Carlos Guardia

AI Coding Assistants Guide

A comprehensive comparison of AI coding assistants, their pricing, features, and when to use each.

Table of Contents

1. Overview
2. Comparison Table
3. Detailed Reviews
4. Token Usage & Limits
5. IDE Integration
6. Decision Guide

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Overview

What Are AI Coding Assistants?

AI coding assistants help you write code faster by:

• Autocomplete: Suggesting code as you type
• Chat: Answering questions about code
• Code generation: Writing functions/components from descriptions
• Refactoring: Improving existing code
• Bug fixing: Finding and fixing errors
• Documentation: Generating comments and docs

Types of AI Assistants

1. Autocomplete-focused: GitHub Copilot, Tabnine 2. Chat-focused: ChatGPT, Claude 3. IDE-integrated: Cursor, Continue, Cody 4. Hybrid: GitHub Copilot Chat, Cursor

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Comparison Table

Tool	Price/Month	Free Tier	IDE Support	Best Feature	Token Limit
GitHub Copilot	$10 (individual) $19 (business)	❌ No	VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim	Best autocomplete	Unlimited
Cursor	$20	✅ 2000 completions	Cursor IDE (VS Code fork)	Best overall experience	500 fast requests/month
Claude (API)	Pay-per-use	✅ Limited	Via extensions	Best reasoning	Pay-per-token
ChatGPT Plus	$20	✅ GPT-3.5	Via extensions	GPT-4 access	~40 messages/3 hours
Cody (Sourcegraph)	$9 (Pro) Free (limited)	✅ Yes	VS Code, JetBrains	Codebase context	Free: 20 chats/day Pro: Unlimited
Continue	Free	✅ Yes	VS Code, JetBrains	Open source, customizable	Depends on model
Tabnine	$12 (Pro)	✅ Basic	VS Code, JetBrains, more	Privacy-focused	Unlimited
Amazon Q	$19 (Developer)	✅ Builder ID	VS Code, JetBrains	AWS integration	Varies by tier
Supermaven	$10	✅ 10k tokens/day	VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim	Fastest autocomplete	Free: 10k/day Pro: Unlimited

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Detailed Reviews

1. GitHub Copilot

Price: $10/month (individual), $19/month (business), Free (students/open source)

What it does:

• Inline code suggestions as you type
• Multi-line completions
• Chat interface (Copilot Chat)
• Explains code
• Generates tests

Pros:

• ✅ Best autocomplete accuracy
• ✅ Unlimited usage
• ✅ Great IDE integration
• ✅ Backed by Microsoft/OpenAI
• ✅ Works offline (cached suggestions)

Cons:

• ❌ No free tier (except students)
• ❌ Chat is less powerful than ChatGPT/Claude
• ❌ Privacy concerns (code sent to Microsoft)

Token usage:

• Unlimited completions
• No daily/monthly limits
• Chat uses tokens but no hard limit

Best for:

• Professional developers
• Those who want “set it and forget it”
• Students (free with GitHub Student Pack)

Example usage:

• Write 500-1000 lines of code per day
• Unlimited chat conversations
• No need to track usage

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2. Cursor

Price: $20/month (Pro), Free (limited)

What it does:

• Full VS Code fork with AI built-in
• Inline editing (Cmd+K)
• Chat with codebase context
• Multi-file editing
• Composer mode (AI edits multiple files)

Pros:

• ✅ Best overall AI coding experience
• ✅ Understands entire codebase
• ✅ Can edit multiple files at once
• ✅ Natural language commands
• ✅ Free tier available

Cons:

• ❌ Must use Cursor IDE (can’t use regular VS Code)
• ❌ Limited fast requests (500/month on Pro)
• ❌ More expensive than Copilot

Token usage:

• Free: 2000 completions, 50 slow premium requests
• Pro: 500 fast requests/month (GPT-4), unlimited slow requests
• Fast requests reset monthly
• After limit, falls back to slower model

Best for:

• Developers who want the best AI experience
• Those working on complex projects
• People who can adapt to new IDE

Example usage (Pro plan):

