Choosing Your AI Coding Agent
This guide will help you pick the right AI coding agent for this course. You can always switch later, and we will experiment with different tools throughout the semester.
Short version: For the best experience, use Cursor or Claude Code with Claude Opus 4.5 ($20/mo). If you need a free option, GitHub Copilot is solid and free for students.
Quick Decision
- Want the most capable agent: Cursor with Claude or Claude Code ($20/mo)
- Need a free option: GitHub Copilot (free for students) or Cursor (free year if eligible)
- Want the lowest paid cost: Windsurf Pro ($15/mo)
- Prefer the terminal: Claude Code or Aider
All Options
| Agent | Cost | Type | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cursor | Free tier; $20/mo Pro; free year for students | IDE (VS Code fork) | Best IDE agent, works with Claude |
| Claude Code | $20/mo with Claude Pro | Terminal (CLI) | Most capable, terminal-based |
| GitHub Copilot | Free for students | VS Code extension | Free option, easy setup |
| Windsurf | Free tier; $15/mo Pro | IDE (VS Code fork) | Lowest-cost paid option |
| OpenAI Codex | $20/mo with ChatGPT Plus | Web + CLI + IDE | If you already use ChatGPT |
| Google Antigravity | Free (individual) | IDE | Powerful but can be buggy |
| OpenCode | Free (open source) | Terminal + Desktop | Bring-your-own-model flexibility |
| Cline | Free extension | VS Code extension | Plan/Act workflow in VS Code |
| Continue | Free | VS Code / JetBrains | Open-source, flexible |
| Aider | Free (open source) | Terminal | Git-focused, multi-file edits |
| JetBrains Junie | $100-300/year | JetBrains IDEs | If you use IntelliJ/PyCharm |
| Replit Agent | ~$20/mo | Browser IDE | Zero setup, works anywhere |
Recommendations
Best overall: Use Cursor with Claude Opus 4.5, or Claude Code if you prefer working in the terminal. Claude Opus 4.5 is currently the most capable coding model available, and the $20/mo Claude Pro subscription works with both Cursor and Claude Code. This setup will give you the best results in this course.
Free option: If cost is a concern, start with GitHub Copilot. It is free for students and works well for most tasks. You can also try Cursor with its free student year if you qualify.
Budget paid option: Windsurf Pro at $15/mo is the most affordable paid agent if you want something in between.
A Note on Chat Apps
Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini (web chat versions) are useful for explanations and brainstorming, but they are not coding agents. They do not have direct access to your codebase and cannot make changes to your files automatically. For this course, use an actual coding agent from the list above.
Prices and features change frequently. This guide reflects what is available as of January 2026.