LLM Coding Tools in 2025: Windsurf vs Cursor vs Copilot vs Claude Code vs Codex vs Antigravity

How to choose (decision framework)

Most choices come down to three axes:

1. Autonomy: do you want autocomplete + chat, or an agent that can plan, edit many files, and run tools?

2. Model control: do you want to pick Claude/GPT/Gemini per task, or accept a bundled choice?

3. Cost predictability: do you want a flat bill, or are you okay with credits/tokens that can spike on “thinking” modes?

Quick defaults:

• Cheap, simple, ubiquitous → GitHub Copilot

• Agentic IDE + you want to switch models freely → Windsurf

• Agentic VS Code-like editor in one package → Cursor

• Strong CLI-style agent for repo-wide work → Claude Code

• Task-based agent that runs commands as part of completion → OpenAI Codex

• Try multi-agent orchestration (currently free preview) → Google Antigravity

Feature comparison

Cost comparison (normalized)

A single “what does it cost?” number is hard because tools count different things, but you can still compare using a common frame:

Moderate daily use assumption: ~20 premium/agent requests per day ≈ 600 per month

(Autocomplete/tab completion excluded; many tools treat it differently.)

Windsurf (credits)

• Pro includes 500 credits/month; top-ups are $10 per 250 credits (~$0.04/credit).

• If your average request costs 1 credit: ~600 credits ⇒ about $19/month.

• If your average request costs 4 credits: ~2400 credits ⇒ about $91/month.

Windsurf is inexpensive if you mostly use low-multiplier models; it’s expensive if “thinking” modes are your default.

Cursor (subscription + included usage) (uncertain)

Cursor publishes tiers and included usage pools, but the mapping from “request” → bill depends on model choice and how long the agent runs.

Practical read:

• If you’re doing short agent turns most days, Pro can be enough.

• If you regularly run long-horizon agent tasks daily, expect Pro+ or Ultra.

GitHub Copilot (flat fee + premium requests)

• Pro is $10/month and includes 300 premium requests; extra premium requests are $0.04 each.

• 600 premium requests/month works out to about $22/month.

• If you routinely exceed that, Pro+ is the “don’t think about it” option.

Claude Code (subscription and/or tokens) (uncertain)

• Anthropic Pro/Max plans are subscription-based, with usage governed by limits that vary with workload.

• API usage is token-billed; costs can swing dramatically based on context size and iterations.

Rule of thumb: Claude Code is cost-effective when you use it for bigger discrete jobs (refactors, sweeping reviews), and less predictable if you keep an agent running constantly.

OpenAI Codex (plans and/or tokens) (uncertain)

Codex is built for delegated coding tasks that include running commands as part of completion (tests/linters/type-checkers).

It’s available via ChatGPT plans, but plan throughput isn’t expressed as a single clean “X tasks/month” number. API usage exists; costs depend on tokens and iteration.

Google Antigravity (free preview; future pricing unknown)

Antigravity is currently a public preview with $0 cost and rate limits. Future pricing is unknown.

Tool snapshots (what to use when)

Windsurf

Use it when:

• You like an IDE agent, and you want to switch between Claude/GPT/Gemini by task.

• You care about seeing spend (credits) and tuning model choice.

Avoid it when:

• You reach for premium “thinking” modes on most prompts and want a flat bill.

Cursor

Use it when:

• You want a single, polished VS Code-like environment with agent workflows.

• You prefer paying up for a higher tier rather than manually managing credit burn.

Avoid it when:

• You need fully transparent, per-request marginal cost.

GitHub Copilot

Use it when:

• You want the simplest “always on” autocomplete + quick chat in almost any editor.

• You want predictable cost and minimal workflow change.

Avoid it when:

• You want an agent that runs commands, iterates, and completes multi-step tasks end-to-end.

Claude Code

Use it when:

• You want a strong “repo-scale” agent for refactors, debugging, or systematic code review.

• You’re comfortable with CLI/agent workflows.

Avoid it when:

• You want a stable, predictable monthly cost for heavy continuous use.

OpenAI Codex

Use it when:

• You want a task-based agent that runs tests/linters/type-checkers as part of completion.

• You already live in the ChatGPT ecosystem and want delegated coding tasks.

Avoid it when:

• You want a clear “600 tasks/month costs exactly $X” pricing story.

Google Antigravity

Use it when:

• You want to try a genuinely different workflow: multiple agents in parallel, supervised via a Manager surface.

• You like a verifiable trail (“Artifacts”) showing plans, steps, and results.

Avoid it when:

• You need long-term pricing certainty and a mature, stable product.

What “multi-agent orchestration” means in practice:

• You assign separate agents to feature work, tests, and docs concurrently and review their artifacts/logs, instead of running one agent serially.

Recommendations (concrete heuristics)

If you want one simple default:

• Copilot Pro for most developers who want “help everywhere” at low cost.

If you want an agentic IDE and model choice:

• Windsurf Pro if you can keep your average multiplier ≤ 2 credits/request (roughly: “thinking mode” on ≤ 25% of prompts).

• If you expect to use premium “thinking” modes most of the time (average ~4 credits/request), budget ~$90/month at moderate use—or consider Cursor Pro+/Ultra so you’re not constantly watching credit burn.

If you care about “run tools + iterate” agents:

• Prefer Codex or Claude Code for bigger tasks where the agent needs to execute commands, run tests, and converge on a working state.

If you want to experiment now:

• Try Antigravity while it’s free, specifically to test whether parallel agents + artifact trails beat your current “one agent at a time” workflow.

Sources

• Windsurf pricing + add-on credits: https://windsurf.com/pricing

• Cursor pricing: https://cursor.com/pricing

• Cursor plan details / included usage (see pricing/usage sections): https://cursor.com/features

• GitHub Copilot pricing + premium request details: https://github.com/features/copilot/plans

• Anthropic pricing (includes Claude API pricing section): https://www.anthropic.com/pricing

• OpenAI Codex announcement: https://openai.com/index/introducing-codex/

• ChatGPT plans (shows Codex on plan pages): https://chatgpt.com/pricing

• OpenAI API pricing (Codex-related models): https://openai.com/api/pricing/

• Google DeepMind Gemini page (announcement hub; look for Antigravity references): https://deepmind.google/technologies/gemini/

• Gemini API pricing: https://ai.google.dev/pricing