Choosing Your AI Coding Agent
This guide will help you pick the right AI coding agent for this course. You can always switch later, and we will experiment with different tools throughout the semester.
Short version: Start with GitHub Copilot since you already have VS Code and it is free for students. If you want a dedicated AI IDE, Cursor offers a free year for students. For the most capable experience and you are willing to pay, use Cursor or Claude Code with Claude Opus 4.6 ($20/mo).
Quick Decision
- Already using VS Code: GitHub Copilot (free for students)
- Want a dedicated AI IDE: Cursor (free year for students)
- Want the most capable agent (paid): Cursor or Claude Code with Claude Opus 4.6 ($20/mo)
- Prefer the terminal: Claude Code, OpenCode, pi, or Aider
All Options
| Agent | Cost | Type | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | Free for students | VS Code extension | Free option, already in VS Code |
| Cursor | Free tier; $20/mo Pro; free year for students | IDE (VS Code fork) | Best IDE agent, works with Claude |
| Claude Code | $20/mo Pro; $100-200/mo Max | Terminal + IDE extensions | Most capable, works in any editor |
| Windsurf | Free tier; $20/mo Pro | IDE (VS Code fork) | Alternative AI IDE |
| OpenAI Codex | $20/mo with ChatGPT Plus | CLI + IDE extension | If you already use ChatGPT |
| Google Antigravity | Free (public preview) | IDE | Gemini-powered, multi-agent |
| OpenCode | Free (open source) | Terminal + Desktop + IDE | Bring-your-own-model, use any login |
| pi | Free (open source) | Terminal | Minimal and extensible |
| Cline | Free extension | VS Code extension | Plan/Act workflow in VS Code |
| Continue | Free | VS Code / JetBrains | Open-source, flexible |
| Aider | Free (open source) | Terminal | Git-focused, multi-file edits |
| JetBrains Junie | $100-300/year | JetBrains IDEs | If you use IntelliJ/PyCharm |
| Replit Agent | $20-100/mo | Browser IDE | Zero setup, works anywhere |
Recommendations
For most students: Start with GitHub Copilot. You are already using VS Code, and the Copilot Student plan is free with your GitHub Education verification. It includes agent mode, 300 premium requests per month, and unlimited completions. Note that as of March 2026, the Student plan no longer lets you manually select top-tier models like GPT-5.4 or Claude Opus, but you still get access to them through Auto mode.
Dedicated AI IDE: If you want to try an editor built specifically for AI coding, Cursor offers a free year of Pro for university students. This gives you full access to frontier models including Claude Opus 4.6. Heads up: the free year auto-renews at $20/mo, so set a reminder to cancel if you do not want to keep paying.
Most capable (paid): Use Cursor or Claude Code with Claude Opus 4.6. The $20/mo Claude Pro subscription works with both tools and gives you the strongest coding model available. Claude Code also has VS Code and JetBrains extensions, so you do not have to work in the terminal.
Terminal options: Claude Code, OpenCode, pi, and Aider are all terminal-based agents. OpenCode is notable because it is free and you can log in with your existing GitHub Copilot or ChatGPT account.
A Note on Chat Apps
Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini (web chat versions) are useful for explanations and brainstorming, but they are not coding agents. They do not have direct access to your codebase and cannot make changes to your files automatically. For this course, use an actual coding agent from the list above.
Prices and features change frequently. This guide reflects what is available as of April 2026.