Guide · Editorial, not sponsored

Which AI coding tool or app builder should I use?

The questions people ask most before they pick one: which tool fits, is it free, what does it cost, and what happens to unused credits. Every fact links to the vendor's own page, all checked Oct 29 to 31, 2026.

  • 11 tools
  • 20 official sources
  • Checked Oct 29 to 31, 2026
  • No hands-on testing
  • Alphabetical, no ranking

Quick answer

  • Never coded? Start with an app builder: Lovable, Bolt, v0 and Replit all have a free way in. If you code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) and Zed are editors with free plans, and Cline is a free open source extension.
  • Already paying for ChatGPT or Claude? Codex is included in every ChatGPT plan, even Free, and Claude Code in every paid Claude plan, from Pro at $17/mo billed annually or $20 monthly.
  • Credits are the fine print: Cursor resets weekly, Copilot on the 1st of the month (UTC), and the Lovable and Bolt free allowances daily. Of the pages we checked, only Bolt, Lovable and v0 say unused paid credits carry over.

Head to head: Bolt vs Lovable, v0 by Vercel vs Lovable, Lovable vs Replit, Cursor vs GitHub Copilot, Cursor vs Claude Code, Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex, Cursor vs OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot vs OpenAI Codex, Claude Code vs GitHub Copilot, Cursor vs Devin, Cursor vs Zed, Cline vs Claude Code, Lovable vs Cursor, v0 by Vercel vs Bolt, Bolt vs Replit.

The tools at a glance

  • Bolt

    App builder

    Free 1M tokens a month; Pro $25/mo[15]

    300K tokens a day

    Good fit if Building web apps by chat, with your own domain on Pro

  • Claude Code

    Coding agent

    In every paid Claude plan, from Pro at $17/mo billed annually or $20 monthly[7]

    Paid Claude plan needed

    Good fit if You already pay for Claude; works in the terminal, VS Code, Cursor and JetBrains

  • Cline

    Editor extension

    Free and open source; you pay only for AI inference[19]

    Open source

    Good fit if No subscription: bring your own API keys

  • Cursor

    AI code editor

    Free plan with limited usage; Plus $8/mo[1]

    Limited free plan

    Good fit if An AI editor with a weekly usage pool

  • Devin

    Editor and agents

    Free plan; Pro $20/mo, Max $200/mo[11]

    Light agent quota

    Good fit if Windsurf users: same plan and pricing as Devin Desktop

  • GitHub Copilot

    Editor assistant

    Free plan; Pro $10/mo with 1,500 AI credits[4]

    2,000 completions a month

    Good fit if Unlimited completions on paid plans; free for verified students

  • Lovable

    App builder

    Free 5 build credits a day; Pro from 100 credits a month[12]

    Free publishing

    Good fit if No coding experience needed; you own the code

  • OpenAI Codex

    Coding agent

    Included in ChatGPT Free; Go $8/mo, Plus $20/mo[9]

    In ChatGPT Free

    Good fit if You already pay for ChatGPT

  • Replit

    App builder

    Free Starter plan[17]; Core $20/mo[18]

    Starter, per its docs

    Good fit if Web and mobile apps on the free plan

  • v0 by Vercel

    App builder

    $5 one-time credits for new users; Plus $30/mo[16]

    7 messages a day

    Good fit if Web apps deployed to Vercel

  • Zed

    Code editor

    Personal $0; Pro $10/mo with $5 of tokens[20]

