Category · 7 tools tracked, 5 with a published verdict
Coding: which are worth paying for?
Our verdict on each tool's paid plans, its cheapest paid price and, where we have run it, our own test score. Prices are checked every day on the vendors' own pages; the last check was on Sep 28, 2026.
YES2 toolsDEPENDS3 toolsNO0 tools
Cheapest paid plan, compared
Prices checked Sep 28, 2026 · scores are free-tier averages- GitHub Copilot: cheapest paid plan $10/mo, not tested by us yet. not tested yet
- Cursor: cheapest paid plan $20/mo, not tested by us yet. not tested yet
- Windsurf: cheapest paid plan $20/mo, not tested by us yet. not tested yet
- Replit: cheapest paid plan $20/mo, not tested by us yet. not tested yet
- Lovable: cheapest paid plan $25/mo, not tested by us yet. not tested yet
- Bolt: cheapest paid plan $25/mo, not tested by us yet. not tested yet
- v0: cheapest paid plan $30/user/mo, not tested by us yet. not tested yet
How to read it
Each tool sits at its cheapest paid monthly price. A score badge marks tools we have tested; the others say "not tested yet", because we never guess a score.
None of these tools has a published test score yet, so this compares prices only. With 3 or more scores this becomes a price-vs-score chart.
Data: our published tool pages. Scores are out of 10 (70% quality, 30% automatic checks). How we test
All coding
-
Cursorby Anysphere · verdict Sep 28, 2026DEPENDSRe-checking after a price changePaying $20/month unlocks extended agent limits and frontier models, but per-token costs can make it pricey for heavy users.
Cheapest paid$20/moProFree planOur score—not tested yetPricing, docs & user reports -
GitHub Copilotby GitHub · verdict Sep 28, 2026DEPENDSPaying is worth it if you need unlimited inline suggestions or advanced agent features; otherwise, the free plan or a cheaper alternative may suffice.
Cheapest paid$10/moProFree planOur score—not tested yetPricing, docs & user reports -
Lovableby Lovable · verdict Sep 28, 2026YESRe-checking after new user reportsPaying removes the 30-build monthly cap and unlocks code download, custom domains, and editing.
Cheapest paid$25/moProFree planOur score—not tested yetPricing & docs only -
Windsurfby Windsurf · verdict Sep 28, 2026DEPENDSRe-checking after a price changeWindsurf Pro offers full model access for $20/month, but the new quota system drains limits quickly for some users.
Cheapest paid$20/moProFree planOur score—not tested yetPricing, docs & user reports -
Boltby StackBlitz · verdict Sep 28, 2026YESPaying removes daily token limits, branding, and file size caps, making it worth it for serious builders.
Cheapest paid$25/moProFree planOur score—not tested yetPricing & docs only -
Replitby ReplitNo verdict yet
Not reviewed yet — prices tracked.
Cheapest paid$20/moCoreOur score—not tested yet -
v0by VercelNo verdict yet
Not reviewed yet — prices tracked.
Cheapest paid$30/user/moPlusFree planOur score—not tested yet