic pair programming
- Amazon Q DeveloperFreeFreeusage/creditsextension
~50 agentic req/mo, completions, AWS-aware, scans
- Models: Amazon-managed (Claude on Bedrock)
- Best for: AWS devs trying agentic coding free
- ClineOpen-source / BYO-keyFreefree/BYO-keyextensionopen-source
Autonomous agent (plan/act), codebase context, MCP, terminal+browser, Apache-2.0
- Models: 30+ providers incl. local (Ollama/LM Studio)
- Best for: Full control + BYO key, no platform markup
- CursorHobby (Free)FreesubscriptionIDE
Limited Tab + Agent, no card
- Models: Frontier models, limited (Auto mode)
- Best for: Trying Cursor / light use
- GitHub CopilotFreeFreeusage/creditsextension
2,000 completions/mo, ~50 chat, agent mode, CLI, MCP
- Models: Claude Haiku 4.5, GPT-5 mini, Gemini
- Best for: Casual / student use in your editor
- Google (Antigravity)Individuals (Free)FreesubscriptionIDE
Agent-first IDE: plan/execute/verify across editor+terminal+browser; unlimited tab completions and command requests; basic weekly rate limits. Google AI Pro and Ultra raise the limits
- Models: Gemini 3.8/3.7/3.6 Flash, Gemini 3.1 Pro, Claude Sonnet & Opus 4.6, gpt-oss-120b
- Best for: Google's agent-first IDE, free with no subscription
- JetBrains (AI / Junie)AI FreeFreeusage/creditsIDE
Limited completion + chat, small Junie agent quota
- Models: Local + limited cloud
- Best for: Basic in-IDE AI for JetBrains users
- ReplitStarter (Free)Freeusage/creditsweb
Free daily agent usage, 1 live published project, built-in database, 1 background task
- Models: Claude (Replit Agent) + frontier
- Best for: Trying Replit Agent without a card
- ZedPersonal (Free)Freefree/BYO-keyIDEopen-source
2,000 edit predictions/mo, unlimited BYO-key AI, fast native editor, MCP
- Models: BYO key or external agents (Claude Code)
- Best for: Fast native editor with BYO-key AI
- GitHub CopilotPro$10/mousage/creditsextension
Unlimited completions, agent mode, cloud agent, ~$15 credits, MCP
- Models: Claude, GPT-5, Gemini (picker)
- Best for: Individual devs in VS Code / JetBrains
- JetBrains (AI / Junie)AI Pro$10/mousage/creditsIDE
Enhanced cloud AI, Junie + Claude agent, codebase context, MCP; $10/mo personal, $20/mo commercial
- Models: Cloud models + Junie agent
- Best for: JetBrains devs wanting Junie
- ZedPro$10/mousage/creditsIDEopen-source
Unlimited edit predictions, $5 hosted credits, overage at API+10%
- Models: Zed-hosted + BYO key
- Best for: Hosted models without managing keys
- Amazon Q DeveloperPro$19/seatper-seatextension
Higher limits, Java/.NET transforms, AWS integration, security scans, MCP
- Models: Amazon-managed (Claude on Bedrock)
- Best for: AWS teams modernizing codebases
- GitHub CopilotBusiness$19/seatper-seatextension
Org policy, IP indemnity, agent mode, 1,900 AI credits/user (~$19), MCP
- Models: Claude, GPT-5, Gemini (org-managed)
- Best for: Teams already on GitHub
- Google (Gemini Code Assist)Standard$19/seatper-seatextension
Unlimited completions, chat, agent, GCP integration, codebase context; $19/user with a yearly commitment, $22.80 month-to-month
- Models: Gemini 2.5 / 3 family
- Best for: Teams building on Google Cloud
- Anthropic (Claude Code)via Claude Pro$20/mosubscriptionCLI agent
Agentic terminal coding, full codebase context, MCP, subagents, hooks, plan mode
- Models: Claude Sonnet 5 + Opus 4.8
- Best for: Most individual Claude Code users
- CursorPro$20/mosubscriptionIDE
Unlimited Tab, extended Agent limits, generous Grok limits, MCP + skills + hooks, cloud agents, Bugbot on usage-based billing
- Models: All frontier (Claude Opus 4.8, GPT-5.6, Gemini 3.1)
- Best for: Most working developers
- ReplitCore$20/mousage/creditsweb
$20/mo toward premium models, plan mode, unlimited workspaces, no Replit badge; $17/mo if billed annually
- Models: Claude (Replit Agent) + frontier
- Best for: Build + ship apps from the browser
- JetBrains (AI / Junie)AI Ultimate$30/mousage/creditsIDE
