AI coding assistants are easy to compare badly.
A buyer sees Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and Windsurf, then starts lining up plan prices as if they all sell the same thing. They do not. Some are strongest as editor assistants. Some are better as terminal or agent workflows. Some fit GitHub-native organizations. Some should be treated as API or usage-based platform spend.
The better first question is not “which one is cheapest?”
It is: who owns the workflow, where does the assistant run, and what usage route will the real work consume?
Start With Ownership
