A coding agent takes a task (fix this bug, add this endpoint) and works on it in the background or the cloud while you do something else. You review the result instead of typing alongside it. For in-editor help, see our AI-for-coding guide.
Windsurf (Devin Desktop) ($20/mo) gives you Devin's cloud agents plus a full IDE on its Pro plan. Cursor Pro includes background agents at the same price, and Factory is the most complete option for teams that want agents across testing, review and deploys.
| App | Free tier | Paid from | Top plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windsurf (Devin Desktop) | Yes | $20/mo | $200/mo | Developers who want Devin's autonomous coding agent paired with a full IDE, not just a chat sidebar |
| Cursor | Yes | $20/mo | $200/mo | Professional developers who want agentic multi-file editing in a familiar IDE |
| Factory (Droids) | No | $20/mo | $200/mo | Engineering teams that want an agent-native workflow spanning coding, testing, review, and deploys, not just an IDE sidebar |
| ChatGPT | Yes | $8/mo | $500/mo | Everyday writing, brainstorming, image generation, casual coding |
| Warp | Yes | $20/mo | $200/mo | Developers who want an agentic terminal layer to run and coordinate multiple AI coding agents at once |
| Mistral Vibe | Yes | $14.99/mo | $24.99/mo | Users who want a privacy-conscious European alternative to ChatGPT/Claude with all-day agentic coding built in |
Monthly prices in US dollars before tax, from each vendor's official pricing (US list price; weekly-billed plans converted to a monthly figure). Updated October 7, 2026
Now rebranded Devin Desktop: Pro includes Devin's cloud agents that write, test and ship code, paired with an IDE that has unlimited Tab completions. Old reviews under the Windsurf name may be out of date.
Pick it if: you want a real autonomous agent and an editor in one subscription.
Full Windsurf (Devin Desktop) pricing →Background agents come with Pro, so you can delegate one task while editing another. Heavy agent use pushes you toward Pro+ ($60/mo) or Ultra ($200/mo).
Pick it if: you split your day between delegating and hands-on coding.
Full Cursor pricing →Droid agents cover coding, testing, review and deploys across desktop, CLI and cloud, with enterprise security options. Plus and Max per-seat tiers get expensive once a team outgrows Pro.
Pick it if: your engineering team wants agents across the whole software lifecycle.
Full Factory (Droids) pricing →Full Codex is included in ChatGPT Plus ($20/mo), while Go ($8/mo) lists only limited Codex access via Terra; Pro raises it to 5× Codex, and Pro 500 adds Astra Ultrafast inference, up to 8× faster in Codex.
Pick it if: you want an agent without adding a separate coding subscription.
Full ChatGPT pricing →An agentic terminal that orchestrates multiple coding agents, including Claude Code and Codex, in one shell. Build includes 1,500 credits a month; heavy agent runs get pricey.
Pick it if: you live in the terminal and use more than one agent.
Full Warp pricing →Vibe Pro ($14.99/mo) includes all-day agentic coding in CLI, IDE or web, plus $30/mo in API credits, from a European lab.
Pick it if: data location matters and you want agentic coding included in a chat plan.
Full Mistral Vibe pricing →An agent working through a task makes many model calls, so entry plans run out sooner than with autocomplete. Most of these tools sell heavy-use tiers at roughly 10× to 20× the entry allowance (Cursor Ultra, Factory Max, Warp Max), and Windsurf has Max; try the entry plan for a couple of weeks and upgrade only when you consistently hit the cap.
Agents hand back pull requests or diffs. Pick the tool whose output fits how your team already reviews code, whether that's in the IDE, the terminal or a cloud dashboard.
Several start at the same entry price: Cursor Pro ($20/mo) with background agents, Windsurf Pro ($20/mo) with Devin cloud agents, Factory Pro ($20/mo), Warp Build ($20/mo), and ChatGPT Plus with Codex ($20/mo). Mistral Vibe Pro is cheaper at $14.99/mo, and ChatGPT Go ($8/mo) lists limited Codex access via the Terra model.
Usually yes, for reviewing and fixing what the agent produces. Cursor and Windsurf bundle both, which is why they lead this list.
How we choose: prices come from each vendor's official pricing page and are re-checked every week. We take no affiliate fees, so rankings aren't for sale.