AI coding agents
AI coding agents compared
Quick picks
- Best overall in the terminal: Claude Code or OpenAI Codex
- Best free tier: GitHub Copilot or OpenAI Codex
- Best open source, any model: OpenCode or Cline
- Best inside an editor: Cursor or GitHub Copilot
- Best for handing off tickets: Devin or OpenAI Codex
- Best for specs before code: Kiro or Augment Code
| Free plan | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Terminal agents 7Run in your shell, read the repo, edit files and run commands. Pair with any editor. | ||||
Anthropic's agent that reads your codebase, edits files and runs commands. Terminal, IDE extension, cloud.
Catch: Shares one usage pool with Claude chat: 5-hour windows plus weekly limits. Max $100 (5x Pro), Ultra $200 (no 5-hour limit). | A general-purpose agent bundled with a Claude subscription | None (not in the Free Claude plan) | $20/mo Pro ($17/mo billed annually) | Claude models only (Opus, Sonnet, Haiku) |
OpenAI CodexCLI: Apache-2.0 OpenAI's coding agent: CLI, IDE extension, desktop app and cloud tasks. Terminal, IDE extension, desktop app, cloud.
Catch: Plan usage is capped per 5 hours with weekly limits; the API-key route has no cloud features. | ChatGPT subscribers who want one agent for local and cloud work | Included in ChatGPT Free for quick coding tasks | $8/mo Go (light use); $20/mo Plus adds web, CLI and IDE; Pro from $100 | OpenAI models on ChatGPT plans; or any model your OpenAI API key can use |
Gemini CLIApache-2.0 Google's open-source terminal agent running on Gemini models. Terminal.
Catch: Google now points free users to Antigravity CLI, and Gemini CLI is not optimized for Gemini 4 Argon. | Gemini models in the terminal on a Google AI Pro/Ultra, Code Assist or API-key account | Unpaid tier replaced by Antigravity CLI on June 18, 2026 (per geminicli.com) | Google AI Pro or Ultra, a Gemini Code Assist license, or a Gemini API key (pay as you go) | Gemini models only (Flash and Pro mix on the free tier) |
OpenCodeopen source Open-source, provider-agnostic coding agent with a terminal UI. Terminal, desktop app, IDE extension.
Catch: You bring and pay for the models (API keys, subscriptions or the paid Zen service). | Reusing a model subscription or API keys you already pay for | Free tool; includes some free models (limits not stated) | Free (pay your model provider) | 75+ providers and local models; sign in with GitHub Copilot or ChatGPT Plus/Pro |
AiderApache-2.0 Open-source pair programmer that edits your repo and commits each change to git. Terminal.
Catch: No hosted service or bundled credits: you supply and pay for the model. | Git-centric terminal workflows with any model, including local ones | Free; no paid plans | Free (pay your model provider) | Any LLM, including local models; bring your own API key |
Coding agent that runs in sandboxed cloud environments (orbs) or locally via its CLI. Terminal, cloud.
Catch: Cloud environment time is metered beyond what the plan includes. | Agents that run unattended in the cloud, reviewed from any device | Hobby: all features; bring your own keys or ChatGPT/Claude subscription; orbs pay as you go | $20/mo Individual (45,000 orb minutes) | Bring your own keys or link ChatGPT/Claude; Amp credits for Claude and GPT |
A modern terminal with a built-in agent and Oz cloud agents. Terminal app, cloud.
Catch: Free plan includes no agent usage: bring your own key or upgrade. | An agentic terminal you can share with a team | Terminal and agent with your own AI keys; limited cloud agents | $20/mo Build ($18/mo annual), includes $20 of usage | OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI and open models; bring your own key |
AI IDEs and editors 4An editor built around the agent: diffs, review and tab completions in one window. | ||||
AI-first code editor with a built-in agent, cloud agents and AI code review. IDE.
Catch: Third-party models (Claude, GPT) are billed on top of every plan. Plans run to Super $100 and Ultra $200, sold by X Subscription Corp. | An agent inside a VS Code-style editor | Limited agent and chat requests | $8/mo Plus (Grok models only); $30/mo Premium adds cloud agents and other models | Grok models included; Claude, GPT and others at API list price, billed separately |
AI IDE, now Devin Desktop, for running local and cloud agents in one place. IDE, JetBrains plugin.
Catch: Quotas refresh daily and weekly; extra usage is billed at API prices. | One editor to manage several agents (Devin, Codex, Claude) | Light agent quota, limited models, unlimited Tab completions | $20/mo Pro | OpenAI, Claude, Gemini and open models, plus Cognition's SWE models |
AWS's agentic IDE built around specs: requirements and a plan before code. IDE, Terminal, web.
Catch: Credits don't roll over; extra credits cost $0.04 each. Pro+ $40, Pro Max $100, Power $200. | Teams that want specs before code, especially on AWS | 50 credits a month (Claude Sonnet and open-weight models) | $20/mo Pro (1,000 credits) | Auto mode, Claude, GPT and open-weight models |
ZedGPL-3.0 Fast open-source editor with an agent panel; runs Claude Code, Codex and other agents via ACP. Editor.
