GitHub Copilot

An AI coding assistant from GitHub that suggests code as you type, answers questions in chat and runs agents that can open pull requests. It works in VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Xcode, the command line and on GitHub.com.

Our verdict

The easiest pick if your code lives on GitHub, but the free plan limits chat and agent use, and heavy agent work burns through credits.

Use it for

Code completion
Code review
Pull request automation
Coding chat in the editor

Other coding tools

Claude Code

Handles larger multi-file tasks well, but it needs a paid Claude plan or API usage and plan usage limits apply.

From $20/moBest for developers who want an agent to handle multi-step coding tasks

Codex

Easy to try since it comes with ChatGPT, including the free plan, but the free tier is meant for quick tasks and serious use needs a paid plan.

FreemiumBest for chatGPT users who want a coding agent without a separate subscription

Cursor

A capable agent-centric editor, but since joining SpaceX its cheapest paid plan is limited to Grok models, so check plan details if you want other models.

FreemiumBest for developers who want an AI-first editor with agents built in