    Free with your own keys

    Good fit if A code editor that is free with your own API keys or external agents

Which one fits you

  • You have never written code. Use an app builder: Lovable, Bolt, v0 by Vercel or Replit. Lovable says no coding experience is needed[12]. Our guide to AI app builders for beginners compares their free plans, hosting and phone app support.
  • You want a phone app. Replit's free Starter plan covers web and mobile apps[17]. Lovable builds web apps, not native ones; you can make them installable as a PWA or wrap them with Capacitor[12].
  • You already pay for ChatGPT. OpenAI Codex is included in every ChatGPT plan and shares usage with ChatGPT Work[9].
  • You already pay for Claude. Claude Code is included in all paid plans and shares your plan's limits[7]. It also runs in VS Code, Cursor and JetBrains IDEs[8].
  • You want an AI code editor. Cursor Plus is $8/mo[1], GitHub Copilot Pro $10/mo[4] and Zed Pro $10/mo[20]. Coming from Windsurf? It is now Devin Desktop, with the same plan and pricing[10].
  • You do not want a subscription. Cline is free and open source; you pay only for AI inference, with your own keys or the Cline provider[19].
  • You are a student. Copilot Student is free for verified students[5], and teachers and popular open source maintainers can get Copilot Pro free[6]. Lovable gives students and teachers 50% off Pro for up to 12 months[12]. Cursor's student discount is closed to new sign-ups since June 25, 2026[3].

Free plans, credits and resets

Most confusion is about what runs out and when. Here is what each vendor says. "Not stated" means the pages we checked do not say.

ToolFree way inCheapest paidWhat is metered and when it resetsUnused paid usage rolls over?
Bolt1M tokens a month, 300K a day[14]Pro $25/mo, 10M tokens[15]Tokens. Free: daily, and monthly on the 1st; paid: on your renewal date[14]Yes, valid two months while subscribed; reload tokens never expire[14]
Claude CodeNo; paid Claude plan or Console account[7]Pro $17/mo billed annually, $20 monthly[7]Shared Claude limits: a five-hour session limit and a weekly limit[8]Not stated
ClineFree open source extension[19]No subscription[19]You pay for AI inference as you use it[19]Not applicable
OpenAI CodexIncluded in ChatGPT Free, desktop app[9]Go $8/mo[9]Shared with ChatGPT Work; Plus measured per five-hour period, weekly limits may apply[9]Not stated
CursorFree plan, limited usage[1]Plus $8/mo[1]One pool for Cursor models, refreshed weekly[2]No; prepaid credit lasts 365 days[2]
DevinLight agent quota, unlimited Tab and inline edits[11]Pro $20/mo[11]Usage allowance refreshed daily and weekly[11]Not stated
GitHub Copilot2,000 code completions a month[4]Pro $10/mo, 1,500 AI credits[4]AI credits ($0.01 each), reset 00:00 UTC on the 1st[4]No[4]
Lovable5 build credits a day, up to 30 a month[12]Pro from 100 credits a month[12]Credits; daily grants reset at 00:00 UTC[13]Yes, monthly credits expire 2 months after issue[13]
ReplitStarter: daily Agent credits up to a monthly cap[17]Core $20/mo, $18 billed annually[18]Credits; Starter Agent credits reset daily[17]Not stated
v0 by Vercel$5 one-time credits, 7 messages a day[16]Plus $30/mo, $30 of credits plus $2 daily on login[16]Credits, included monthly on paid plans[16]Yes, for one month[16]
ZedPersonal $0 with your own keys[20]Pro $10/mo, $5 of tokens[20]Tokens past $5 billed at API list price plus 10%[20]Not stated

How we put this together

We started from what people actually ask: Google autocomplete and People Also Ask, Reddit threads and the questions people put to AI assistants. Then we answered each one only from the vendor's own pricing page, docs or help center, fetched on Oct 29 to 31, 2026 and fetched again to confirm every claim. Anything we could not confirm on an official page is left out. We have not run hands-on tests, so there are no scores or ratings. Prices are in US dollars and exclude tax. More in our methodology.

FAQ

Which AI coding tool should I use?

It depends on whether you write code. If you do not, start with an app builder that has a free way in: Lovable, Bolt, v0 or Replit. If you do, pick an editor: Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Devin Desktop and Zed all have free plans, and Cline is free and open source. If you already pay for ChatGPT or Claude, try Codex or Claude Code first, because they are included in those plans.

What is the best AI app builder for beginners?

We do not rank them. Lovable, Bolt, v0 and Replit all let you build by describing what you want and all have a free way in. Lovable says no coding experience is needed and publishing to a lovable.app URL is free; Replit's free Starter plan covers web and mobile apps; Bolt gives 1M free tokens a month; v0 gives new users $5 in one-time credits.

Which AI coding tools are free?

