AI Coding Tools Pricing - March 2026
Monthly costs for GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Code, Devin, Cline, and 5 more AI coding assistants compared across free, pro, and team tiers.
6 min read
TL;DR
- Cheapest option: Cline is free and open-source - you only pay for API tokens from your own provider
- Best value subscription: GitHub Copilot Pro at $10/month covers completions and chat with no per-use metering
- Credit-based tools (Cursor, Windsurf, Augment) can get expensive fast with heavy agentic usage - budget $60-200/month for power users
- Devin's agent pricing ($2-2.25 per ACU, ~$9/hour) makes it expensive for sustained use but cost-effective for specific tasks
The Pricing Landscape Has Shifted
AI coding tools in 2026 fall into three pricing categories: flat subscriptions (Copilot, Amazon Q), credit/usage-based (Cursor, Windsurf, Augment, Devin, Replit), and bring-your-own-key (Cline, Aider). The credit-based models look affordable on paper but scale unpredictably with agentic workflows. A developer running 10-15 agent sessions per day on Cursor Pro+ will burn through credits in two weeks. For our detailed reviews of these tools, see the best AI coding assistants roundup and our comparison of Cursor vs Windsurf.
Pricing Comparison Table
All prices in USD/month. "Effective cost" estimates assume a developer using completions + 5-10 agentic tasks per day.
Individual Plans
| Tool | Free Tier | Pro/Paid | Pro+ / Ultra | Pricing Model | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | $0 (2K completions, 50 chats) | $10/mo (Pro) | $39/mo (Pro+) | Flat subscription | Most predictable costs |
| Cursor | Limited | $20/mo | $60/mo (Pro+), $200/mo (Ultra) | Credit-based | Credits = plan price in $ |
| Windsurf | $0 (basic Cascade) | $15/mo (500 credits) | N/A | Credit-based | Add-on: $10/250 credits |
| Claude Code | Via Claude Free (limited) | $17/mo (Pro) | $100-200/mo (Max) | Subscription + usage | Part of Claude subscription |
| Amazon Q Developer | $0 (50 agent req/mo) | $19/user/mo | N/A | Flat subscription | 1,000 agent req/mo on Pro |
| Cline | Free (open source) | $0 (BYO API key) | $20/mo (Teams) | BYO API key | You control your costs |
| Augment Code | N/A | $20/mo (Indie, 40K credits) | $30-60/mo | Credit-based | Heavy use: $200+/mo |
| Aider | Free (open source) | $0 (BYO API key) | N/A | BYO API key | CLI-based, no UI |
| Devin | N/A | $20/mo (Core, 9 ACUs) | $500/mo (Team, 250 ACUs) | Usage-based (ACU) | ~$2.25/ACU, 1 ACU = 15 min |
| Replit | $0 (basic + daily credits) | $20/mo (Core, $25 credits) | $100/mo (Pro, 15 users) | Effort-based credits | Agent costs scale with task complexity |
| OpenAI Codex | Via ChatGPT Free (limited) | $20/mo (ChatGPT Plus) | $200/mo (ChatGPT Pro) | Subscription | Included in ChatGPT plans |
Team and Enterprise Plans
| Tool | Team Price | Enterprise Price | Key Team Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | $19/user/mo | $39/user/mo | Policy controls, audit logs |
| Cursor | $40/user/mo | Custom | Centralized billing, admin |
| Windsurf | $30/user/mo | Custom | Admin dashboard, SSO |
| Claude Code | $25/user/mo (Standard) | Custom | $150/user for Code access |
| Amazon Q Developer | $19/user/mo | Custom | SSO, compliance scanning |
| Cline | Free (first 10 seats) | Custom | RBAC, VPC deployment |
| Augment Code | Credit-based | Custom | Pooled credits across org |
| Devin | $500/mo (250 ACUs) | Custom | Shared ACU pool |
For a deeper look at individual tools, see our reviews of GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, and Claude Code.
Hidden Costs
Credit Burn Rate on Agentic Tasks
This is where most developers get surprised. Tab completions are cheap - maybe $0.50-1.00 per day in credits on Cursor or Windsurf. But running an AI agent that reads your codebase, makes multi-file edits, and iterates on errors can consume $2-5 per session. At 10 sessions per day, that's $20-50 daily, or $400-1,000 monthly. Cursor's Ultra plan ($200/mo) exists specifically because Pro users were hitting limits within a week.
