The best AI coding agents
AI coding agents now handle real engineering work: reading a codebase, editing many files, running tests and opening pull requests. They differ mostly in where they run (terminal, editor or cloud), which models they use, and how you pay. Here is every coding agent in the AgentDrawer directory, side by side.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Type | Pricing | In one line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | Terminal / IDE | Paid | Anthropic's agentic coding tool that works in your terminal and codebase. |
| OpenAI Codex | Cloud + CLI | Paid | OpenAI's cloud and CLI software engineering agent. |
| Cursor | AI code editor | Freemium | AI code editor with an agent that plans, edits and runs code. |
| Devin | Autonomous cloud agent | Paid | Autonomous AI software engineer by Cognition. |
| GitHub Copilot | Editor, CLI and GitHub | Freemium | AI pair programmer with an autonomous coding agent mode. |
| Windsurf | Agentic IDE | Freemium | Agentic IDE with the Cascade coding agent. |
| Cline | VS Code extension | Open Source | Open-source autonomous coding agent for VS Code. |
| Aider | Terminal | Open Source | AI pair programming in your terminal, git-aware. |
| OpenHands | Self-hosted platform | Open Source | Open-source platform for AI software development agents. |
| Ruflo | Multi-agent harness | Open Source | Open-source multi-agent orchestration for Claude Code and Codex that turns one assistant into a coordinated team. |
How to choose
If you live in the terminal, Claude Code, OpenAI Codex CLI and Aider fit naturally. If you want an editor built around AI, look at Cursor, Windsurf, GitHub Copilot or the Cline extension. For handing off whole tickets to run unattended in the cloud, Devin, Codex cloud and GitHub Copilot's coding agent are built for that. If you want full control and to bring your own model, the open-source options (Cline, Aider, OpenHands, Ruflo) cost nothing beyond your API usage.
Every option, in detail
1. Claude Code
Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic coding tool. It reads and understands your codebase, edits files and runs commands from your terminal or IDE, so you can hand off multi-step programming tasks in plain language. It runs on Anthropic's Claude models and is included with paid Claude plans or billed through the API.
Pricing: Paid · Website (opens in new tab)
2. OpenAI Codex
Codex is OpenAI's software engineering agent. It can work in the cloud on parallel tasks against your repository or locally through the open-source Codex CLI, writing features, fixing bugs and proposing pull requests. Access comes with paid ChatGPT plans.
Pricing: Paid · Website (opens in new tab)
3. Cursor
Cursor is an AI-first code editor built on VS Code. Its agent can plan changes, edit across many files and run terminal commands, and you can hand off longer tasks to background agents. A free tier is available, with paid plans for heavier use.
Pricing: Freemium · Website (opens in new tab)
4. Devin
Devin, from Cognition, is positioned as an autonomous AI software engineer. Teams assign it tickets and it works in its own cloud environment, running parallel cloud agents that plan, write code, test and open pull requests. It is sold as a paid product for engineering teams.
Pricing: Paid · Website (opens in new tab)
5. GitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot is GitHub's AI coding assistant, now with an agent that can take an open issue through to a reviewed pull request. It works in your editor, the terminal, on desktop and directly on GitHub. There is a free tier plus paid individual and business plans.
Pricing: Freemium · Website (opens in new tab)
6. Windsurf
Windsurf is an agentic IDE known for its Cascade agent. The windsurf.com site now presents it as Devin Desktop from Cognition, a single surface for managing local and cloud coding agents while you plan, delegate and review work. A free tier is offered alongside paid plans.
Pricing: Freemium · Website (opens in new tab)
7. Cline
Cline is an open-source autonomous coding agent that runs inside VS Code and other editors. It offers Plan and Act modes, MCP integration and terminal-first workflows, and you bring your own model provider. Cline reports more than 11 million developers using it.
Pricing: Open Source · Website (opens in new tab)
8. Aider
Aider is an open-source AI pair programmer that runs in your terminal. It edits code in your local git repository, commits changes with sensible messages and works with many LLMs, including cloud and local models. It is free to use; you pay only for the model API you connect.
Pricing: Open Source · Website (opens in new tab)
9. OpenHands
OpenHands is an open-source platform for building and running AI coding agents. You can start locally, automate engineering workflows with any model, and scale up with enterprise controls. Its agents can write code, run commands and browse the web like a developer.
Pricing: Open Source · Website (opens in new tab)
10. Ruflo
Ruflo is an open-source agent harness on GitHub from ruvnet. It coordinates swarms of agents and autonomous workflows, with adaptive memory and vector RAG, and integrates natively with Claude Code and Codex. It is free to use and self-hosted.
Pricing: Open Source · Website (opens in new tab)
Missing a tool? Submit it. Browse all coding agents.