AI Coding Agent Cost Calculator
Most calculators tell you the price of a token. This one answers the question you actually have: what will it cost to ship this feature with Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, or Antigravity — based on your task type, codebase size, and how many agent steps it takes.
How much does it really cost to ship a feature with an AI coding agent?
Raw token pricing tells you almost nothing about your actual bill. A coding agent doesn't send one prompt and stop — it plans, edits files, runs tests, reads error output, and revises, often five to fifteen times per task. Every one of those steps re-sends context, and larger codebases mean more tokens per step.
Cost per task, not cost per million tokens, is the number that actually determines whether Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, or Antigravity is the better deal for your team. This calculator models that directly: set your task type, codebase size, and typical agent-step count, and compare subscription plans against pay-as-you-go API pricing side by side.
Cursor vs Claude Code vs GitHub Copilot vs Windsurf: pricing at a glance
| Tool | Subscription | Included usage | Overage pricing basis | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cursor | $20/mo (Pro) | ~4M tokens equiv./mo | Metered per additional request | Solo devs, small-medium codebases |
| Claude Code | $100/mo (Max) or API | ~30M tokens equiv./mo on Max | Metered API token pricing | High-volume, complex, multi-step tasks |
| GitHub Copilot | $19/mo (Pro) | ~2M tokens equiv./mo | Metered per premium request | Teams already on GitHub |
| Windsurf | $15/mo (Pro) | ~3M tokens equiv./mo | Metered per prompt credit | Budget-conscious solo devs |
| Antigravity | Free / low-cost tier | ~5M tokens equiv./mo | Metered API token pricing | High-volume, cost-sensitive teams |
How we calculate your estimate
We estimate a base token count for your selected task type and codebase size, multiply it by your chosen number of agent steps, and apply each provider's blended token rate to get a metered cost per task. In parallel, we amortize each provider's flat subscription fee across your monthly task volume and add overage charges for usage beyond the included quota. In "Cheapest available" mode, we show whichever option — subscription or pay-as-you-go — comes out lower for your specific inputs.
These figures are directional estimates meant to help you compare tools, not a substitute for each provider's official pricing page. Token consumption varies by prompt, model, and codebase in ways no calculator can capture exactly.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cursor or Claude Code cheaper?
It depends on your task volume, not the sticker price. Cursor's flat plan tends to win for lower volume on small-to-medium codebases; Claude Code's usage-based pricing can win for high volumes of long, multi-step tasks on larger codebases. Use the calculator above with your own numbers to see which wins.
Do AI coding agents charge per token or per request?
Both models exist. Some tools meter raw tokens directly, closer to standard API pricing. Others bundle usage into a fixed number of "premium" or "fast" requests per month, then charge overage per request. This calculator normalizes both into an estimated token cost so you can compare on equal footing.
What's the cheapest AI coding agent for small projects?
For small, single-file scripts with light agent usage, a flat-fee plan with a generous included quota usually produces the lowest cost per task. As codebase size and agent steps grow, usage-based pricing often becomes more competitive. Adjust the sliders above to model your own project.
Should I use a subscription or pay-as-you-go pricing for coding agents?
Subscriptions make sense when your usage is predictable and near the plan's included quota. Pay-as-you-go tends to make more sense for spiky, high-volume, or unpredictable usage, since you're not paying for unused capacity. "Cheapest available" mode picks whichever is lower automatically.