Catch: Pro includes only $5 of tokens a month; more is API price plus 10%. | A fast native editor where you plug in your own keys or agents | Free forever with your own API keys or external agents | $10/mo Pro | Bring your own key (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Ollama, OpenRouter) or Zed-hosted models |
Editor extensions 3Add an agent to the editor you already use (VS Code, JetBrains and others). | ||||
Agent mode in VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio and Xcode, plus a cloud agent and CLI. Editor extension, Terminal, cloud.
Catch: Agent mode, cloud agent and chat all draw from monthly AI credits (1,500 = $15 on Pro); extra credits $0.01 each. | Teams already on GitHub | 2,000 completions a month, Haiku 4.5 and GPT-5 mini, Copilot CLI | $10/mo Pro ($15 of AI credits) | Several models including Claude and GPT; premium models (Opus) from Pro+ |
ClineApache-2.0 Open-source agent with Plan and Act modes that asks before each step. Editor extension, Terminal, desktop app.
Catch: No bundled model usage; the JetBrains extension is Enterprise-only. | Full model choice and step-by-step control | Free for individuals; you pay only for inference | Free (pay your model provider) | Bring your own key: Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Bedrock, Ollama, any OpenAI-compatible API |
Kilo CodeMIT Open-source agent for VS Code, JetBrains and the CLI, with a model gateway. Editor extension, Terminal, cloud.
Catch: Gateway credit purchases carry a 5% fee; cloud agents cost $0.60-$1.20 an hour. | One agent across editors, with free models and no markup | Free; Auto Free routes to free models, or use your own keys or local models | Free (pay your model provider); Kilo Pass $19/mo | 500+ models across 60+ providers at provider rates; local models |
Cloud agents 2Hand off a task; the agent works in a cloud sandbox and opens a pull request. | ||||
Cognition's autonomous software engineer that works in the cloud and opens PRs. Cloud agent, desktop, CLI.
Catch: Quota-based; Max is $200, Teams is $80/mo plus $40 per full seat. | Delegating well-scoped tickets that come back as pull requests | Light agent quota with limited models | $20/mo Pro (includes Devin Cloud) | OpenAI, Claude, Gemini and open models, plus Cognition's SWE models |
Agents with a Context Engine that indexes large codebases; cloud agents and a CLI. Cloud agents, Terminal.
Catch: Model usage carries a 40% service fee on top of API prices. | Teams working in large codebases | None | $20/mo Standard (flat, up to 50 seats, $20 of usage) | Major providers' models at API list price |
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan, its limits, what it leaves out and worked monthly bills, re-checked on each vendor's own pricing page.
- Claude Code pricingchecked 2026-11-07
- Cursor pricingchecked 2026-11-07
- Codex pricingchecked 2026-11-07
- GitHub Copilot pricingchecked 2026-11-07
- Devin and Windsurf pricingchecked 2026-11-07
- Kiro pricingchecked 2026-11-07
- Lovable pricingchecked 2026-11-07
- Replit pricingchecked 2026-11-07
- Bolt.new pricingchecked 2026-11-07
- v0 pricingchecked 2026-11-07
Head-to-head comparisons
- Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex
- Claude Code vs Cursor
- Claude Code vs GitHub Copilot
- Claude Code vs Gemini CLI
- Cursor vs GitHub Copilot
- Cursor vs Windsurf (Devin Desktop)
- Claude Code vs OpenCode
- Cursor vs Kiro
- Claude Code vs Cline
- Cline vs Cursor
- Aider vs Claude Code
- Gemini CLI vs OpenAI Codex
- Cursor vs OpenAI Codex
- GitHub Copilot vs OpenAI Codex
- Cursor vs Devin
- Amp vs Claude Code
- Claude Code vs Windsurf (Devin Desktop)
- Cursor vs Zed
More: vibe coding tools (prompt-to-app builders) · all AI coding tools · free LLM API keys · AI model API pricing.
FAQ
What is the best AI coding agent?+
For most developers: Claude Code or OpenAI Codex in the terminal, or Cursor if you want the agent inside your editor. GitHub Copilot Free and Codex in ChatGPT Free cover light use at no cost. For open source with any model, use OpenCode, Cline or Aider.
What is an AI coding agent?+
A tool that takes a task in plain language, reads your codebase, edits files, runs commands and tests, and iterates until the task is done. Unlike autocomplete, it works across many files and steps; you review the diff.
Are there free AI coding agents?+
Yes. GitHub Copilot Free (2,000 completions a month plus limited chat and agent use) and Codex in ChatGPT Free cover light use. OpenCode, Cline, Kilo Code and Aider are free and open source: you pay only for the model, or use a free LLM API key. Gemini CLI's unpaid tier was replaced by Antigravity CLI on June 18, 2026.
Claude Code or Codex?+
Both are terminal-first agents with IDE extensions and cloud tasks. Claude Code runs only Claude models and needs a paid Claude plan ($20/mo Pro); Codex runs OpenAI models and is included even in ChatGPT Free for light use. Pick the one whose subscription you already pay for.
Can I use my own API key?+
OpenCode, Cline, Kilo Code, Aider, Zed and Warp take your own keys for most providers; Codex works with an OpenAI API key; Gemini CLI with a Gemini API key. Claude Code, Cursor and Copilot bill through their own plans.