Cline is free and open source, and you pay only for AI inference. Zed Personal is free with your own API keys. Cursor, GitHub Copilot and Devin Desktop have limited free plans, Codex is included in ChatGPT Free, and Lovable, Bolt, v0 and Replit have free allowances. Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan or a Console account.

What is the cheapest paid AI coding plan?

Among these tools, $8 a month: Cursor Plus or ChatGPT Go, which includes Codex. GitHub Copilot Pro and Zed Pro are $10 a month. Cline has no subscription at all; you pay only for the AI you use.

Do unused AI coding credits roll over?

Usually not. GitHub Copilot credits and Cursor's included usage do not roll over. Bolt rolls unused paid tokens over for two months, v0 rolls paid credits over for one month, and Lovable monthly credits expire 2 months after they are issued. Free daily allowances on Lovable and Bolt never carry over.

Is Windsurf now Devin?

Yes. Cognition renamed Windsurf to Devin Desktop on June 2, 2026, and says your plan, pricing, extensions and other features remain the same.

Is Codex free with ChatGPT?

Yes. Codex is included in ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Edu and Enterprise. OpenAI's pricing page lists Free and Go in the desktop app, subject to rollout; Plus adds Codex on the web, in the CLI and in the IDE extension.

Is Claude Code free?

No. Claude Code is included in all paid Claude plans, starting with Pro at $17/mo billed annually or $20 monthly, or you can use a Claude Console account billed at API rates.

Which AI coding tools are free for students?

GitHub Copilot Student is free for verified students. Lovable gives students and teachers 50% off Pro for up to 12 months. Cursor stopped new sign-ups for its student discount on June 25, 2026, and now offers credits through campus events and a form for graduate students, researchers and educators.

Did you test these tools yourself?

No. Verdicts are based on each vendor's public docs and pricing pages, not hands-on testing, unless a page says otherwise.

Sources

  1. Cursor help: Pricing and plans (cursor.com/help/account-and-billing/pricing, checked 2026-10-29)
  2. Cursor help: Usage limits (cursor.com/help/models-and-usage/usage-limits, checked 2026-10-29)
  3. Cursor help: Student discount (cursor.com/help/account-and-billing/student-discount, checked 2026-10-29)
  4. GitHub Docs: Copilot billing for individuals (docs.github.com/en/copilot/concepts/billing-and-usage/individuals/billing, checked 2026-10-29)
  5. GitHub Docs: Copilot plans (docs.github.com/en/copilot/get-started/plans, checked 2026-10-29)
  6. GitHub Docs: Free Copilot Pro for teachers and maintainers (docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/manage-your-account/get-free-access-to-copilot-pro, checked 2026-10-29)
  7. Anthropic: Claude pricing and FAQ (claude.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-31)
  8. Claude help center: Use Claude Code with your Pro, Max, or Ultra plan (support.claude.com/en/articles/11145838-use-claude-code-with-your-pro-or-max-plan, checked 2026-10-31)
  9. OpenAI docs: ChatGPT Work and Codex pricing (learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing, checked 2026-10-29)
  10. Cognition: Windsurf is now Devin Desktop (June 2, 2026) (devin.ai/blog/windsurf-is-now-devin-desktop, checked 2026-10-29)
  11. Devin: plans and pricing FAQ (devin.ai/pricing, checked 2026-10-29)
  12. Lovable docs: FAQ (docs.lovable.dev/introduction/faq, checked 2026-10-29)
  13. Lovable docs: Credits and usage (docs.lovable.dev/introduction/credits-and-usage, checked 2026-10-29)
  14. Bolt help center: Tokens (support.bolt.new/account/tokens, checked 2026-10-29)
  15. Bolt: pricing (bolt.new/pricing, checked 2026-10-29)
  16. v0: pricing and FAQ (v0.app/pricing, checked 2026-10-29)
  17. Replit docs: Starter plan (docs.replit.com/billing/plans, checked 2026-10-29)
  18. Replit: pricing (replit.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-29)
  19. Cline: pricing and FAQ (cline.bot/pricing, checked 2026-10-29)
  20. Zed: pricing and FAQ (zed.dev/pricing, checked 2026-10-29)