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Top picks

Best AI for coding

An AI coding assistant writes, fixes and explains code from instructions in your own words. You don't need to be a developer to build with one.

Picked by Sam Despo on

Top pick

Claude Code

Coding & Dev Tools4.4

An AI agent that works inside your project: it reads, writes and runs the code for you.

Best for: Building a whole feature, start to finish

Why Claude Code is the top pick

It lets non-developers ship real software, and everything else in this library is organised around it.

  • The most capable coding agent here. Point it at a project, describe the change in your own words and it does the work, including running and fixing it.
  • There is no free tier. You need Claude Pro at $20 a month at least, and heavy users end up on Max at $100 or more. Pro doesn't include Fable, Anthropic's top model, unless you buy usage credits.
  • It lives in the terminal by default, which is the biggest hurdle for non-developers. The desktop app, web and VS Code versions soften that a lot.
  • Usage is shared with your Claude chats and capped per five-hour session and per week, so a long coding session can eat the allowance you wanted for writing.
  • MCPs and Skills plug straight into it, which is why this whole library is organised around it.

Read the full Claude Code review

Other tools that do this job

  • Cursor

    Coding & Dev Tools

    3.9

    A code editor with AI built in, for people who want to watch every change happen.

    Freemium
  • OpenAI Codex

    Coding & Dev Tools

    4.2

    OpenAI's coding agent. Hand it a task and it works away while you do other things.

    Freemium
  • GitHub Copilot

    Coding & Dev Tools

    4.0

    GitHub's AI helper: it finishes your code, reviews pull requests and takes on whole tasks.

    Freemium

Guides

Questions

What is the best AI for coding?

Claude Code is the top pick. It lets non-developers ship real software, and everything else in this library is organised around it.

Is there a free AI for coding?

Claude Code has no free plan, but Cursor, OpenAI Codex and GitHub Copilot have a free option.

How much does Claude Code cost?

There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $20/mo.

What are the alternatives to Claude Code?

Other good options are Cursor, OpenAI Codex and GitHub Copilot. Cursor is best for editing with AI autocomplete.

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