API Costs for BYO-Key Tools
Cline and Aider are "free" but your API bill isn't. Running Claude Sonnet 4.6 through Cline for a full day of coding normally costs $5-15 in API tokens. With Claude Opus 4.6, that jumps to $15-40 per day. Monthly API bills of $200-500 are common among power users. The upside is total cost transparency - you see every token.
Model Selection Affects Cost 5-10x
On Cursor and Windsurf, switching from a fast model to a premium model (Claude Opus 4.6, GPT-5.4) can increase per-request cost by 5-10x. Default model selection matters. Check your tool's settings and pick the cheapest model that meets your quality bar for routine completions. Save premium models for complex agent tasks.
Seat Minimums and Annual Commitments
GitHub Copilot Business requires monthly per-user billing with no annual discount. Cursor Teams requires a minimum commitment. Augment Code's credit model means inactive users still cost money unless you actively manage allocations. Before signing a team plan, calculate cost per active developer, not per seat.
Free Tier Comparison
| Tool | What's Free | Limits | Good Enough For |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot Free | Completions + chat | 2,000 completions/mo, 50 premium requests | Light personal projects |
| Cline | Full tool, BYO key | No limits (API costs apply) | Any workload (if you have API keys) |
| Aider | Full CLI tool, BYO key | No limits (API costs apply) | Terminal-first developers |
| Amazon Q Free | Completions + agent | 50 agent requests/mo | AWS-focused development |
| Cursor Free | Basic completions | Very limited | Quick evaluation only |
| Windsurf Free | Basic Cascade | Limited credits | Quick evaluation only |
| Replit Starter | Code + basic AI | Daily agent credits | Learning, small projects |
Cline's free tier is genuinely the most capable because there are no artificial limits - you get the full tool with whatever model you connect. The real cost is your API key. For developers already paying for Claude or GPT-5 API access, Cline is effectively a free IDE extension on top of existing spend.
Price History
Feb 2026 - Replit launched Pro plan at $100/month for teams, replacing the sunset Teams plan.
Jan 2026 - Cognition slashed Devin pricing from $500-only to a $20/month Core plan, making it accessible to individuals.
Oct 2025 - Augment Code switched from flat per-seat pricing to a credit-based model. Power users reported 2-3x cost increases.
Jun 2025 - Cursor moved from request-based billing to credit-based pricing. Introduced Ultra tier at $200/month.
Apr 2025 - GitHub launched Copilot Pro+ at $39/month with higher limits and agent capabilities.
The trend across the industry is a shift from flat subscriptions to consumption-based pricing. Tools are getting better at complex agentic tasks, but those tasks cost more to run. Developers who primarily use completions and chat benefit from flat subscriptions (Copilot, Amazon Q). Developers doing heavy agent work should carefully track their actual spending for a month before committing to any tool.
FAQ
Which AI coding tool is cheapest?
Cline and Aider are free and open-source. Your only cost is API tokens. For subscriptions, Copilot Pro at $10/month is the cheapest flat-rate option with meaningful capabilities.
What does a typical developer spend monthly?
$20-40/month for casual use (completions, occasional chat). $60-150/month for regular agent use. Power users running frequent multi-file agent tasks can hit $200-500/month on credit-based tools.
Is GitHub Copilot worth it at $10/month?
For most developers, yes. The flat pricing means no surprises, completions are fast, and chat covers common tasks. The free tier's 2,000 completions/month is enough for evaluation. See our Copilot review for benchmarks.
How does Devin compare on cost?
Devin charges ~$2.25 per ACU (about 15 minutes of work). A complex feature implementation might take 4-8 ACUs ($9-18). It's cost-effective for well-defined tasks you'd otherwise spend hours on, but expensive for exploration or iteration.
Should I use BYO-key tools or subscriptions?
BYO-key tools (Cline, Aider) give you full cost transparency and model choice. Subscriptions (Copilot, Amazon Q) give you predictable bills. If you spend over $40/month on API tokens for coding, a subscription may be cheaper. Below $40, BYO-key wins.
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✓ Last verified March 11, 2026
