Free tiers of AI coding tools, compared
By Stackdrop Editorial Team · Last updated October 20, 2026
Every AI coding tool says "start free." The free plans differ a lot: some are metered in completions, some in credits, some in tokens, and some don't meter anything because you bring your own model. This page puts the free plans of 15 tools from our directory side by side. We read every number below on the tool's own pricing page on October 20, 2026. Where a page doesn't give a number, we say so instead of guessing.
Short answer
If you want hard numbers on a free plan, GitHub Copilot Free gives you 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests. Bolt gives 1M tokens a month, and Lovable gives 5 build credits a day (up to 30 a month). If you'd rather pay only for the model, Cline, Aider and Zed cost nothing and let you bring your own API key. Claude Code is the one big name with no free plan: Anthropic's pricing page lists it on Pro and up.
Free tiers at a glance
| Tool | Type | Free plan | What you get for $0 | First paid plan | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cursor | Code editor | Yes | Limited agent and Chat requests. Cursor doesn't publish numbers. | Plus, $8/month (Grok models only) | Pricing page |
| Windsurf | Code editor (now sold as Devin Desktop) | Yes | Light quota to code with agents, limited model availability, unlimited inline edits and Tab completions | Pro, $20/month | Pricing page |
| GitHub Copilot | IDE assistant | Yes | 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests | Pro, $10/month | GitHub |
| Zed | Code editor | Yes | The editor is free forever, with unlimited use through your own API keys or external agents | Pro, $10/month | Pricing page |
| Google Antigravity | Agent IDE | Yes | A variety of agent models, unlimited Tab completions and Command requests, basic weekly rate limits | Price not shown in the page text we could read; see the source | Pricing page |
| OpenAI Codex | Coding agent | Yes | GPT-6 Luna at Standard speed in the desktop app, subject to rollout | Go, $8/month | Pricing page |
| Claude Code | Terminal coding agent | No | Not included in Claude's free plan | Claude Pro, $17/month billed annually or $20 monthly | Pricing page |
| Cline | Open-source coding agent | Open source | The extension is free for individual developers; you pay for AI inference or bring your own keys | Enterprise, custom pricing | Pricing page |
| Aider | Open-source terminal agent | Open source | Apache 2.0 licensed; connect your own cloud or local model | No paid plan | GitHub |
| T3 Code | Open-source agent control app | Open source | MIT licensed; runs on top of Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and other agents you already pay for | No paid plan | GitHub |
| Lovable | App builder | Yes | 5 build credits a day (up to 30 a month) plus 20 Cloud credits a month | Price not shown in the page text we could read; see the source | Pricing page |
| Bolt | App builder | Yes | 1M tokens a month, website hosting, unlimited databases, Bolt branding on sites | Pro, $18/month billed annually | Pricing page |
| v0 | App and UI builder | Yes | 7 messages a day, plus $5 in one-time credits for new users | Plus, $30/user/month | Pricing page |
| Base44 | App builder | Yes | 25 message credits and 100 integration credits a month, up to 5 apps, with auth and database | Starter, $16/month billed annually | Pricing page |
| FlutterFlow | Visual app builder | Yes | Up to 2 projects, 10 Lite credits, 5 AI generation requests for the lifetime of the account | Basic, $39/month | Pricing page |
Checked on each tool's official pricing page on October 20, 2026. Plans change often; the source link is the final word.
Free AI code editors and IDE assistants
GitHub Copilot is the only editor tool here that puts numbers on its free plan: 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests. Cursor and Windsurf describe their free plans in words, not numbers. Cursor says "limited" agent and Chat requests, and Windsurf says a "light quota" for agents with unlimited Tab completions. Zed takes a different route. The editor is free forever, and its AI runs on your own API keys or external agents, so you pay your model provider instead of Zed. Google Antigravity's free plan includes unlimited Tab completions and Command requests, with basic weekly rate limits on agents.
Free coding agents and CLIs
OpenAI Codex now has a Free plan. OpenAI's pricing page lists Codex as included in ChatGPT Free, with GPT-6 Luna at Standard speed in the desktop app, subject to rollout. Claude Code has no free plan; it starts with Claude Pro. Cline, Aider and T3 Code are open source, so the software costs nothing, but the model doesn't run for free. Cline and Aider bill through whatever API key you connect, and T3 Code drives agents you already subscribe to.
Free app builders
App builders meter their free plans in different units, so compare what you can finish, not the raw number. Lovable counts credits (5 a day), Bolt counts tokens (1M a month), v0 counts messages (7 a day), Base44 counts message credits (25 a month) and FlutterFlow caps AI generation at 5 requests for the life of the account. Bolt's free plan includes website hosting and unlimited databases, and Base44's includes authentication and a database. If you need a backend on day one, start with those two.
Tools with no free plan, or a free plan we couldn't confirm
Claude Code requires a paid Claude plan. We left out Replit, Anything, Floot and Continue for now: we couldn't confirm a free plan's details on their own pricing pages today. Kiro, Jules, Gemini CLI and OpenCode aren't in our directory yet, so they're not on this page.
How we checked
We opened each tool's official pricing page (or its official GitHub repository for open-source tools) on October 20, 2026 and copied only what the page states. We don't estimate limits that a vendor doesn't publish. Prices are in USD, before tax. Nothing on this page is paid placement. Featured listings elsewhere on Stackdrop are labeled and explained on /featured.
FAQ
Which AI coding tool has the best free tier? It depends on how you work. GitHub Copilot Free publishes clear numbers: 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests. Among app builders, Bolt gives 1M tokens a month with hosting, and Lovable gives 5 build credits a day.
Is Claude Code free? No. Claude's pricing page says Claude Code is not included in the free plan. It starts with Claude Pro at $17/month billed annually or $20 billed monthly.
Is Cursor free? Yes, Cursor has a free plan with limited agent and Chat requests. Cursor doesn't publish exact numbers for the free plan.
Is GitHub Copilot free? Yes. GitHub Copilot Free includes 2,000 completions and 50 chat requests.
Does OpenAI Codex have a free plan? Yes. OpenAI's Codex pricing page lists a Free plan at $0/month with GPT-6 Luna at Standard speed in the desktop app, subject to rollout.
Are open-source coding agents like Aider and Cline really free? The software is free. You still pay for the AI model you connect, unless you run a local model.
Which free AI app builder includes hosting? Bolt's free plan includes website hosting and unlimited databases. Base44's free plan includes authentication and a database.
What changed
- Oct 20, 2026: Page published. 15 tools checked on their official pricing pages.