Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools
Claude Code vs GitHub Copilot vs Grok Build
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Anyone building software, from first-timers to senior engineers, who wants an AI that does the work itself.
Pick it if: Teams and developers whose code lives on GitHub and who want AI in the tools they already use.
Pick it if: Developers who already pay for an X Subscription or Grok and want a Claude Code-style agent included in it.
Claude Code scores highest overall, but GitHub Copilot gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.
Overview
| Attribute | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | Grok Build |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | An AI agent that works inside your project: it reads, writes and runs the code for you. | GitHub's AI helper: it finishes your code, reviews pull requests and takes on whole tasks. | xAI's open-source terminal coding agent, included in every paid X Subscription plan. |
| Pricing model | Paid | Freemium | Paid |
| Starting price | $20/mo | $10/mo | $8/mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes | No |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | No | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | Grok Build |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.4Winner | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 3.5 | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 5.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 5.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | Grok Build |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | No | Yes | No |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | No |
| Desktop app | Yes | Yes | No |
| Browser extension | No | – | No |
| API access | Yes | – | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | Yes |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | Yes | Yes | – |
| Makes images | No | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | Yes | – |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 12/ 17 | 12/ 17 | 9/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | Grok Build |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | ProOur pick $20/mo, or $17/mo billed yearly Trying Claude Code and light daily use. | Free Free Trying autocomplete and light chat. | X Subscription Plus $8/mo Trying Grok Build alongside Grok and X Premium. |
Team From $20/seat/mo billed yearly, or $25 monthly Businesses with 2 to 150 people who want central billing. | ProOur pick $10/mo Individual developers on GitHub. | X Subscription PremiumOur pick $30/mo Developers who use Grok most days. | |
Enterprise $20/seat/mo billed yearly, 20-seat minimum Larger companies with compliance needs. | Pro+ $39/mo Developers who run agent tasks every day. | Super / Ultra $100/mo or $200/mo Heavy users running agents all day. | |
Max From $100/mo Anyone running Claude Code for hours a day. | Max $100/mo Heavy agent-driven work. | xAI API Pay as you go CI pipelines and people who prefer paying per use. | |
API (pay as you go) Usage based Teams who want to pay only for what they use. | Business and Enterprise See website Companies that need admin controls and policy management. | ||
| Which plan to pick | Start on Pro. It is enough to build a small site or tool in evenings and weekends. If you hit the limit most days, Max 5x is the next step; it costs five times as much but usually works out cheaper than paying for the API directly. Max also lets you spend up to half your weekly limit on Fable, which Pro only gets through paid credits. | Pro is the sweet spot for an individual: cheap, unlimited autocomplete and enough credits for a few agent tasks a week. Only move to Pro+ if you find yourself buying extra credits every month. | If you already pay for X, try it on the plan you have. Premium at $30 a month is the sensible level for regular coding, but if you're choosing a coding agent from scratch, Claude Code or Codex are the safer picks today. Plans changed on 12 October 2026, so check x.ai before you buy. |
Key features
| Attribute | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | Grok Build |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | Grok Build |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Claude Code | GitHub Copilot | Grok Build |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot or Grok Build?
Claude Code scores highest overall in our ratings (Claude Code 4.4/5, GitHub Copilot 4.0/5 and Grok Build 3.5/5). Claude Code is best for building a whole feature, start to finish and fixing bugs you can't find. GitHub Copilot is best for autocomplete as you type and Handing GitHub issues to an agent. Grok Build is best for X Subscription users who want a coding agent included and Trying Grok models on real coding work.
Which is cheaper, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot or Grok Build?
Claude Code: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $20/mo. GitHub Copilot: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $10/mo. Grok Build: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $8/mo.
Which is easier to use, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot or Grok Build?
GitHub Copilot rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Teams and developers whose code lives on GitHub and who want AI in the tools they already use.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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