𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗮𝗿: 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘁, 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘅
GitHub Copilot changed its pricing recently. This change made premium requests much more expensive for many users. I decided to test other AI coding tools to see if they work better.
Here is what I learned from testing Claude Code, Google AI Studio, and Codex.
𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲 Claude Code is a CLI-based agent. It is great for agentic workflows, but it has flaws.
• It can be expensive. Using the API costs money for every task. I spent about $10 to finish one task. • It lacks context control. Since it runs in a terminal, you cannot easily drag and drop files like you do in VS Code. • It struggles with design. Even after reading my code, it failed to match my application's visual style.
If you want to use Claude in VS Code, use an API key. It feels much more like the old Copilot experience.
𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼 (𝗚𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶) Google offers a free tier, but it comes with heavy limits.
• Rate limits are strict. You might hit a limit of five requests per minute. • Daily limits are low. You only get 20 requests per day. • Error handling is poor. If a request fails due to a limit, it is hard to resume the task.
It is a good tool for curiosity, but not for serious development.
𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘅 (𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗚𝗣𝗧 𝗣𝗹𝘂𝘀) Codex is my current winner for my specific workflow.
• Better context control. The desktop app makes it easy to manage tools and files. • Predictable costs. A ChatGPT Plus subscription offers a steady workflow without per-task billing. • High responsiveness. Providing context feels faster and more intuitive than using Claude.
𝗠𝘆 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀
I realized I am not a full vibe coder. I am a semi-vibe coder. I need to control the context. I need to review changes manually.
AI tools are not just about the model. They are about the workflow. A great model is useless if the user experience makes context control difficult.
If you use usage-based pricing, be careful. Poor code becomes hard to delete once you have already paid to fix it. This is the sunk cost effect.
Source: https://dev.to/ssknaoya/github-copilot-nomad-claude-code-google-ai-studio-and-finally-codex-4n5e
Optional learning community: https://t.me/GyaanSetuAi