Best AI Coding Assistants
Eight AI coding assistants, one table. The ordering below is editorial: it is based on published data — how usable and how transparent each free tier is, and what each product is for — not on benchmark scores, because our hands-on runs are still being scheduled. When scores land, this page gets a results table and the ordering is revisited. Data checked October 22, 2026; method on the How We Test page.
All eight at a glance
| Tool | Free tier | Entry paid | Form | Test status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | Yes — 2,000 completions/mo + AI Credits allowance | $10/mo (Pro) | IDE extension, CLI, web & mobile | Hands-on test: scheduled |
| Cursor | Yes — limited Agent/Chat requests (limits not published) | $8/mo (Plus, Grok models only) | Standalone editor, CLI, cloud agents | Hands-on test: scheduled |
| Windsurf (Devin Desktop) | Yes — unlimited completions + a lightweight agent allowance | $20/mo (Pro) | Standalone editor, IDE plugins, CLI | Hands-on test: scheduled |
| Kiro | Yes — 50 credits/mo, incl. Claude Sonnet 4.5 | $20/mo (Pro, 1,000 credits) | Standalone IDE, CLI, web | Hands-on test: scheduled |
| OpenAI Codex | Yes — included with ChatGPT Free (limits not published) | $8/mo (ChatGPT Go) · $20/mo (Plus) | CLI, IDE extension, web, ChatGPT app | Hands-on test: scheduled |
| Replit (Agent) | Yes — daily Agent credits; publish 1 app | ≈$20/mo (Core; price moves often) | Web only (browser IDE + agent + hosting) | Hands-on test: scheduled |
| Claude Code | No free tier | $20/mo (Claude Pro) | CLI, IDE extensions, web | Data profile only — not hands-on tested |
| Tabnine | No free tier (14-day trial, no card) | $39/seat/mo (annual) | IDE plugins, CLI — private deployment options | Data profile only — not hands-on tested |
Where to start, by situation
You want to stay in your current editor
GitHub Copilot is the default answer: it installs into VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Neovim or Eclipse, its free plan publishes a clear allowance, and Pro is $10/month. If you are on JetBrains and want a different agent, Windsurf (Devin Desktop) also offers plugins. Full detail: Kiro vs GitHub Copilot.
You want the strongest free plan
Three different answers depending on what you use most. For sheer completion volume, Windsurf (Devin Desktop) is the only free plan with unlimited completions. For a published, plannable budget, Copilot Free states its 2,000 completions plus credits outright. For access to a frontier model, Kiro Free includes Claude Sonnet 4.5 inside its 50 monthly credits.
You want an agent-first editor
Cursor and Windsurf (Devin Desktop) are the two established standalone editors — compared directly in Windsurf (Devin Desktop) vs Cursor — and Kiro is the spec-driven third option: it asks you to write requirements and design first, then has the agent build against them (Kiro vs GitHub Copilot).
You want zero install
Replit is the only entry that runs entirely in the browser, hosting included, with free credits that refresh daily. It is aimed at building and shipping apps rather than editing an existing local codebase.
You already pay for ChatGPT or Claude
OpenAI Codex is included in ChatGPT plans — including the free one, with unpublished limits — so it may already be available to you. Claude Code similarly rides on a Claude subscription, but with no free tier at all: access starts at Claude Pro ($20/month).
Your code cannot leave your network
Tabnine is built for that constraint, with VPC, on-premises and air-gapped deployment. It is priced like the enterprise product it is ($39/seat/month and up, annual), and it has no free plan — see its profile for the details.
Profiled but not hands-on tested
Claude Code and Tabnine appear in the table above on published data only. Neither offers a standing free tier, and our benchmark protocol runs on free tiers — so we publish no hands-on claims and no scores for them. Their profiles explain the details: Claude Code · Tabnine.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free AI coding assistant?
On published data, it depends on the use. GitHub Copilot Free publishes the clearest budget (2,000 completions/month plus an AI Credits allowance). Windsurf (Devin Desktop) Free is the only one with unlimited completions. Kiro Free is the smallest budget (50 credits) but includes access to Claude Sonnet 4.5. Our hands-on benchmark — which will compare what these budgets actually buy — is scheduled for all three.
Why is there no winner or score on this page?
Because our benchmark runs have not completed yet, and we do not publish scores we have not measured. The ordering on this page is editorial and based on published data — free-tier usability and transparency, and product positioning. When the runs complete, this page gains a results table.
Which AI coding assistant is cheapest to start paying for?
Cursor's Plus tier at $8/month is the lowest entry price, but it is limited to Grok models. GitHub Copilot Pro is $10/month. Kiro Pro and Windsurf (Devin Desktop) Pro are both $20/month. Replit Core is approximately $20/month, and its price has changed several times in 2026.
Which tools can I try without paying anything?
Six of the eight: GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf (Devin Desktop), Kiro, OpenAI Codex (via a free ChatGPT plan) and Replit all have standing free tiers. Claude Code has no free tier, and Tabnine offers only a 14-day trial since its free plan was discontinued in April 2025.