Best AI coding assistant
The best AI coding assistant for most developers on a budget is GitHub Copilot, at $10/month with unlimited inline suggestions and a free plan; choose Cursor if you want an AI-first editor with cloud agents, Windsurf (now Devin Desktop) if you want simple $0, $20 and $200 tiers, and Claude Code if you want an agent in your terminal.
Updated on
These four tools cover the main ways developers use AI today: autocomplete and chat inside an editor, an AI-first editor with its own agent, and an agent that runs in the terminal. The right one depends on where you want the AI to live and how you want to be billed.
Comparison table
| Tool | Starting price | Free plan | Best for | Price checked | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | $10/month (Pro) | Yes | Best value | Official site | |
| Cursor | $8/month (Plus) | Yes | Best AI-first editor with many tiers | Official site | |
| Windsurf (Devin Desktop) | $20/month (Pro) | Yes | Best for simple pricing | Official site | |
| Claude Code | $20/month (Claude Pro) | No | Best terminal agent | Official site |
Our picks
1. GitHub Copilot: best value
Copilot Free includes 2,000 inline suggestions a month, and Pro costs $10/month with unlimited inline suggestions and $15 of GitHub AI Credits a month. Pro+ ($39) and Max ($100) raise the monthly credits to $70 and $200.
Verdict: 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.
2. Cursor: best AI-first editor with many tiers
Cursor has a Free plan and four paid individual tiers from $8 to $200 a month. Premium ($30/month) adds cloud agents, automations and AI code reviews. Note that the $8 Plus plan only offers Grok models and that third-party model usage is billed separately.
Verdict: 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.
3. Windsurf (Devin Desktop): best for simple pricing
Windsurf, now named Devin Desktop, has three individual plans: Free ($0, with unlimited Tab completions and inline edits), Pro ($20/month, with frontier models and cloud agents) and Max ($200/month).
Verdict: 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.
4. Claude Code: best terminal agent
Claude Code runs in your terminal next to whatever editor you use and is included in Claude Pro at $20/month (or $17/month on the annual plan). There is no free plan that includes it; heavier use needs Max at $100 or $200 a month.
Verdict: Use it if you want an agent that works from your terminal alongside the editor and tools you already use, and you are happy to pay for a Claude subscription of $20/month or more.
How we picked
We compared each tool's official pricing page on the check date: free plan, cheapest paid plan, how usage is limited and where the assistant runs. This ranking is an editorial judgement based on that published information, not on a hands-on benchmark of code quality. See the full methodology.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest paid AI coding assistant?
Among the four tools on this page, Cursor Plus is the cheapest paid plan at $8/month, but it only offers Grok models. GitHub Copilot Pro costs $10/month with unlimited inline suggestions. Prices were checked on the official pages on October 14, 2026.
Which AI coding assistants are free?
GitHub Copilot, Cursor and Windsurf (Devin Desktop) each list a free plan. Copilot Free includes 2,000 inline suggestions a month; Windsurf Free includes unlimited Tab completions and a light agent quota; Cursor Free has limited agent and chat requests. Claude Code is not included in the Claude Free plan.
Is Windsurf the same as Devin Desktop?
Yes. The official site states that Devin Desktop is the new name for Windsurf, and windsurf.com now redirects to devin.ai. The vendor says existing plans and pricing stay the same.
Sources
Every price and plan detail on this page comes from these official pages.
- GitHub Copilot: https://github.com/features/copilot/plans (checked )
- Cursor: https://cursor.com/pricing (checked )
- Windsurf (Devin Desktop): https://devin.ai/pricing (checked )
- Windsurf (Devin Desktop): https://devin.ai/desktop (checked )
- Claude Code: https://claude.com/pricing (checked )
- Claude Code: https://claude.com/product/claude-code (checked )