The short answer: the six tools fall into three types, and the type matters more than the brand. Pick an AI editor (Cursor, Windsurf) if you want a graphical IDE with an agent inside it. Pick a terminal agent (Claude Code, Aider) if you work in the command line and want scriptable, repository-level work. Pick an extension or bring-your-own-key tool (GitHub Copilot, Cline) if you want to stay in your current editor or control which model you pay for. The next question is what you will spend, and the table below answers it at three usage levels.
The three types
| Type | Tools | You get | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI editor (a full IDE) | Cursor, Windsurf | Agent, chat and completions in one graphical app | You adopt a new editor; usage is metered against pools |
| Terminal agent | Claude Code, Aider | Repository-level edits from the command line, scriptable | Steeper if you prefer a GUI; Claude Code usage shares limits with Claude chat |
| Extension or bring-your-own-key | GitHub Copilot, Cline | Works inside VS Code, JetBrains or others; Cline lets you choose the model | Cline has no subscription, so you pay the model provider per token |
Cursor and Claude Code can both run Claude models, so much of what separates them is the harness around the model rather than the model itself. That is also why headline benchmark scores for “a tool” rarely compare cleanly: a result depends on the tool and the model together.
What each costs at three usage levels
Prices are plan prices from each vendor’s page on 29 September 2026 (Cline from 28 September). “Included usage” is stated where the vendor states it; where it does not, the cell says so rather than guessing. The usage levels are ours: light means a few hours a week, daily means agent use most working days, heavy means long or parallel agent sessions.
| Tool | Light use | Daily agent use | Heavy use | Included usage, as stated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | Free, or Pro $10 | Pro+ $39 | Max $100 | $15, $70 and $200 of AI credits a month on Pro, Pro+ and Max (1 credit is $0.01); inline suggestions unlimited on paid plans |
| Cursor | Hobby free, or Pro $20 | Pro+ $60, or Pro plus on-demand | Ultra $200 | Pool sizes for Pro+ and Ultra are not stated by Cursor; its docs say daily Agent users typically spend $60 to $100 a month and power users often exceed $200 |
| Claude Code | Pro $20 ($17 annual) | Max 5x $100 | Max 20x $200 | Multiples of Pro usage; amounts not published. Anthropic’s docs put API use at about $13 per active day, or $150 to $250 a month |
| Windsurf (Devin) | Free, or Pro $20 | Pro $20 plus extra usage at API rates | Max $200 | Daily and weekly refreshing quotas; sizes not published |
| Cline | $0 plus model API cost | $0 plus model API cost | $0 plus model API cost | None; you pay your model provider per token |
| Aider | $0 plus model API cost | $0 plus model API cost | $0 plus model API cost | None; see the Aider review |
Three things this shows. First, the $20 headline understates a daily agent user on almost every tool: where a vendor gives a figure, it is $60 to $250 a month. Second, Copilot is the cheapest per dollar of agent credit on paper ($70 of credits for $39), though what a credit buys in tasks is not stated. Third, bring-your-own-key tools have no ceiling and no floor: the bill is whatever your usage is at API prices. The pricing index holds each row with its source, and two pages go deeper: Cursor pricing explained and Claude Code pricing explained.
Pick by situation
| You are… | Start with | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New to AI coding, in VS Code or JetBrains | GitHub Copilot | $10, or free; stays in your editor |
| Wanting the agent inside a full graphical IDE | Cursor | VS Code-style editor with an agent |
| Working on large codebases from the terminal | Claude Code | Repository-level agent, scriptable; see the review |
| Wanting to control model cost and choice | Cline | Open source, bring your own key |
| Price-sensitive and comfortable in a terminal | Aider | Free and open source, git-aware |
| Wanting Cursor’s shape with a different quota model | Windsurf | Free tier plus $20 Pro; see Claude Code vs Cursor |
| Using several | Cursor or Copilot daily, plus Claude Code for big tasks | The tools are not exclusive; see Claude Code vs Cursor |
Head-to-heads: Claude Code vs Cursor and Claude Code vs GitHub Copilot. If you want to leave one, see Cursor alternatives and GitHub Copilot alternatives; on a budget, best free AI coding tools. If you would rather not write code at all, the hub is best AI app builder. Copilot credit pools: GitHub Copilot pricing explained. Windsurf quotas: Windsurf pricing explained.
What happens at the limit
Each tool handles running out differently: Cursor bills on-demand usage at the same API rates and says requests are not downgraded; Copilot lets you enable paid usage with a dollar budget; Claude Code on Pro or Max hits a five-hour and weekly limit, then offers prepaid usage credits at API rates. The comparison including the app builders is in what happens when credits run out.
Method
Researched from vendor pricing pages and documentation on 28 to 29 September 2026. We have not run these tools or measured their output, and this page makes no capability ranking: the pick-by-situation table reflects type and cost, not quality. Usage-level labels are ours. Windsurf’s Teams plan is shown by the vendor as $80 base plus $40 per developer and is not in the table because it is not an individual plan. Re-checked every 30 days.
Common questions
What is the best AI code editor?
It depends on the type you want. For a graphical IDE with an agent, Cursor; for the terminal and large repositories, Claude Code; for staying in your current editor at the lowest price, GitHub Copilot.
What is the cheapest AI code editor?
GitHub Copilot at $10 a month, with a free plan (the plans page lists 2,000 completions a month; chat and agent use on Free is limited). Cline and Aider are free but you pay the model provider.
Can I use more than one?
Yes. Many developers pair a daily editor or extension with a terminal agent for larger tasks. The plans are separate subscriptions.