3 tools that do the same job as Claude Code, compared on checked pricing and features. Claude Code's cheapest paid plan is $17 a month for one person, and one of the alternatives costs less. Three of the three have a free plan.
Prices checked against each vendor's own pricing page; Claude Code's on October 3, 2026.
Cheapest paid plan that covers the team, per month before tax, at the yearly rate where one is published. Each tool's prices were checked against its own pricing page, most recently on October 3, 2026.
1. Cursor
Best for VS Code users who want an AI editor, agents and PR review from one vendor
Cursor is an AI code editor built on the VS Code codebase, for developers who want an agent, Tab completion and pull request review in one tool. A one-click import brings over VS Code extensions, settings and keybindings.
One person
$20/mo
Pro · Claude Code: $17/mo
Team of 10
$400/mo
Teams · Claude Code: $200/mo
Free plan
Hobby
Choose Cursor if…
You need a free plan: Cursor has one (Hobby); Claude Code doesn't.
You need what Claude Code lacks: inline autocomplete.
Stay with Claude Code if…
Price matters for one person: Claude Code is $17/mo, Cursor $20/mo.
Price matters for a team of 10: Claude Code is $200/mo, Cursor $400/mo.
You rely on what Cursor lacks: self-hosted or VPC option.
GitHub Copilot is an AI coding assistant for VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, Xcode and Eclipse, suited to teams that keep their code on GitHub. Its cloud agent takes assigned issues and works in a GitHub Actions environment.
One person
$10/mo
Pro · Claude Code: $17/mo
Team of 10
$190/mo
Business · Claude Code: $200/mo
Free plan
Free
Choose GitHub Copilot if…
You want it cheaper for one person: $10/mo on Pro, against $17/mo for Claude Code.
You want it cheaper for a team of 10: $190/mo on Business, against $200/mo for Claude Code.
You need a free plan: GitHub Copilot has one (Free); Claude Code doesn't.
You need what Claude Code lacks: inline autocomplete.
Stay with Claude Code if…
You rely on what GitHub Copilot lacks: self-hosted or VPC option.
Windsurf is an AI code editor from Cognition, now sold as Devin Desktop, for developers who want a local agent and Devin cloud sessions on one plan. Its free plan keeps Tab completions and inline edits unlimited.
One person
$20/mo
Pro · Claude Code: $17/mo
Team of 10
$400/mo
Teams · Claude Code: $200/mo
Free plan
Free
Choose Windsurf if…
You need a free plan: Windsurf has one (Free); Claude Code doesn't.
You need what Claude Code lacks: inline autocomplete.
Stay with Claude Code if…
Price matters for one person: Claude Code is $17/mo, Windsurf $20/mo.
Price matters for a team of 10: Claude Code is $200/mo, Windsurf $400/mo.
You rely on what Windsurf lacks: self-hosted or VPC option.
