Tools that let AI write, fix, and run code have multiplied over the past year. They come in different shapes - some embed into your editor, some run in the terminal, some focus purely on code completion - and their billing models are just as varied: flat monthly subscriptions, pay-as-you-go usage, and “bring your own API key” setups. Many are free to start, yet a serious workload can run past $200 a month, which makes it hard to answer the basic question: which one should I use, and for how much?
This article lines up the pricing and plans of six representative tools - Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Cline, Devin/Devin Desktop, and Gemini CLI - using each vendor’s official pages as of July 11, 2026 12345678. We compare free tiers, individual plans, team/enterprise plans, and whether pay-as-you-go is available, then walk through how to choose based on your goal. For what each tool actually does and where it came from, we link to individual explainers throughout.
Note that pricing in this space changes quickly. GitHub Copilot switched its entire billing model to usage-based in June 2026 9. Every price here reflects each vendor’s official listing as of July 11, 2026, so always confirm the latest figures on the official page before you sign up.
First, the three billing models
Before you read the table, it helps to sort out how AI coding tools charge you into three buckets.
First, subscription-centric tools with a flat monthly fee. Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and Devin fall here: you pay a set monthly amount and get a fixed usage allowance, and in most cases higher tiers come with a larger allowance.
Second, fully usage-based tools with no subscription, where you bring your own AI model API key (BYOK: Bring Your Own Key). Cline is the classic example - the tool itself is free, and you pay only for the inference cost of actually running the AI 6.
Third, tools with a large free tier that shift to pay-as-you-go or a paid subscription once you exceed it. Gemini CLI works this way: with a personal Google account you get a set number of requests free each day 8.
Even though all of these “let AI write code,” some feel close to flat-rate all-you-can-use while others pile up the more you use them. Mixing these up is how you end up with a surprise bill.
Pricing comparison table (as of July 11, 2026)
Here are the six main tools side by side. All prices are in US dollars, per month. Some tools offer annual-billing discounts (Cursor has an annual discount on each paid plan 3, and Claude’s annual billing is cheaper too 1).
| Tool | Free tier | Individual paid | Team/Enterprise | Pay-as-you-go |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Code (Anthropic) | Free plan exists, but does not include Claude Code 1 | Pro $20, Max 5x $100, Max 20x $200 1 | Team: Standard seat $20/seat, Premium seat $100/seat / Enterprise on request 1 | API (Sonnet 5 at $3 in / $15 out per 1M tokens; intro $2/$10 through Aug 31) 1 |
| Cursor (Anysphere) | Hobby (free, feature-limited) 2 | Pro $20, Pro+ $60, Ultra $200 2 | Teams: Standard $40/user, Premium $120/user / Enterprise on request 2 | Usage-based once you exceed each plan’s included allowance 2 |
| GitHub Copilot | Free (about 2,000 completions/mo + limited chat) 4 | Pro $10, Pro+ $39, Max $100 4 | Business $19/seat, Enterprise $39/seat 5 | All plans on usage-based billing (AI credits) since June 2026 9 |
| Cline (Cline Bot) | Free and open source for individuals 6 | No subscription (usage only, below) | Enterprise: on request (SSO, SLA, RBAC, etc.) 6 | BYOK or buy inference via Cline, pay actual cost 6 |
| Devin / Devin Desktop (Cognition, formerly Windsurf) | Free (light quota, up to 10 concurrent sessions) 7 | Pro $20, Max $200 7 | Teams $80 + $40/seat / Enterprise on request 7 | Per-message cost varies by model and task size 7 |
| Gemini CLI (Google) | Up to 1,000 requests/day on a personal Google account 8 | Higher quota via paid subs like Google AI Pro/Ultra 8 | Code Assist Standard (1,500/day), Enterprise (2,000/day) 8 | Charged by model and token usage via API key / Vertex AI 8 |
The same “$20” can mean different things. Cursor Pro and Devin Pro give you a $20 usage allowance, and Claude Code Pro at $20 unlocks Claude Code itself 127. Meanwhile GitHub Copilot’s individual Pro starts as low as $10, and Cline charges $0 for the tool - after that it comes down to which AI model you run and how much 46.
Each tool’s characteristics and best fit
Claude Code (Anthropic)
Anthropic’s terminal/agent-style tool. The key point here is that it is not available on the free plan - it is included in the paid Pro plan ($20) and above 1. For heavy use, there is Max 5x ($100) with 5x the allowance and Max 20x ($200) with 20x. Separate from the flat subscription, you can also use it via per-token API billing; the mid-tier Claude Sonnet 5 costs $3 in / $15 out per million tokens (with an introductory $2/$10 through August 31, 2026) 1. Individuals who want to use it heavily at a fixed price fit Pro/Max, while those with unpredictable usage who want fine-grained control via API fit pay-as-you-go. For tips on using it, see Claude Code best practices.
Cursor (Anysphere)
A VS Code-based editor tool you can start with the free Hobby plan 2. Paid tiers step up as Pro ($20), Pro+ ($60), and Ultra ($200), with larger allowances for various vendors’ models at higher tiers. The distinctive idea is the “included API allowance”: Pro comes with $20 worth, Pro+ with $70 worth, and Ultra with $400 worth, and how fast the allowance drains depends on which model you pick 2. It suits individuals and teams who want completion and agents all within the editor. For its origins and positioning, see the Cursor explainer.