Full Junie + Claude agent, credit rollover; $30/mo personal, $60/mo commercial
- Models: GPT-5, Claude Sonnet 4.6, Gemini 2.5 Pro + full Junie
- Best for: Heavy JetBrains + Junie users
- ZedBusiness$30/seatper-seatIDEopen-source
Org AI policies, training off by default, unlimited predictions, BYOK
- Models: BYO key (no extra charge)
- Best for: Teams needing AI governance
- GitHub CopilotPro+$39/mousage/creditsextension
Unlimited completions, 7,000 AI credits/mo (~$70), premium models, audit logs
- Models: All premium models incl. Opus
- Best for: Heavy users wanting all premium models
- GitHub CopilotEnterprise$39/seatper-seatextension
Everything in Business + 3,900 AI credits/user (~$39), GitHub.com-wide features, audit
- Models: Claude, GPT-5, Gemini (org-managed)
- Best for: Large orgs standardized on GitHub
- TabnineCode Assistant$39/seatper-seatextension
Codebase-grounded completions + chat, SaaS/VPC/on-prem/air-gapped, zero retention · annual only
- Models: Multiple LLMs + private/on-prem
- Best for: Privacy/compliance enterprises
- CursorTeams$40/seatper-seatIDE
SSO, admin, team rules, Bugbot reviews, analytics, privacy mode; a Teams Premium seat is $120/user/mo and adds 5× Standard's Agent limits
- Models: All frontier models
- Best for: Teams needing admin + shared context
- Google (Gemini Code Assist)Enterprise$45/seatper-seatextension
Full GCP integration, admin controls, codebase customization, security; $45/user with a yearly commitment, $54 month-to-month
- Models: Gemini 3 family
- Best for: Enterprises on GCP
- TabnineAgentic$59/seatper-seatextension
Agentic workflows, Context Engine, terminal CLI agent, MCP · annual only
- Models: Multiple LLMs (BYO + hosted)
- Best for: Enterprises wanting private agentic coding
- CursorPro+$60/mousage/creditsIDE
3× Pro's Agent limits, higher Grok Bot limits, cloud agents, Bugbot on usage billing
- Models: All frontier models
- Best for: Heavy individual agent users
- Anthropic (Claude Code)via Claude Max 5×$100/mosubscriptionCLI agent
~5× Pro usage, priority access, agentic + MCP
- Models: Sonnet 5 + Opus 4.8 (more Opus)
- Best for: Daily heavy Claude Code users
- Augment CodeBusiness$100/mousage/creditsextension
Flat $100/mo, no per-seat charge, up to 50 seats; $100/mo of usage included, then LLM at provider list price + a 40% fee
- Models: Frontier (Claude, GPT, Gemini)
- Best for: Teams on large codebases (flat price)
- GitHub CopilotMax$100/mousage/creditsextension
Unlimited completions, 20,000 AI credits/mo (~$200), priority access, MCP
- Models: All premium models, priority to newest
- Best for: Heaviest individual Copilot users
- ReplitPro$100/mousage/creditsweb
$100/mo toward premium models, 10 parallel agents, up to 15 collaborators; $95/mo if billed annually
- Models: Claude (Replit Agent) + frontier
- Best for: Shipping several apps a month from the browser
- Anthropic (Claude Code)via Claude Max 20×$200/mosubscriptionCLI agent
~20× Pro usage, highest limits, parallel agents
- Models: Sonnet 5 + Opus 4.8
- Best for: Power users running agents all day
- CursorUltra$200/mousage/creditsIDE
20× Pro's Agent limits, priority new features
- Models: All frontier + priority to new ones
- Best for: All-day agentic coding
USD, individual/standard tier unless marked /seat. 22 of 33 plans were re-read on the vendor's own pricing page 2026-09-19; the rest still carry 2026-08-17 figures (Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Cline, Aider, Zed, JetBrains (AI / Junie), Replit, Amazon Q Developer, Tabnine (2 plans) and Google (Antigravity)). AI coding prices move monthly. Most “subscription” prices are now a FLOOR, not a cap: Cursor, Replit, Augment, Zed Pro, JetBrains, Copilot and others meter agent/premium-model usage against an included credit allowance, so heavy users pay overages. “Open-source” = the editor/agent license (Cline, Zed), not the AI models (all proprietary); Claude Code is source-available. Confirm on the vendor's page before buying.