• 500 fast AI requests = ~16 per day
• Each request can edit multiple files
• Unlimited autocomplete
• Typical: 20-30 AI-assisted tasks per day

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3. Claude (via API or Extensions)

Price: Pay-per-use (API) or $20/month (Claude Pro)

What it does:

• Best reasoning and code understanding
• Long context window (200k tokens)
• Can read entire codebases
• Excellent at refactoring

Pros:

• ✅ Best reasoning ability
• ✅ Largest context window
• ✅ Great at complex problems
• ✅ Can use via Continue extension (free)

Cons:

• ❌ No native IDE integration
• ❌ Requires extensions or API setup
• ❌ Claude Pro has message limits

Token usage:

• API: Pay per token (~$0.01-0.03 per 1k tokens)
• Claude Pro: ~45 messages per 5 hours (resets)
• Free (via Continue): Depends on your API key

Best for:

• Complex refactoring tasks
• Understanding large codebases
• Architectural decisions
• Those comfortable with API setup

Example usage (Claude Pro):

• ~45 messages per 5 hours
• ~200-300 messages per day if spread out
• Each message can be very long (200k tokens)

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4. ChatGPT Plus

Price: $20/month, Free (GPT-3.5)

What it does:

• General-purpose AI with coding ability
• GPT-4 access
• Code generation and debugging
• Can use via extensions

Pros:

• ✅ GPT-4 access
• ✅ Good for learning and explanations
• ✅ Multi-purpose (not just coding)
• ✅ Free tier available (GPT-3.5)

Cons:

• ❌ Not designed for coding specifically
• ❌ No native IDE integration
• ❌ Message limits on GPT-4
• ❌ Slower than dedicated coding tools

Token usage:

• Free: Unlimited GPT-3.5 (with rate limits)
• Plus: ~40 GPT-4 messages per 3 hours
• Limit resets every 3 hours

Best for:

• Learning to code
• General questions
• Those who need AI for non-coding tasks too
• Budget-conscious (free tier)

Example usage (Plus):

• ~40 GPT-4 messages per 3 hours
• ~300 messages per day if spread out
• Free GPT-3.5 for unlimited simple queries

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5. Cody (Sourcegraph)

Price: Free (limited), $9/month (Pro), $19/month (Enterprise)

What it does:

• Chat with your codebase
• Autocomplete
• Understands code context
• Multi-repo support

Pros:

• ✅ Generous free tier
• ✅ Good codebase understanding
• ✅ Cheaper than competitors
• ✅ Multiple LLM options

Cons:

• ❌ Less polished than Copilot/Cursor
• ❌ Smaller community
• ❌ Autocomplete not as good as Copilot

Token usage:

• Free: 20 chats and 500 autocompletions per day
• Pro: Unlimited chats and autocompletions
• Limits reset daily

Best for:

• Budget-conscious developers
• Those who want free tier with decent limits
• Multi-repo projects

Example usage (Free):

• 20 chat conversations per day
• 500 autocomplete suggestions per day
• Resets every 24 hours

Example usage (Pro):

• Unlimited everything
• No tracking needed

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6. Continue

Price: Free (open source)

What it does:

• Open-source AI coding assistant
• Bring your own API key (OpenAI, Claude, etc.)
• Autocomplete and chat
• Highly customizable

Pros:

• ✅ Completely free
• ✅ Use any LLM (OpenAI, Claude, local models)
• ✅ Open source
• ✅ Privacy-focused (self-hosted option)
• ✅ Highly customizable

Cons:

• ❌ Requires API key setup
• ❌ You pay for API usage
• ❌ Less polished than commercial tools
• ❌ More technical setup

Token usage:

• Depends on your API provider
• OpenAI API: ~$0.01-0.03 per 1k tokens
• Claude API: ~$0.01-0.03 per 1k tokens
• Local models: Free but slower

Best for:

• Developers who want full control
• Privacy-conscious users
• Those with existing API credits
• Tinkerers who like customization

Example usage (with API):

