Reference matrix for the eight coding agents in this hub — Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf (now Devin Desktop), Cline, and Roo Code — across eight dimensions: surface, context window, free tier, pricing model, models, MCP, sandboxing, and extensibility. All eight run the same agentic loop (read repo, edit files, run commands, read errors, iterate); the matrix compares the dimensions that differ. Every cell is the exact string as of 2026-06-15.
The grand comparison matrix — eight tools, eight dimensions
The grand comparison
Eight coding agents, eight dimensions that actually decide a choice. They run the same agentic loop — the differences are where it lives, what it costs, whose model drives it, and how much it locks down. Highlight the axis that matters to you, filter the field, and click any cell for the exact spec.
Highlight an axis
Filter the field
All eight agents in the hub.
Tip: tap a column header to focus it, or an axis chip above to highlight a group.
VS Code extension shut down; repo archived/read-only (final v3.54.0). Do not install — successors are Zoo Code (fork) and Cline (upstream).
→
2026-06-02
Windsurf → Devin Desktop
Windsurf became Devin Desktop; windsurf.com redirects to devin.ai. Cascade is EOL 2026-07-01, replaced by the Rust-based Devin Local.
→
2026-06-18
Gemini CLI → Antigravity
Gemini CLI → Antigravity CLI cutover. Free Google AI Pro/Ultra/Code-Assist access for individuals ends; continues only via paid Gemini API keys or Code Assist Standard/Enterprise licenses.
Cascade EOL follows on 2026-07-01. Don’t present Windsurf/Cascade as current, or recommend installing Roo Code.
Every cell is current as of 2026-06-15. Prices, model rosters, and versions move weekly across all eight products — re-check the live vendor pages before relying on a number. Don’t crown a winner: the right tool matches your surface, billing, model, and trust needs.
Sort by any column, filter to one axis (surface, cost, model, trust), expand a cell for the exact string and its source, and read the transition badges on the three tools mid-migration. Dim every column except the one you care about to read one decision at a time.
The matrix, frozen for reference
Static copy of the dataset the island renders. "Per model" means the cell inherits the chosen model's value, so a single number would be wrong. Roo Code's row is historical.
Tool
Surface
Context
Free tier
Models
Sandboxing
Claude Code
Terminal CLI
1M (Haiku 200k)
No
Claude only
Built-in /sandbox
Codex
Terminal CLI
Per model
No
OpenAI GPT-5 only
On by default
Gemini CLI
Terminal CLI
1M
Yes — ends 2026-06-18
Gemini only
Opt-in (--sandbox)
Cursor
Editor (VS Code fork)
Per model (Max Mode)
Yes — Hobby
Multi-vendor + Composer
Per-action approval
GitHub Copilot
In-editor + cloud agent
Per model
Yes — Free $0
Multi-vendor + Auto
Approval / cloud-isolated
Windsurf / Devin
Editor (VS Code fork)
Per model
Yes — Free $0
Multi-vendor + SWE-1.x
Per-action approval
Cline
VS Code / JetBrains / CLI
Per model (BYO)
Yes — free OSS
Any provider (BYO)
Per-action approval
Roo Code
Discontinued2026-05-15
Per model (BYO)
Was free OSS
Any provider (BYO)
Per-action approval
Every agent across the eight deciding dimensions, as of 2026-06-15.
Free tier — check this cell first
The most-mistaken column. Three tools have no free tier; four are genuinely free to start; Gemini CLI is free only until its cutover.
Tool
Free tier?
Detail
Claude Code
No
Anthropic's $0 plan excludes Claude Code; cheapest entry is Pro $20/mo
Codex (CLI)
No
Cheapest entry is ChatGPT Plus $20/mo or pay-as-you-go API key. Free-across-all-plans applies to *Codex Mobile*, not the CLI
Gemini CLI
Yes — ends 2026-06-18
Personal Google account: 60 req/min, 1,000 req/day. Ends for individuals at the Antigravity cutover
Cursor
Yes
Hobby plan, no card: limited Agent requests + Tab completions
GitHub Copilot
Yes — $0
Limited completions + chat/agent; no cloud agent on Free
Pricing model and verified tier amounts. As of 2026-06-15.
