Claude Code alternatives
The best alternatives to Claude Code are Cursor, Windsurf (Devin Desktop) and GitHub Copilot. Each one fits a different need, summarised below with its starting price and free plan.
Updated on
Comparison table
| Tool | Starting price | Free plan | Best for | Price checked | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cursor | $8/month (Plus) | Yes | Developers who want an AI-first editor with many usage tiers | Official site | |
| Windsurf (Devin Desktop) | $20/month (Pro) | Yes | Developers who want simple flat tiers and unlimited Tab completions on the free plan | Official site | |
| GitHub Copilot | $10/month (Pro) | Yes | Developers who want the cheapest paid plan with unlimited inline suggestions | Official site | |
| Claude Code | $20/month (Claude Pro) | No | Developers who prefer an agent in the terminal that works with their existing editor and CLI tools | Official site |
When to pick each alternative
Cursor
Use it if you want a dedicated AI code editor with an agent built in and you are comfortable with usage-based tiers; start on Free or Plus, and move to Premium when you need cloud agents, automations or AI code review.
Windsurf (Devin Desktop)
Use it if you want an AI IDE with three clear individual plans (Free, $20 Pro, $200 Max) and a free tier with unlimited Tab completions; note that the product is now called Devin Desktop.
GitHub Copilot
Use it if you already live in GitHub and want a low-cost assistant: the Free plan covers 2,000 inline suggestions a month and Pro costs $10/month.
Why look beyond Claude Code?
- No free plan includes Claude Code
- Heavier use requires Max at $100 or $200 per month
- It is an agent, not a full editor, so there is no built-in Tab autocomplete editor
- Only uses Claude models
Back to Claude Code pricing and details
Sources
Every price and plan detail on this page comes from these official pages.
- Cursor: https://cursor.com/pricing (checked )
- Windsurf (Devin Desktop): https://devin.ai/pricing (checked )
- Windsurf (Devin Desktop): https://devin.ai/desktop (checked )
- GitHub Copilot: https://github.com/features/copilot/plans (checked )
- Claude Code: https://claude.com/pricing (checked )
- Claude Code: https://claude.com/product/claude-code (checked )