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Best AI tools for developers
Paying for an AI coding tool? See what Cursor, Copilot, Claude Code, Windsurf and Warp cost per month for you or your team: AI coding tool cost calculator →
Starter stacks to write code, ask an assistant, run meetings and tasks, and automate workflows. Pick a budget, swap any tool for another that does the same main job, and the total updates. Prices only from official pricing pages.
Your stack
All three stacks at a glance
Free stack
$0 — only tools with a verified real free plan (no trials, no one-time credits).
- Coding: GitHub Copilot — Main job: AI coding assistant. Verified free plan: Free plan: $0. checked 2026-10-27
- AI Assistants: ChatGPT — Main job: general AI chatbot. Verified free plan: Free: $0 (unlimited text chats on GPT-6, limits on tools). checked 2026-10-24
- Productivity & Meetings: Fireflies — Main job: meeting notes. Verified free plan: Free forever: $0. checked 2026-10-19
- Chatbots & Agents: Botpress — Main job: support chatbot. Verified free plan: Free: $0, 100 conversations. checked 2026-10-19
Total: $0/mo · $0/yr
Under $30/mo stack
cheapest monthly price per job (tools that do the same main job only), total strictly under $30/mo. Left out (no tool for that job fits on verified monthly prices): Chatbots & Agents
- Cheapest real option for support chatbot: no checked monthly price for any tool that does this job
- Coding: Cursor — Main job: AI coding assistant. Entry plan $8/mo billed monthly — the cheapest monthly price we checked for AI coding assistant in Coding. checked 2026-10-19
- AI Assistants: Google Gemini — Main job: general AI chatbot. Entry plan $4.99/mo billed monthly — the cheapest monthly price we checked for general AI chatbot in AI Assistants. checked 2026-11-06
- Productivity & Meetings: Otter — Main job: meeting notes. Entry plan $16.99/mo billed monthly — the cheapest monthly price we checked for meeting notes in Productivity & Meetings. checked 2026-10-19
Total: $29.98/mo · $359.76/yr (all billed monthly)
Pro stack
each category's Best Value pick at its verified entry plan.
- Coding: GitHub Copilot — Main job: AI coding assistant. Entry plan $10/mo billed monthly — ToolPick's Best Value pick in Coding. checked 2026-10-27
- AI Assistants: Le Chat (Mistral) — Main job: general AI chatbot. Entry plan $14.99/mo billed monthly — ToolPick's Best Value pick in AI Assistants. checked 2026-10-19
- Productivity & Meetings: Fireflies — Main job: meeting notes. Entry plan $18/mo billed monthly — ToolPick's Best Value pick in Productivity & Meetings. checked 2026-10-19
- Chatbots & Agents: Botpress — Main job: support chatbot. Entry plan $150/mo billed yearly — ToolPick's Best Value pick in Chatbots & Agents ($0.65 per extra conversation (pack of 100 for $65)). checked 2026-10-19
Total: $192.99/mo · $2,315.88/yr (1 billed-yearly price converted to per month, yearly price ÷ 12; the rest billed monthly)
How totals work: each slot is one main job (for example text to speech or meeting notes), and tools are only swapped or ranked against others that do that same job. We use the monthly price when it is checked, otherwise the billed-yearly per-month price (labelled on each tool); 1 person; prices in USD. "Under $30" means the total is strictly below $30/mo. Pro uses each category's Best Value pick at its verified entry plan — we only list tiers we've verified, so no higher tier is assumed. Prices change; confirm on the official pricing page.
FAQ
What is the best free AI stack for developers?
GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, Fireflies, Botpress — every pick has a verified real free plan on its official pricing page, so the stack costs $0.
How much does the under-$30 AI stack for developers cost?
$29.98/mo ($359.76/yr) for Cursor, Google Gemini, Otter, using each tool's checked monthly price (monthly billing, so the tools are compared like for like).
Which tools are in the pro AI stack for developers?
GitHub Copilot, Le Chat (Mistral), Fireflies, Botpress, totalling $192.99/mo ($2,315.88/yr) at verified entry plans.
Where do these prices come from?
Each price was copied from the tool's official pricing page (checked dates shown per pick, latest 2026-11-06). Tools marked 'check site' are never counted in a total.
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AI coding tools · AI ai assistants tools · AI productivity & meetings tools · AI chatbots & agents tools · Browse all tools · Audit what you already pay for