Sandboxing — three trust tiers
The deepest split in the matrix. "Sandboxed" means OS-level isolation; the editor tools use per-action approval + checkpoints, which is not OS-parity with the CLIs.
Per-action approval on every edit/command; auto-approve toggle; checkpoints
Windsurf / Devin
Approval gate
Per-tool approvals; Devin Local (Rust) adds sandboxing; Cascade EOL 2026-07-01
Sandbox posture, the exact control to set, and the tier. As of 2026-06-15.
MCP — universal, so compare scope not presence
All eight tools support the Model Context Protocol; it is table stakes. The differences are config path, capability scope, and limits.
Tool
Config path
Nuance
Claude Code
/mcp
Tool definitions deferred by default — only server names enter context until a tool is used
Codex
~/.codex/config.toml
Native
Gemini CLI
~/.gemini/settings.json
stdio + remote
Cursor
.cursor MCP config
MCP + skills + hooks on paid plans
GitHub Copilot
.vscode/mcp.json
Cloud agent ships GitHub + Playwright MCP tools-only (no resources/prompts, no OAuth remote)
Windsurf / Devin
~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
Full tools/resources/prompts; 100-tool cap; MCP Marketplace
Cline
~/.cline/mcp.json (CLI)
MCP Marketplace one-click install; can scaffold/clone servers as an agent task
MCP config location and the meaningful per-tool nuance. As of 2026-06-15.
Pick a tool: weight the axis that matches how you work
1
Need OS-level isolation in a terminal
Choose a sandbox-first CLI: Codex (on by default) or Claude Code (/sandbox). Gemini CLI with --sandbox also qualifies until its 2026-06-18 cutover.
2
Need zero cost to start
Choose one of the four $0 tools: Cursor (Hobby), GitHub Copilot (Free), Windsurf/Devin (Free), or Cline (free OSS, pay only for inference). Avoid Claude Code and the Codex CLI — neither has a free tier.
3
Have a model loyalty
Single-vendor lock decides it: Claude Code (Claude), Codex (GPT-5), Gemini CLI (Gemini). Refuse all lock-in? Use Cline (any provider via BYO key).
4
Prefer an editor over a terminal
Choose Cursor or Windsurf/Devin (VS Code forks), or GitHub Copilot (in-editor + async cloud agent). Or run a CLI agent inside the editor over ACP.
5
Before committing
Re-pull the live vendor page from Sources — prices, model rosters, and version numbers move fastest, and three tools are mid-transition.
Knowledge check
A beginner asks which of these tools they can start using today at no cost. Which answer is correct as of 2026-06-15?
Filter the matrix by one axis at a time
… scroll to run this session
Each axis returns a different set of tools. Filter the island to one column to read a single decision.
The three live transitions
Three of the eight tools change identity inside an eight-week window. Re-pull the live vendor page before relying on any cell for these three.
Roo Code is discontinued. Repo archived read-only 2026-05-15 (final v3.54.0); cloud services offline. Do not recommend installing it. Successors: Zoo Code (community fork, inherits the role-based modes 1:1) and Cline (the upstream project Roo forked from). Roo's modes — Code, Ask, Architect, Debug, Orchestrator — remain the canonical teaching example.
Windsurf is now Devin Desktop. Rebranded 2026-06-02; windsurf.com redirects to devin.ai; new installs are Devin Desktop. The Cascade agent is being replaced by the Rust-based Devin Local and stops working 2026-07-01. Note: Claude Fable 5 was pulled from Devin Desktop 2026-06-12 by an export directive (the models doc still lists it — treat it as unavailable there).
Gemini CLI's free tier ends 2026-06-18. It stops serving free Google AI Pro/Ultra and free Code Assist to individuals as it transitions to Antigravity CLI; continued access then requires a paid Gemini API key or a Code Assist Standard/Enterprise license. The repo stays Apache-2.0, and the GitHub README does not yet surface this notice — so any guide telling beginners to "install Gemini CLI for the free tier" goes stale within days.
Reach the end and this star joins your charted sky.