What AI coding tools really cost: GitHub Copilot from $10, Cursor from $8, Claude Code with Claude Pro at $20, plus what the same agent work costs on raw API prices.
Bottom line: the cheapest paid entry is Cursor Plus at $8/mo (Grok models only), then GitHub Copilot Pro at $10/mo. Claude Code and Codex start with the $20 Claude Pro and ChatGPT Plus plans.
| Tool | Free tier | Paid plans (per month) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | Free (limited) | Pro $10 · Pro+ $39 · Max $100 | Plans include monthly GitHub AI Credits |
| Cursor | Free (limited) | Plus $8 (Grok models only) · Premium $30 · Super $100 · Ultra $200 | Third-party models billed at API list price |
| Claude Code (Anthropic) | — | Claude Pro $20 ($17 yearly) · Max 5x $100 · Max 20x $200 | 5-hour and weekly usage limits |
| OpenAI Codex | Limited on Free/Go | ChatGPT Plus $20 · Pro $100 / $200 / $500 | Usage limits per 5 hours |
AI agent: 1,000 tasks/day × 30 days × 8 steps per task, 3,000 words of context in / 250 words out per step: Anthropic: Claude Haiku 5.5 about $135.66/month, OpenAI: GPT-6.1 Sol about $2,713/month, Anthropic: Claude Sonnet 5.5 about $2,713/month. See AI agent cost per month for every model. Price alone does not measure coding quality.
Sources (checked 2026-10-31): GitHub Copilot plans · Cursor pricing · Claude pricing · Codex pricing · Prices: OpenRouter
Last updated 2026-10-30 from live API prices.
Cursor Plus at $8/month (Grok models only) and GitHub Copilot Pro at $10/month are the cheapest paid plans; both have free tiers.
No. It's included with Claude Pro ($20/month, or $17/month billed yearly) and Max ($100 or $200).
Cursor Plus ($8) is cheaper than Copilot Pro ($10) but only includes Grok models; Cursor Premium is $30.
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