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Side-by-side comparison · Coding & Dev Tools

Claude Code vs GitHub Copilot vs Kiro

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Best overall

Claude Code

4.4

From $20/mo

GitHub Copilot

4.0

From $10/mo

Kiro

3.6

From $20/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Best overall

Pick it if: Anyone building software, from first-timers to senior engineers, who wants an AI that does the work itself.

Best value

Pick it if: Teams and developers whose code lives on GitHub and who want AI in the tools they already use.

Kiro3.6

Pick it if: Developers and technical founders who want a written plan before the AI builds anything, especially teams already on AWS.

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

AttributeClaude CodeGitHub CopilotKiro
In one lineAn 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.Amazon's AI code editor that writes a plan and requirements before it writes any code.
Pricing modelPaidFreemiumFreemium
Starting price$20/mo$10/mo$20/mo
Free plan No Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code Yes No Yes

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeClaude CodeGitHub CopilotKiro
Overall rating4.4Winner4.03.6
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
3.5
4.0
4.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers the job it's built for, and how well the pieces fit together.
5.0
4.0
4.5
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
3.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.5
4.0
3.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeClaude CodeGitHub CopilotKiro
Access & platform
Free plan No Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes Yes Yes
Desktop app Yes Yes Yes
Browser extension No– No
API access Yes– No
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 No
AI abilities
Works with your files Yes Yes Yes
Understands images Yes 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 Yes
Works in many languages Yes Yes Yes
Capabilities score12/ 1712/ 1712/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeClaude CodeGitHub CopilotKiro
Plans

ProOur pick

$20/mo, or $17/mo billed yearly

Trying Claude Code and light daily use.

Free

Free

Trying autocomplete and light chat.

Free

Free

Trying spec mode on a small project.

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.

ProOur pick

$20/mo

Most individuals using it a few days a week.

Enterprise

$20/seat/mo billed yearly, 20-seat minimum

Larger companies with compliance needs.

Pro+

$39/mo

Developers who run agent tasks every day.

Pro+

$40/mo

Regular daily users.

Max

From $100/mo

Anyone running Claude Code for hours a day.

Max

$100/mo

Heavy agent-driven work.

Pro Max

$100/mo

Professionals in Kiro for hours each day.

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.

Power

$200/mo

The heaviest users.

Enterprise

Custom

Companies that need SSO and central billing.

Which plan to pickStart 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.Pro at $20 is the place to start, and you get $20 off your first paid month when you upgrade. Use the Auto model to make credits last, and only move up a tier once you know your monthly usage.

Key features

AttributeClaude CodeGitHub CopilotKiro
Standout features
  • Works in your project
  • Plain-English tasks
  • Runs where you work
  • CLAUDE.md and Skills
  • MCP connections
  • Subagents and background work
  • Inline suggestions
  • Coding agent
  • Code review
  • Chat everywhere
  • Hand off to other agents
  • Custom instructions
  • Specs
  • Vibe mode
  • Hooks
  • Workflows and Crew
  • Web and iPhone
  • Powers

Pros and cons

AttributeClaude CodeGitHub CopilotKiro
Pros
  • Finishes real tasks end to end, not just suggestions you have to apply
  • Best-in-class at understanding a whole codebase before it changes anything
  • Runs in the terminal, desktop app, web, phone and the main editors
  • CLAUDE.md, Skills and MCPs make it fit your way of working
  • One Claude subscription covers both chat and coding
  • The cheapest paid plan in the category with unlimited autocomplete
  • Works inside the editors and the GitHub site you already use
  • Agent and code review are built into the GitHub workflow
  • Enterprise controls are mature because GitHub already had them
  • Spec mode makes the AI's plan easy to read and change before it builds
  • One subscription covers editor, terminal, web and iPhone
  • Good choice for businesses already on AWS
  • Hooks and Powers automate a lot of busywork
Cons
  • No free tier, and the Pro usage cap can run out in an afternoon of heavy work
  • The terminal is intimidating for non-developers at first
  • It will happily change things you did not ask about unless you set boundaries
  • Costs on Max or the API add up fast for teams
  • Anthropic cut weekly Claude Code limits by about 17% on 14 September, and limits may shift again
  • Agent quality lags Claude Code and Codex on complex tasks
  • $10 of credits a month disappears quickly once you use agents
  • Pretty pointless if your code is not on GitHub
  • Business and Enterprise prices are not published
  • Credits run out fast on the best models, and multipliers have gone up
  • Workflows are slow, ask for approval constantly and burn credits
  • Free plan's 50 credits a month is very small
  • History of pricing changes, including a botched launch in 2025
  • Some users say its agent uses more tokens than Claude Code or Codex for the same job

Who each one is for

AttributeClaude CodeGitHub CopilotKiro
Best for
  • Building features end to end
  • Fixing bugs you can't find
  • Explaining a codebase you don't know
  • Automating repetitive dev tasks
  • Autocomplete as you type
  • Handing GitHub issues to an agent
  • Automated code review
  • Teams already on GitHub
  • Turning a rough idea into requirements and a plan
  • Bigger features you want planned before building
  • Teams already on AWS
  • Automating checks with hooks
You'll find it used by
  • Developers
  • Solo founders
  • Agencies
  • Technical marketers
  • Development teams
  • Enterprises
  • Open source maintainers
  • Students
  • Developers
  • AWS teams
  • Technical founders
  • Students

Questions people ask

Which is better, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot or Kiro?

Claude Code scores highest overall in our ratings (Claude Code 4.4/5, GitHub Copilot 4.0/5 and Kiro 3.6/5). Claude Code is best for building features end to end and fixing bugs you can't find. GitHub Copilot is best for autocomplete as you type and Handing GitHub issues to an agent. Kiro is best for turning a rough idea into requirements and a plan and bigger features you want planned before building.

Which is cheaper, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot or Kiro?

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. Kiro: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/mo.

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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