GitHub Copilot
Individual Pro starts at $10/month, among the most accessible price points of the major tools 4. Even the free tier includes about 2,000 completions a month, and stepping up to Pro+ ($39) and Max ($100) raises the monthly AI-credit allowance. For organizations, it is Business $19/seat and Enterprise $39/seat 5. Since June 2026, all plans moved to usage-based billing (the GitHub AI Credits system), so each flat plan now includes a “monthly credit allowance” with overages billed separately 9. It fits teams already on GitHub and individuals who want to start cheap with completion.
Cline (Cline Bot)
Free and open source for individual use, its biggest feature is having no subscription at all 6. You pay only the actual cost of AI inference, choosing either BYOK (bringing your own API key from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and others) or purchasing inference through Cline. It suits people who do not want a monthly fee for the tool and who want to mix models and control cost themselves. Conversely, if you prefer a predictable “so many dollars a month,” usage-based billing that grows with use requires management. For organizations, there is an Enterprise offering with SSO, SLA, RBAC, and more (on request) 6. See the Cline explainer for details. As another BYOK-style VS Code extension, the RooCode complete guide is also a useful comparison point.
Devin / Devin Desktop (Cognition, formerly Windsurf)
An agent-style tool that autonomously handles tasks, structured as Free (light quota), Pro ($20), Max ($200), and Teams ($80 + $40/seat) 7. Free and Pro allow up to 10 concurrent sessions; Max and Teams allow unlimited concurrent sessions. Per-message cost is designed to vary by the model used and the task’s size and complexity 7. It fits team development that wants to run multiple tasks in parallel. Note that this product was originally called Windsurf; Cognition rebranded it to “Devin Desktop” in June 2026. That history is covered in Windsurf rebrands to Devin Desktop.
Gemini CLI (Google)
An open-source AI agent that runs in the terminal, standing out for the size of its free tier. With a personal Google account (Gemini Code Assist for Individuals), you can use up to 1,000 requests per day for free 8. To go paid, you either raise your quota with a consumer subscription like Google AI Pro/Ultra, or choose the organization-oriented Code Assist Standard (1,500/day) or Enterprise (2,000/day). Pay-as-you-go via an API key or Vertex AI is also available 8. It fits people who want to try it free first and those who want to center on Google’s models. For its background, see the Gemini CLI explainer.
How to choose, by goal
With pricing and characteristics in mind, here are realistic starting points for common scenarios. All assume pricing as of July 11, 2026.
If you just want to try it free, candidates are Cursor (Hobby), GitHub Copilot (Free), Gemini CLI (1,000 requests/day), and Cline (free tool, AI cost only) 2486. Gemini CLI and Cline lean most heavily on free tiers and open source, so you can get a feel for them without touching your wallet.
If you want to use it daily as an individual, choosing for predictable monthly cost is the safe bet. If cheapest matters most, GitHub Copilot Pro ($10); to work heavily in the terminal centered on Anthropic’s models, Claude Code Pro ($20) or Max; to stay entirely in the editor, Cursor Pro ($20) makes a good starting point 412. Heavy individual users may find that top flat tiers like Claude Code Max 20x ($200) or Cursor Ultra ($200) are easier to predict than uncapped usage.
If you are rolling it out to a team or company, compare seat prices and management features. The lowest seat price is GitHub Copilot Business ($19/seat), which pairs well with existing GitHub operations 5. Claude’s Team standard seat is $20/seat and Premium seat is $100/seat 1, Cursor’s Teams is $40/user (Premium $120/user) 2, and Devin’s Teams is $80 + $40/seat 7. The firmer your management requirements - SSO, audit logs, centralized billing - the more Enterprise (on request from each vendor) enters the picture.
If you want to manage cost finely and mix multiple models, subscription-free Cline (BYOK) is the most flexible 6. Claude Code’s API pay-as-you-go and Gemini CLI’s API-key usage follow the same idea of paying only for what you use 18. Just note the shared caveat: usage-based billing “grows the more you use it,” so without spending alerts and budget limits, the bill can balloon.
Treat pricing as something that will change
The figures above are each vendor’s official listing as of July 11, 2026, but pricing and plan structures in this space change on a months-long cadence. GitHub Copilot switched to usage-based billing in June 2026 9, and Cursor has iterated too, adding a Premium seat to its Teams plan 2. There are even cases like Windsurf where the product name or the operating company itself changes - a name and price swapping out within half a year is not unusual.
That is exactly why holding onto the comparison framework - flat vs. usage vs. BYOK, how far the free tier goes, what the seat price is - keeps your judgment steady even as figures move. Before committing, confirm the latest official prices from each source link in this article, and the leanest path is to measure your real usage on a free tier or a cheap Pro-class plan first, then move up to a higher tier.
If you want to know more about each tool’s features and origins, see the individual explainers linked above (Claude Code best practices, Cursor, Cline, Gemini CLI, OpenAI Codex, and more).
Sources
- Plans & Pricing | Claude by Anthropic - Anthropic official. Free/Pro/Max/Team/Enterprise pricing and Claude Code availability
- Cursor Pricing - Anysphere official docs. Pro/Pro+/Ultra/Teams prices and included allowances
- Cursor · Pricing - Anysphere official. Plan overview and annual discount
- GitHub Copilot · Plans & pricing - GitHub official. Individual/organization plans and AI credits
- Plans for GitHub Copilot - GitHub Docs - GitHub official docs. Business/Enterprise seat prices
- Cline - Pricing - Cline official. Open-source free tier, usage-based billing, Enterprise
- Plans and Pricing | Devin - Cognition official. Self-serve plans for Devin/Devin Desktop
- Gemini CLI: Quotas and pricing - Google official repo. Free-tier quotas and paid options
- GitHub Copilot is moving to usage-based billing - GitHub official blog. June 2026 move to usage-based billing