Cursor: From Hero to Villain in One Pricing Change
Let me tell you about Cursor. When Auto mode was unlimited, it was fucking magical. The AI would automatically pick Claude 3.5 for complex architectural decisions, GPT-4 for quick fixes. Not like these other tools where you're stuck with whatever model they give you.
The VS Code integration isn't just a plugin - they forked the whole editor. It actually understands your entire codebase, not just the current file. I used it for a massive Next.js 13 to 14 migration across 200+ components. The thing was scary good - maybe 90% of changes were correct out of the box.
But here's where it all went to shit. July 2025, they switched Auto mode to pay-per-token. That same migration project? Would probably cost me $200+ in tokens under the new pricing. For something that used to be "free" with the $20/month plan.
And don't get me started on the bugs. Cursor loves eating 8GB+ RAM on projects with 500+ TypeScript files. I've had it corrupt files during refactors - lost 3 hours debugging a Property 'children' does not exist on type error it introduced across 40+ React components. The "Undo" doesn't catch everything when Auto mode goes nuclear on your codebase.
Pro tip: git add . && git commit -m "Before Cursor fucks everything" before letting Auto mode touch anything important.
Bottom line: Cursor still produces the best results, but paying $150+/month for a code editor is insane unless you're billing serious money.
GitHub Copilot: The Safe Choice That Pisses You Off
After Cursor jacked up prices, I tried GitHub Copilot. It's boring but reliable - never crashes, integrates with everything, Microsoft's got the infrastructure to handle load. It's the safe choice for teams that hate surprises.
But those "premium request" limits are complete bullshit. GitHub calls them "premium requests" because "expensive requests" would be too honest. 300 requests sounds generous until you're debugging a memory leak at 2am and burn through 50+ requests in one session. Basically anything useful counts as "premium."
I hit the 300 limit debugging a Node.js memory leak that was maxing out at 2.1GB on Heroku. Spent a whole day hitting "premium request limit exceeded" while trying to find why process.memoryUsage().heapUsed kept climbing. Rest of August, I was stuck with basic autocomplete while paying $10 for a crippled tool.
The suggestions work for vanilla stuff but miss modern patterns. Still suggests componentDidMount instead of useEffect, tried to make me use React.createClass in a hooks-based codebase. At least it's 2025-aware now, but barely.
Still, it's predictable. Won't blow your budget, won't surprise you with weird bugs, but you'll always wonder if other tools would have solved that tricky problem better.
Codeium: The Free Lunch That's Actually Free
Here's the weird thing about Codeium - the free tier is legitimately good. Full access to Claude 3.5 and GPT-4, decent context understanding. I've been hammering it for months and never hit those artificial limits other "free" tools love to spring on you.
Sure, it's just a plugin, not deep integration like Cursor's editor fork. But honestly? It works fine. Doesn't understand your entire workflow but gets the job done for most coding tasks.
The suggestions actually understand modern frameworks. Correctly suggested defineProps<{ count: number }>() for Vue 3 TypeScript while Copilot was still pushing Options API garbage. Fixed a gnarly useEffect infinite loop issue that GitHub Copilot completely missed. Response time stays under 2 seconds even during peak hours.
They mention "fair use" policies that might kick in if you abuse it, but their definition of fair use is way more generous than the competition's money-grabbing limits. I've done full-day coding sessions without issues.
If you're working on personal projects or don't want to spend $40+/month on AI assistance, start here. The free tier honestly gives you 80% of what these expensive tools provide.
Tabnine: When Compliance Forces Your Hand
Look, if your code can't leave your network, Tabnine's on-premise is basically your only real option. Privacy controls are solid, works with compliance frameworks that other tools completely ignore.
But the AI feels like it's from 2022. While everyone else moved to Claude 3.5 and GPT-4, Tabnine's stuck with older proprietary models. The suggestions are safe but never clever - it'll complete your function but won't suggest a better architecture.
They actually lowered the dev plan price recently but somehow made the messaging more confusing. Good luck figuring out what tier you need without diving into fine print hell. The pricing page reads like enterprise software from 2015.
Works fine for basic autocompletions but struggles with anything complex. Can't handle refactors across multiple files or understand how your components relate to each other. It's autocomplete, not AI assistance.
Only choose Tabnine if privacy requirements force your hand. If you can use cloud-based tools, literally everything else gives you better AI for the same money.
Amazon Q Developer: The Accidental Best Deal
Plot twist: Q Developer at $19/month became the best deal after everyone else went crazy with pricing. Full Claude 3.5 access, reasonable usage limits, no bullshit token counting or "premium request" nonsense.
Setup is more annoying than just installing a plugin. The billing model was confusing at first - you're only charged for premium features, but it's not always clear what triggers billing. Team management goes through AWS IAM, which is overkill for small teams. But the free tier gives you 50 requests/month that are actually usable.
If you work with AWS, this thing is magical. Generated a perfect Lambda function that handled API Gateway proxy events without the usual event.pathParameters null pointer bullshit. Created CloudFormation templates with proper DependsOn attributes that actually worked. Even wrote IAM policies with the exact Resource: "arn:aws:s3:::bucket-name/*" syntax - no AccessDenied debugging hell.
Code quality matches Cursor for most tasks. Doesn't have that automatic model switching that made Cursor's Auto mode magical, but for $19/month with predictable billing, it's hard to complain.
Amazon somehow became the good guy here - no surprise price changes, no artificial limits, just solid AI at a fair price. Best middle ground between features and cost.
Which One Should You Actually Pick?
Cursor: Only if you're making serious money from development. The results are great but the costs add up fast. If you're billing $200+/hour or working on projects where perfect AI saves weeks of work, maybe worth it.
GitHub Copilot: Safe choice for teams, never crashes, but those premium request limits are annoying. Good if you need reliability and don't mind hitting artificial caps during heavy debugging.
Codeium: Start here if you're not sure. Free tier is legitimately good, Pro tier is reasonable. Best option for personal projects or if you don't want to spend $40+/month on AI.
Tabnine: Only if your code can't leave your network. Everything else is better for the price, but sometimes compliance forces your hand.
Amazon Q Developer: Best value after the pricing shakeup. $19/month, no bullshit limits, solid AI. Good middle ground between features and cost.
The unlimited AI party is over. These tools now compete on actual value instead of VC-subsidized fantasies. Pick based on what you can actually afford to use daily without budget stress.
