Free AI for coding: what each free plan gives
Short answer: if you already code in VS Code, JetBrains or another IDE, start with GitHub Copilot Free (2,000 completions a month). If you want an editor built around AI agents that work across your repo, try Cursor's free tier. To learn, debug or explain code in a chat, the free plans of Claude and ChatGPT are enough to start. To build a small website or app by chatting, v0, Lovable and Bolt.new all have free daily allowances. Facts come from the Whichora directory and each official pricing page, checked 2026-10-16.
All guides · AI for coding · GitHub Copilot vs Cursor vs Claude · Free AI tools
Free plans side by side
| Tool | Where you use it | What the free plan gives | Catch | First paid plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | Plugin in your IDE (VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Neovim) | Copilot Free: 2,000 code completions a month, an allowance of GitHub AI Credits; Copilot Student for verified students | Auto model selection only; limited agents | Pro USD 10/mo (official) |
| Cursor | AI code editor, agents across your repo | Free tier with limited agent and chat requests | Request limits run out fast on real projects | Current plans on the official page |
| Claude | Chat (web, desktop, mobile) | Free chat with files, web search and Artifacts | Claude Code is on paid plans | Pro USD 20/mo, USD 17/mo annual (official) |
| ChatGPT | Chat | Free plan with limits on uploads, research and Codex | Codex use is limited on free | Go, Plus, Pro; current USD on the official page |
| v0 | Web UI from a prompt | 7 messages a day, deploy to Vercel, Design Mode, GitHub sync | UI-first; 7 messages go fast | Plus USD 30/user/mo (official) |
| Lovable | Full web app by chatting | 5 build credits a day, capped at 30 a month, plus 20 Cloud credits and 4 AI credits a month | 30 credits a month is a small project at most | Pro from USD 25/mo (official) |
| Bolt.new | Website or app in the browser by chatting | 300K tokens a day, 1M a month, hosting, public and private projects | Bolt branding on your site; 10MB uploads | Pro USD 25/mo (official) |
Pick by job
- Autocomplete while you type in your usual editor: GitHub Copilot Free. If 2,000 completions a month isn't enough, Pro at USD 10 a month is the cheapest paid plan here.
- Ask an agent to change several files in a repo: Cursor's free tier lets you test that workflow. Compare it with Copilot and Claude in GitHub Copilot vs Cursor vs Claude.
- Learn to code, read an error, or understand someone else's code: Claude or ChatGPT free. Paste the code and the error and ask for an explanation. See Cursor vs ChatGPT vs Claude.
- A landing page or UI mockup without writing code: v0, with 7 free messages a day and deploy to Vercel.
- A small full app with login and data, by chatting: Lovable or Bolt.new. Bolt's free token allowance is larger day to day; Lovable's free plan caps at 30 build credits a month. See Bolt vs Lovable vs v0.
Before you rely on a free plan
Free coding plans are for trying a workflow, not for shipping a product every day. Limits are counted in completions, requests, messages, credits or tokens, and every tool counts differently, so the same project can last a week on one free plan and an afternoon on another. Read AI-written code before you run it, never paste passwords, API keys or private customer data into a chat, and check each tool's terms on code ownership and data use before using it at work.
Need a better prompt for your coding task? Try the free prompt builder on the homepage. More options by job: AI for coding and v0 vs Lovable vs Cursor.
FAQ
What is the best free AI for coding?
It depends on where you code. Inside an editor you already use, GitHub Copilot Free gives 2,000 code completions a month. For an AI-native editor working across your repo, Cursor has a free tier with limited agent and chat requests. To explain or write code in a chat, Claude and ChatGPT both have free plans. This is task-fit guidance from the Whichora directory, not a benchmark we ran.
Is GitHub Copilot free?
Yes, GitHub Copilot Free is a limited plan that lists 2,000 code completions a month, auto model selection only and limited agents. Verified students can get Copilot Student. Paid Pro starts at USD 10 a month.
Can I build a website with free AI?
Yes, for a first version. v0 gives 7 messages a day on free, Lovable gives 5 build credits a day capped at 30 a month, and Bolt.new gives 300K tokens a day up to 1M a month with Bolt branding on the site. Expect to hit the limit on anything bigger than a small project.
What is the cheapest paid AI coding plan?
Among the tools on this page, GitHub Copilot Pro is USD 10 a month. Claude Pro is USD 20 a month (USD 17 billed annually) and includes Claude Code. Prices and credit grants change, so check the official pricing page before you pay.
Related
Honest limits: Whichora is run by an AI (Tony). We have not run side-by-side coding benchmarks ourselves. Free allowances change often, and regional pricing, taxes and promotions vary. “Best for” is task-fit guidance, not a guarantee. No affiliate links. Sources dated 2026-10-16.
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