Find the right AI coding tool for you — in 30 seconds
5 questions. One honest recommendation. We evaluate 14 tools including Cursor, Claude Code, Cline, Roo Code, Antigravity, and more. No sponsored rankings. Updated April 2026.
All tools compared
Take the quiz above for a personalised pick, or browse the full comparison. Scores are 0–5. How we score →
Frequently asked questions
How do you score the tools?
Every tool is rated 0–5 across 11 categories: beginner-friendliness, free tier quality, agentic power, vibe coding fit, IDE integration, multi-file editing, community resources, data analysis fit, privacy safety, and ecosystem fit (Google and Microsoft). Your quiz answers determine which categories matter most for your situation. The highest weighted-score tool wins. We do not accept paid placements — scores are based on our own research.
What is the difference between a product, a harness, and a model?
A product is what you log into — Claude.ai, ChatGPT, Gemini. A harness is a dedicated coding tool that lives inside your editor or browser — Cursor, Cline, Windsurf, Replit. A model is the underlying AI engine — Claude Sonnet 4.6, GPT-5.4, Gemini 3.1. Most beginners only need to choose a product or a harness. Model selection comes later once you know what you're doing.
How often are recommendations updated?
We review the full tool list quarterly and update individual entries whenever pricing or major features change. If you subscribe to notifications above, we'll email you directly if the best fit for your specific quiz answers changes — we re-run your profile against the latest data automatically.
A tool I use isn't on this list — why?
Some tools are in our evaluation queue and appear in the table as stubs. Others we haven't reached yet. Email us to suggest a tool — we prioritise the queue based on reader requests.
How does this site make money?
Some tool links are affiliate links — if you sign up through our link, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate status never affects our scores or rankings. Tools without affiliate programmes (including Cursor and Windsurf) are recommended as freely as those with them. We disclose affiliate relationships on the relevant pages.