AI coding assistants tools
AI coding assistants suggest, write, explain and fix code inside an editor or terminal. Newer ones work as agents: given a task, they read the codebase, make changes across files and run tests, then hand the result back for review.
GitHub Copilot
GitHub's AI coding assistant for code completion, chat, agents and review
Cursor
AI code editor with agents that write and change code
Claude Code
Anthropic's agentic coding tool for the terminal, IDEs, desktop and web
Devin Desktop
AI code editor from Cognition, renamed Devin Desktop in June 2026
Open source
OpenAI Codex
OpenAI's coding agent for the terminal, IDEs, desktop app and cloud
Side by side
| Tool | Free plan | Starting price | Open source | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | $10/user/mo | No | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux | |
| Cursor | $20/mo | No | macOS, Windows, Linux, Web | |
| Claude Code | $17/mo (annual) | No | macOS, Windows, Linux, Web | |
| Devin Desktop | $20/mo | No | macOS, Windows, Linux | |
| OpenAI Codex | $8/mo | Yes | macOS, Windows, Linux, Web |
How to choose
- 1
Where do you work: a specific editor, the terminal, or the browser?
- 2
Do you want autocomplete as you type, or an agent you hand whole tasks to?
- 3
How are requests metered on each plan, and what happens when you run out?
- 4
What does the business plan say about your code being used for training?
Also worth a look
Tools listed elsewhere that do this job too.
Mistral Vibe
Mistral AI's assistant for chat, work tasks and coding, now called Vibe
Lovable
AI app and website builder that creates apps from chat prompts
Bolt.new
AI builder that creates websites and web apps from chat prompts
v0 by Vercel
Vercel's AI builder that generates web apps and UI from prompts
Replit
Online app builder with an AI agent, hosting and databases in one place
Questions
What are AI coding assistants?
AI coding assistants suggest, write, explain and fix code inside an editor or terminal. Newer ones work as agents: given a task, they read the codebase, make changes across files and run tests, then hand the result back for review.
Which AI coding assistants have a free plan?
Of the 5 listed here, 4 have a free plan: GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Devin Desktop and OpenAI Codex. Free plans are limited; each tool's page lists the limits.
Which of these AI coding assistants costs least to start?
Of the tools here with a published price, the lowest entry price is OpenAI Codex's ChatGPT Go plan at $8/mo, as published on its pricing page on 23 September 2026. The cheapest plan is not always the best value: check what each plan includes.