Want the verdict, not just the table?
The table lays out every plan; these head-to-heads add the opinionated pick, which to choose for your workflow, and why.
Frequently asked
Do I need a separate subscription for Claude Code?
No. Claude Code has no standalone subscription; it's included on every paid Claude plan. Claude Pro ($20/mo, or $200 billed annually) covers most individuals with Sonnet 4.6 and Opus 4.8 in the terminal, IDE, web, and desktop. Max 5× ($100/mo) and Max 20× ($200/mo) raise the shared usage limits ~5× and ~20× for heavy or all-day agentic use. You can alternatively pay-as-you-go via the Anthropic API, but the subscription plans are the value path for most developers.
What changed with GitHub Copilot pricing in 2026?
On June 1, 2026, every Copilot plan moved to usage-based billing. Each plan (Free, Pro $10, Business $19/user, Pro+ $39, Enterprise $39/user, Max $100) now includes a monthly allowance of GitHub AI Credits (1 credit = $0.01) that fund premium model/agent requests; once exhausted, paid plans can buy more. Code completions and next-edit suggestions stay unlimited and don't consume credits on any paid plan. So the monthly price is now a floor: heavy agent/premium-model users can incur overages.
Which AI coding tools are actually open source vs. just free to use?
Genuinely open source: Cline (Apache-2.0 agent, BYO key), Aider (Apache-2.0 terminal pair programmer that commits to your git repo) and the Zed editor (GPL/AGPL, though Zed's hosted AI credits are a paid add-on). 'Free to use' but closed source: Cursor Hobby, GitHub Copilot Free, JetBrains AI Free, Replit's Starter tier, Amazon Q Free and Google Antigravity's preview are all $0 but proprietary. Claude Code's CLI is source-available (you can read it) but not OSI open-source, and the underlying models are closed everywhere.
What's the cheapest way to get an agentic coding tool in 2026?
For $0: Cline (open-source, BYO API key; you only pay model providers, often pennies per task), Google Antigravity (free in public preview with Gemini 3), Copilot Free, or Replit's free Starter tier. For a flat ~$20/mo with hosted models included: Cursor Pro and Claude Pro (Claude Code), or Replit Core ($20). Watch for usage/credit overages: most $20 plans meter agent and premium-model usage beyond an included allowance. Augment is no longer in this bracket, its cheapest plan is now $100/mo.
What happened to Windsurf?
Windsurf is now part of Devin, Cognition's coding agent. windsurf.com redirects to devin.ai and there is no separate Windsurf pricing page any more, so the plans this table used to list can no longer be bought under that name. The figures it carried could no longer be checked against any Windsurf page, so they have been removed rather than left to age. If you were choosing Windsurf for its agentic editor, the closest picks still on sale here are Cursor and Cline.
Is Tabnine still a good pick for individual developers?
Not really in 2026. Tabnine retired its free and individual tiers and is now enterprise/team-focused, starting at $39/user/month (Code Assistant) or $59/user/month (Agentic), annual billing only. Its differentiator is privacy and deployment flexibility (SaaS, VPC, on-prem, air-gapped) with zero code retention, so it fits compliance-sensitive enterprises, not solo developers, who are better served by Cursor, Copilot Pro, Claude Code, Cline, or Zed.