• $20/month API budget = ~50,000-100,000 tokens
• ~500-1000 chat messages per month
• Depends on message length

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7. Tabnine

Price: Free (basic), $12/month (Pro)

What it does:

• AI autocomplete
• Privacy-focused (can run locally)
• Team training on your codebase

Pros:

• ✅ Privacy-focused (local option)
• ✅ No code sent to cloud (Pro)
• ✅ Team training available
• ✅ Good free tier

Cons:

• ❌ Autocomplete not as good as Copilot
• ❌ No chat interface
• ❌ More expensive than Copilot

Token usage:

• Unlimited completions (both free and pro)
• No daily/monthly limits

Best for:

• Privacy-conscious developers
• Companies with strict data policies
• Those who only need autocomplete

Example usage:

• Unlimited autocomplete suggestions
• No tracking needed

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8. Amazon Q Developer

Price: Free (Builder ID), $19/month (Developer)

What it does:

• Code suggestions
• Chat interface
• AWS integration
• Security scanning
• Code transformation

Pros:

• ✅ Free tier available
• ✅ Great AWS integration
• ✅ Security scanning included
• ✅ Code transformation tools

Cons:

• ❌ Best for AWS users
• ❌ Less mature than competitors
• ❌ Limited IDE support

Token usage:

• Free: Limited usage (exact limits vary)
• Developer: Higher limits, more features
• Limits reset monthly

Best for:

• AWS developers
• Those who want free tier
• Security-conscious teams

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9. Supermaven

Price: Free (10k tokens/day), $10/month (Pro)

What it does:

• Ultra-fast autocomplete
• 1 million token context window
• Minimal latency

Pros:

• ✅ Fastest autocomplete
• ✅ Huge context window
• ✅ Good free tier
• ✅ Cheaper than competitors

Cons:

• ❌ Newer/less proven
• ❌ No chat interface
• ❌ Smaller community

Token usage:

• Free: 10,000 tokens per day
• Pro: Unlimited tokens
• Resets daily

Best for:

• Speed-focused developers
• Those who want fast autocomplete
• Budget-conscious users

Example usage (Free):

• 10,000 tokens = ~50-100 completions per day
• Resets every 24 hours

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Token Usage & Limits

Understanding Tokens

What is a token?

• ~4 characters of text
• “function” = 1 token
• “const myVariable = 123;” = ~6 tokens

Typical usage:

• Simple completion: 10-50 tokens
• Function generation: 100-500 tokens
• Chat message: 100-1000 tokens
• Large refactor: 1000-5000 tokens

Monthly Usage Estimates

Light user (hobbyist, learning):

• 50-100 completions per day
• 5-10 chat messages per day
• Recommendation: Free tier (Cody, Continue) or Copilot ($10)

Medium user (professional developer):

• 200-500 completions per day
• 20-50 chat messages per day
• Recommendation: Copilot ($10) or Cursor ($20)

Heavy user (full-time development):

• 500+ completions per day
• 50+ chat messages per day
• Recommendation: Cursor Pro ($20) or Copilot ($10)

Limit Reset Schedules

Tool	Reset Period	Limit Type
GitHub Copilot	N/A	Unlimited
Cursor	Monthly	500 fast requests
Claude Pro	Every 5 hours	~45 messages
ChatGPT Plus	Every 3 hours	~40 messages
Cody Free	Daily	20 chats, 500 completions
Supermaven Free	Daily	10k tokens

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IDE Integration

VS Code

Native support:

• GitHub Copilot ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Cody ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Continue ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Tabnine ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Amazon Q ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Supermaven ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Via extensions:

• ChatGPT ⭐⭐⭐
• Claude ⭐⭐⭐

JetBrains (IntelliJ, PyCharm, etc.)

