Free-Tier Tool Comparison
This guide compares AI coding assistants by cost, focusing on what you can use for free or at minimal cost. Updated February 2026.
You do not need enterprise licenses to start using AI-assisted development responsibly. Several tools offer generous free tiers that are sufficient for small teams.
Quick Comparison
| Tool | Free Tier | Paid (per dev/month) | Best For | AEEF Config File |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | Free (limited completions) | $10 Individual / $19 Business | Inline completions, broad IDE support | .github/copilot-instructions.md |
| Cursor | Free (limited requests) | $20 Pro / $40 Business | Multi-file editing, codebase-aware chat | .cursorrules |
| Claude Code | Free (limited usage) | Pay-per-use or Max plan ($100-200) | Terminal-based, agentic, large context | CLAUDE.md |
| Cody (Sourcegraph) | Free (500 autocompletes + 20 chats/month) | $9/month Pro | Codebase search, enterprise context | n/a |
| Continue.dev | Free (open-source, bring your own API key) | Free + API costs | Full customization, any model | .continuerc.json |
| Windsurf | Free tier available | $15 Pro | Flow-based coding, AI-first IDE | n/a |
Recommended Stacks by Budget
Zero Budget ($0/month per developer)
| Tool | Purpose | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot Free | Inline code completions | ~2,000 completions/month, limited chat |
| Continue.dev + free API | Chat-based assistance | Depends on API provider free tier |
What you get: Basic code completions and limited chat. Enough for a solo developer or very small team to practice AI-assisted development under AEEF standards.
What you miss: Multi-file editing, agentic capabilities, large context windows.
Starter Budget ($10-20/month per developer)
| Tool | Purpose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot Individual ($10) | Inline completions + chat | Best completions quality, works in VS Code and JetBrains |
| OR Cursor Pro ($20) | Full IDE with AI | Better for multi-file tasks, built-in codebase indexing |
What you get: Solid AI assistance for daily development. This is sufficient for most startups through Series A.
Recommendation: If your team uses VS Code, start with Copilot ($10). If you want the most integrated AI experience, go with Cursor ($20).
Full Stack ($30-50/month per developer)
| Tool | Purpose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cursor Pro ($20) | IDE and multi-file editing | Daily driver for all development |
| Claude Code (pay-per-use ~$10-30) | Agentic tasks, large refactors | When you need large context or autonomous execution |
What you get: Best-in-class AI assistance for both interactive coding and complex tasks. This is the recommended stack for teams serious about AI-assisted development.
Enterprise ($40-100+/month per developer)
| Tool | Purpose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot Business ($19) | Completions + admin controls | Organization-wide policy, usage analytics |
| Cursor Business ($40) | Team IDE with admin | Centralized configuration, privacy controls |
| Claude Code Max ($100-200) | Unlimited agentic usage | Heavy agentic use without per-token costs |
What you get: Administrative controls, usage analytics, centralized policy enforcement. Required for teams with compliance requirements.
Feature Comparison Matrix
| Feature | Copilot Free | Copilot Paid | Cursor Free | Cursor Pro | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inline completions | Limited | Unlimited | Limited | Unlimited | N/A (terminal) |
| Chat | Limited | Unlimited | Limited | Unlimited | Usage-based |
| Multi-file editing | No | Limited | Limited | Yes | Yes (agentic) |
| Codebase awareness | No | Yes (workspace) | Yes (indexed) | Yes (indexed) | Yes (file reading) |
| Custom instructions | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (CLAUDE.md) |
| Agentic execution | No | Limited | No | Limited | Yes (full) |
| Terminal integration | No | Yes (Copilot CLI) | Yes | Yes | Native |
| Context window | ~8K tokens | ~32K tokens | ~32K tokens | ~128K tokens | ~200K tokens |
| Privacy mode | N/A | Org setting | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Admin controls | No | Business tier | No | Business tier | N/A |
Security Considerations by Tier
| Concern | Free Tier Risk | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| Code sent to external servers | High — no admin visibility | Use project-level exclusion files to keep secrets out of context |
| No usage analytics | You can't audit what's being sent | Compensate with PR review discipline |
| No centralized policy | Each developer configures independently | Commit config files (.cursorrules, etc.) to version control |
| Data may be used for training | Possible on free tiers | Check each tool's data policy; some free tiers use data for training |
Minimum Security for Any Tier
Regardless of which tool or tier you use:
- Exclude secret files from AI context — Configure
.env, credentials, and auth modules as excluded - Commit configuration files —
.cursorrules,CLAUDE.md,.github/copilot-instructions.mdgo in version control - Require PR reviews — No AI-generated code goes to main without human review
- Run security scanning in CI — Free tools like Semgrep and Trivy cost nothing
Scaling Decision Points
| Signal | Action |
|---|---|
| Team reaches 5+ developers | Standardize on one tool; commit shared config files |
| Developer spending >$20/month on personal tools | Consider team plan for admin controls and cost management |
| Enterprise customers ask about AI tool governance | Upgrade to Business tiers for audit trail and admin policies |
| Pursuing SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | Need tools with admin controls, data retention policies, and audit logs |
| Developers using 3+ different tools | Standardize to reduce configuration drift and review complexity |
Related Resources
- IDE Integration Patterns — Detailed configuration for each tool
- Starter Config Files — Ready-to-copy configuration files
- Startup Quick-Start — Full startup adoption guide