AI Coding Agent Comparison 2026 Claude Code, Amazon Q Developer, OpenHands, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Aider, Windsurf, and Devin 2.0 — SWE-bench scores, pricing, and workflow integration
AI coding agents diverged sharply in 2026. Claude Code with Claude Sonnet 5 achieves 92.4% on SWE-bench Verified — a 40-point lead over Cursor (51.7%) and Copilot (~56%). Amazon Q Developer (66%) is the strongest enterprise pick for AWS teams. OpenHands (53–72%) remains the top open-source agent with full model flexibility. Windsurf, now under Cognition AI, introduces SWE-1.5 running at 950 tokens/sec. Devin 2.0 dropped from $500 to $20/month, repositioning as a browser-automation-first autonomous agent.
Coding Agents
AI agents evaluated on SWE-bench Verified (April 2026), pricing, openness, and workflow integration.
| Dimension | Claude Code | AQAmazon Q Developer | OOpenHands | GitHub Copilot | Cursor Agent | AAider | WWindsurf | D2Devin 2.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWE-bench Verified (Apr 2026) | 92.4% (Sonnet 5) / 80.8% (Opus 4.6) | 66% (Claude Sonnet backend via Bedrock) | 53–72% (CodeAct architecture; varies by model) | ~56% (Copilot Workspace with multi-model routing) | 51.7% | ~42% (agent mode on SWE-bench) | 40.08% (SWE-1.5 at 950 tok/s) | 13.86% (2024 baseline; Devin 2.0 not re-published) |
| Pricing | Free CLI; pay Anthropic API directly. Pro $20/mo or Max $100–$200/mo includes usage | Free tier; Pro $19/user/mo | Free / MIT — self-host and pay LLM API costs only (~$0.15–$0.60/task) | Free (2K completions/mo); Pro $10/mo; Pro+ $39/mo; Business $19/user/mo | Hobby free; Pro $20/mo; Pro+ $40/mo; Teams $40/user/mo | Free / open source — pay LLM API costs only | Free tier (SWE-1.5 at 0 credits); Pro ~$20/mo | Core $20/mo; Team $500/mo (250 ACUs) |
| Open source | No — Anthropic proprietary CLI | No — AWS proprietary | Yes — MIT license (All Hands AI, 70K+ GitHub stars) | No — GitHub/Microsoft proprietary | No — proprietary VS Code fork | Yes — Apache 2.0 (39K+ GitHub stars, 4.1M+ installs) | No — Cognition AI proprietary (formerly Codeium) | No — Cognition AI proprietary |
| IDE / workflow | Terminal-native; works with any editor via shell; VS Code extension available | VS Code, JetBrains, Eclipse, Visual Studio + deep AWS console integration | Web UI + VS Code extension; Daytona integration | VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim, Visual Studio, GitHub.com, Xcode — widest IDE coverage | VS Code fork with native Composer / background agent panel | Terminal-native, git-first workflow; 100+ languages | VS Code fork with Cascade multi-file agent; cross-session memory | Web UI, Slack, Linear/Jira integration |
| Model flexibility | Claude only (Anthropic API, Bedrock, Vertex) | Primarily Claude Sonnet (Bedrock) — not end-user configurable | Any OpenAI-compatible API — Claude, GPT, Gemini, local models | GPT (default), Claude, Gemini — toggleable in settings | Multi-model bundled (Claude, GPT, Gemini) in subscription | 75+ providers — optimised for Claude and GPT; full local model support | SWE-1.5, SWE-1, Claude Sonnet 4.6, GPT-5, Gemini 3.1 Pro | Cognition AI proprietary model — no swap |
| Autonomous scope | Full repo + terminal + bash execution | Full lifecycle: code, test, debug, Java upgrades, IaC generation, SQL optimisation | Full repo — sandboxed Docker environment; configurable autonomy | Multi-file + GitHub PR workflow (Copilot Workspace plans/writes/tests) | Multi-file + background cloud agents that open PRs while you code | Multi-file, git-commit level; auto-runs linters and tests | Multi-file + Cascade cross-session memory of architectural decisions | Full repo + terminal + browser automation + cloud deployments |
| Terminal / shell access | Yes — full bash in your local environment | Yes — via IDE terminal integration | Yes — sandboxed Docker container (isolated, safe) | Limited — Workspace manages execution internally | Yes — integrated terminal commands | Yes — runs locally in your shell | Yes — via Cascade agent | Yes — full shell + browser automation |