Native support:

• GitHub Copilot ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Cody ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Continue ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Tabnine ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Amazon Q ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Supermaven ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cursor IDE

Built-in:

• Cursor AI ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (best experience)

Note: Cursor is a VS Code fork, so most VS Code extensions work

Neovim

Support:

• GitHub Copilot ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Continue ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Supermaven ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Cody ⭐⭐⭐

Other IDEs

Limited support:

• Most tools focus on VS Code and JetBrains
• Check tool’s website for specific IDE support

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Decision Guide

Choose GitHub Copilot if:

• ✅ You want the best autocomplete
• ✅ You want unlimited usage
• ✅ You prefer “set it and forget it”
• ✅ You’re a student (free)
• ✅ Budget: $10/month

Choose Cursor if:

• ✅ You want the best overall AI experience
• ✅ You need multi-file editing
• ✅ You can switch to Cursor IDE
• ✅ You work on complex projects
• ✅ Budget: $20/month

Choose Claude (via Continue) if:

• ✅ You need best reasoning ability
• ✅ You want to understand large codebases
• ✅ You’re comfortable with API setup
• ✅ You want flexibility
• ✅ Budget: Pay-per-use or free

Choose ChatGPT Plus if:

• ✅ You need AI for non-coding tasks too
• ✅ You’re learning to code
• ✅ You want GPT-4 access
• ✅ Budget: $20/month

Choose Cody if:

• ✅ You want a generous free tier
• ✅ You’re budget-conscious
• ✅ You work with multiple repos
• ✅ Budget: Free or $9/month

Choose Continue if:

• ✅ You want full control
• ✅ You’re privacy-conscious
• ✅ You have API credits
• ✅ You like open source
• ✅ Budget: Free + API costs

Choose Tabnine if:

• ✅ Privacy is your top priority
• ✅ You only need autocomplete
• ✅ You work in regulated industry
• ✅ Budget: Free or $12/month

Choose Amazon Q if:

• ✅ You work with AWS
• ✅ You want free tier
• ✅ You need security scanning
• ✅ Budget: Free or $19/month

Choose Supermaven if:

• ✅ You want fastest autocomplete
• ✅ You need large context window
• ✅ You’re budget-conscious
• ✅ Budget: Free or $10/month

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Recommended Combinations

Budget Setup (Free)

Primary: Cody Free (20 chats/day)
Backup: Continue + Claude API (pay-per-use)
Cost: $0-5/month

Best Value ($10/month)

Primary: GitHub Copilot ($10)
Backup: ChatGPT Free (GPT-3.5)
Cost: $10/month

Professional Setup ($20/month)

Primary: Cursor Pro ($20)
Backup: ChatGPT Plus ($20) - optional
Cost: $20-40/month

Power User Setup ($30/month)

Primary: Cursor Pro ($20)
Secondary: GitHub Copilot ($10)
Backup: Claude API (pay-per-use)
Cost: $30-35/month

Privacy-Focused Setup

Primary: Tabnine Pro ($12)
Backup: Continue + Local LLM (free)
Cost: $12/month

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Tips for Maximizing Value

1. Use Free Tiers Strategically

• Start with Cody Free (20 chats/day)
• Use ChatGPT Free for learning
• Try Continue with free API credits

2. Combine Tools

• Use Copilot for autocomplete
• Use ChatGPT/Claude for complex questions
• Use Cursor for refactoring

3. Track Your Usage

• Monitor how many completions you use
• Check if you hit limits
• Upgrade only if needed

4. Optimize Prompts

• Be specific in requests
• Break large tasks into smaller ones
• Use context effectively

5. Learn Keyboard Shortcuts

• Accept suggestions faster
• Trigger completions manually
• Switch between tools quickly

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Summary

Best overall: Cursor ($20/month) - if you can switch IDEs Best value: GitHub Copilot ($10/month) - unlimited usage Best free: Cody Free - 20 chats/day, 500 completions/day Best for learning: ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) - multi-purpose Best for privacy: Tabnine Pro ($12/month) - local processing Best for AWS: Amazon Q Developer (free tier available) Most flexible: Continue (free) - bring your own model

My recommendation for most developers:

• Start with Cody Free to try AI coding
• Upgrade to GitHub Copilot ($10) when you need unlimited
• Consider Cursor ($20) if you want the best experience

Remember: The best tool depends on your workflow, budget, and preferences. Try free tiers first!

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