ToolRankBest AI coding tools with a free tier
Updated 16 Oct 2026 · Prices from vendor pages only · How we rank →
The short answer
For a free plan that includes AI usage with no API key, Cursor Free is our top pick, with limited agent and chat requests. GitHub Copilot Free has limited chat and agent usage but no code review or cloud agent. Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) Free has a light agent quota and unlimited Tab completions. Kiro gives a perpetual 50 credits. Bolt gives 300K tokens a day. Lovable gives 5 build credits a day. Devin Free has a light quota without cloud agents. All limits were checked on vendor pages on 16 Oct 2026.
Ranked shortlist
- Cursor: A full AI-native editor with agents, cloud automations and code review, and a free tier to start. Plan: Free: $0/month
- GitHub Copilot: Works in most major editors and in GitHub itself, from a free plan up to cloud agents and code review. Plan: Free: $0
- Lovable: Turns plain-language prompts into working web apps, with hosting via Lovable Cloud and a free daily allowance. Plan: Free: $0
- Bolt.new: Generous token-based free tier and simple Pro/Teams pricing for in-browser app building. Plan: Free: $0
- Windsurf: Full agentic IDE with a free plan and unlimited Tab completions. Since June 2026 it ships as Devin Desktop, with a Kanban-style Agent Command Center that runs Devin and third-party ACP agents. Plan: Free: $0/month
Light agent quota, limited models, unlimited inline edits and Tab completions - Devin: Delegates whole tickets to a cloud agent that plans, writes code and opens PRs. It connects to Slack, Linear, Jira and your git host, and since 2026 the self-serve plans start free. Plan: Free: $0/month
Light agent quota, limited models, unlimited inline edits and Tab completions - Kiro: AWS's main coding product: spec-driven development, hooks and steering in a VS Code-based IDE plus CLI. It has a perpetual free tier, and it's the official successor to Amazon Q Developer. Plan: Free: $0
50 credits
Order follows ToolRank’s editorial ranking in Coding & App Building, filtered to tools that fit this page. Anything we couldn’t confirm on a vendor page says “Not yet verified”.
Side by side
| Rank | Tool | Relevant plan | Starting price | Free plan | Best for | Main limitation | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Cursor | Free: $0/month | $8/month (Plus) | Free: limited agent requests and limited chat requests | Developers who want an AI-first editor with agents and code review | Free plan has limited agent and chat requests; third-party model usage is billed separately from plan prices. | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #2 | GitHub Copilot | Free: $0 | $10/month (Pro) | Limited chat and agent usage; no code review or cloud agent | Teams already on GitHub who want AI in their existing IDE | Free plan has limited chat and agent usage and no code review or cloud agent. | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #3 | Lovable | Free: $0 | Not yet verified | 5 build credits/day (up to 30/month) plus 20 Cloud credits/month | Non-developers and founders prototyping web apps fast | Everything runs on credits: the free plan is 5 build credits a day (max 30 a month), and plan credits expire. | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #4 | Bolt.new | Free: $0 | $25/month (Pro, billed monthly) | 300K tokens/day, 1M tokens/month, Bolt branding, 10MB uploads, unlimited databases | Quick full-stack prototypes and small business apps | Free plan: 300K tokens/day, 1M tokens/month, and Bolt branding on sites. | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #5 | Windsurf | Free: $0/month Light agent quota, limited models, unlimited inline edits and Tab completions | $20/month (Pro) | Light agent quota, limited models, unlimited inline edits and Tab completions | Developers who want a VS Code-style IDE that manages several local and cloud agents from one screen | The product has been rebranded and reworked: Windsurf is now Devin Desktop and the Cascade agent was replaced. Paid usage is a daily and weekly quota, and anything over it is billed at model API prices. | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #6 | Devin | Free: $0/month Light agent quota, limited models, unlimited inline edits and Tab completions | $20/month (Pro) | Free plan: light quota, limited models (no cloud agents) | Teams that want to hand well-scoped tickets to an agent and review the PRs | Cloud agents (Devin Cloud) need Pro ($20/month) or above, and heavy use draws down quota that is topped up at API prices. You still have to review every PR it opens. | 16 Oct 2026 |
| #7 | Kiro | Free: $0 50 credits | $20/user/month (Pro) | Perpetual free tier: 50 credits, Claude Sonnet 4.5 and open-weight models, rate-limited | Teams on AWS that want structured, spec-first agent work | Everything is metered in credits that vary by model, and unused monthly credits don't roll over. There are no native Visual Studio or Eclipse plugins. | 16 Oct 2026 |
Prices as listed by each vendor on the last-checked date, USD, before tax. Plans and limits change, so follow the sources below.
Who should pick which
Pick Cursor Free to try an AI-native editor. Pick Copilot Free to stay in your IDE. Pick Devin Desktop Free if unlimited Tab completions matter most. Pick Kiro Free to try spec-driven agents. Pick Bolt or Lovable free plans to build web apps in the browser. If you'd rather bring your own model and avoid caps, see the no-subscription list (Cline, Zed, Aider and others).
FAQ
Which free tier has unlimited completions?
Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) Free lists unlimited inline edits and Tab completions, with a light agent quota (devin.ai/pricing, checked 16 Oct 2026).
Does Claude Code have a free tier?
No. Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan (Pro from $17/month billed annually) or API usage.
Can I keep using a free tier for real work?
For light use, yes. Every free plan here is capped (requests, credits or tokens), so heavy users will hit the limits. The table shows each cap as the vendor states it.
Sources
- Cursor: Cursor pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- GitHub Copilot: GitHub Copilot plans checked 16 Oct 2026
- Lovable: Lovable pricing and FAQ checked 16 Oct 2026
- Bolt.new: Bolt pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Windsurf: Devin / Devin Desktop pricing (windsurf.com/pricing redirects here) checked 16 Oct 2026
- Windsurf: Cognition: Windsurf is now Devin Desktop (2 Jun 2026) checked 16 Oct 2026
- Devin: Devin pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Kiro: Kiro pricing checked 16 Oct 2026
- Kiro: Kiro: migrating from Q Developer checked 16 Oct 2026
Related comparisons
- Cursor vs GitHub Copilot
- Cursor vs Windsurf
- Windsurf vs GitHub Copilot
- Cursor vs Bolt.new
- Cursor vs Lovable
- Lovable vs Bolt.new
- All comparisons →
Profiles: Cursor · GitHub Copilot · Lovable · Bolt.new · Windsurf · Devin · Kiro
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