| Human-in-the-loop | Yes — permission prompts for all destructive actions | Yes — multi-turn task confirmation | Configurable — can run fully autonomous or require confirmation | Yes — PR review workflow enforced | Yes — review gates before applying diffs | Yes — confirms before each commit | Yes — interactive inline review | Minimal — reports back after task completion |
When to choose each
Claude Code
- Highest SWE-bench score (92.4% with Sonnet 5) — best raw autonomous coding
- Full-repo tasks requiring bash execution alongside code edits
- Teams using Anthropic API wanting direct cost control
- Projects needing careful permission gates on destructive file operations
Amazon Q Developer
- AWS-native teams: CloudFormation, Lambda, IAM, RDS integration built in
- Enterprise Java shops — automated version upgrades and legacy migration
- Strong SWE-bench score (66%) at $19/user/mo for AWS-committed teams
- GitLab Duo integration for teams not on GitHub
OpenHands
- Full model freedom — run Claude, GPT, Gemini, or local models from one interface
- Open-source projects and teams with tight budgets (pay only API costs)
- Enterprise environments requiring self-hosted agents with MIT licensing
- Developers who want to inspect, fork, and modify the agent's source code
GitHub Copilot
- Teams already on GitHub wanting the tightest PR and issue integration
- Widest IDE coverage: VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim, Visual Studio, Xcode
- Existing GitHub Enterprise agreements already in place
- Developers who want to switch between GPT, Claude, and Gemini models
Cursor Agent
- VS Code users wanting the best all-in-one IDE experience
- Multi-file refactors with background agents and inline review
- Fastest autonomous task execution (62.9s avg vs 89.9s competitors)
- Subscription that bundles model costs across Claude, GPT, and Gemini
Aider
- Terminal-first developers who want a git-native, commit-level workflow
- Every commit reviewed before merging — confirms before each change
- Budget-conscious teams — pay only API costs across 75+ providers
- Polyglot projects: 100+ languages with optimised prompts for each
Windsurf
- SWE-1.5 model at 950 tok/s — zero credits, fast feedback loop
- Cross-session architectural memory via Cascade agent
- Claude/GPT/Gemini 3.1 Pro as alternative backends
- Teams evaluating Devin-style browser automation via Cognition AI's merged stack
Devin 2.0
- Fully autonomous tasks involving browser automation alongside code changes
- Cloud deployment and infrastructure changes requiring agent-driven shell + browser
- Teams integrating AI agents into Slack / Jira / Linear ticket queues
- Core tier now at $20/mo — accessible entry to end-to-end autonomous execution
Our verdict
Claude Code at 92.4% SWE-bench (Sonnet 5) leads all agents by a wide margin. For teams prioritising open-source and model flexibility, OpenHands (MIT, any LLM) is the strongest pick. Amazon Q Developer (66%) is the best enterprise option for AWS-native teams. Cursor (51.7%) wins on developer experience — fastest execution and the smoothest VS Code workflow. Windsurf and Devin are now both under Cognition AI; their capabilities are converging. Aider remains the best terminal-native git-first option for budget-conscious teams.
Sources & References
- 01SWE-bench Verified Leaderboard
Canonical benchmark for evaluating coding agents on real GitHub issues
- 02Claude Code Documentation
Official Anthropic Claude Code docs; 92.4% SWE-bench with Sonnet 5
- 03OpenHands — All Hands AI
MIT-licensed; v1.6.0 with Kubernetes support; 70K+ GitHub stars
- 04GitHub Copilot Docs
Copilot Workspace GA February 2026; Agent mode with multi-model routing
- 05Aider LLM Leaderboard
Polyglot benchmark results across LLM backends; 75+ providers supported
- 06Cognition — Introducing SWE-1.5
Windsurf SWE-1.5: 40.08% SWE-bench, 950 tok/s; Cognition acquired Windsurf Dec 2025
- 07Amazon Q Developer Pricing
Free tier + Pro $19/user/mo; 66% SWE-bench Verified
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