Ship code with AI
Code · Workflow
Plan with Claude, hand off to Claude Code in the terminal for autonomous edits, let CodeRabbit review, fix what it finds, ship.
Role
AI tools for developers
AI as a pair programmer and a reviewer. Stacks for shipping faster, catching more in review, and building whole products solo without burning out.
16 stacks19 tools used
For most developers this is two subscriptions, not a toolchain. One coding agent that works inside your actual repo, and one reviewer that reads every pull request before you do. Claude Code and CodeRabbit are the pair we run; swapping the agent for Cursor, Codex, Windsurf, or Antigravity costs the same, so pick the one that matches whether you live in a terminal or an editor.
What to actually pay for
Core set$20/mo
Reads the repo, runs the commands, and edits files across a long refactor, so you review a diff instead of pasting context back into a chat tab. The Claude Pro plan covers it, so it is not a second bill.
$30/mo
Line-by-line review on every pull request before a human opens it. Free on public repos, so this line only starts once the code is private.
Free
Free MCP server that hands the agent today's documentation for a library. It is the fix for an agent confidently calling a method that was renamed two versions ago.
Monthly total
One agent, one reviewer, current docs
$50/mo
List price
Swaps and later additions
$20/mo
The same agent loop inside a VS Code fork, with a reviewer built in. Pick it over the terminal if you want the AI where the file already is.
$10/mo
The cheapest paid tier of any serious assistant, and the free tier covers 2,000 completions a month. The right call when you want completion rather than an agent.
Free tier
Near-frontier reasoning and code at a fraction of the API rate. Where cost-sensitive batch jobs go once frontier pricing stops paying for itself.
$25/mo
Prompt to a deployed full-stack app, with Supabase and Stripe already wired in. The route to take when you want a product rather than a repo.
$25/mo
Cloud IDE with an agent attached, so nothing local sits between an idea and a running app. Useful when the prototype needs to be shareable as a URL.
Almost everything else here is a swap rather than an addition. Reach for Lovable or Replit when you want a deployed app instead of a repo, and for Claude Code's Max plans only if you are hitting the Pro limits daily.
Stacks for developers
16Compare side-by-side
4 ways to ship code with AI — Claude, Claude Code, Cursor, Antigravity
Cost, tools, and workflow lined up. Pick the loop that fits how you work.
$0/mo
Claude Code only
Code · Workflow
One surface, end to end. Claude Code does the planning AND the implementation; CodeRabbit reviews.
Codex (CLI + cloud)
Code · Workflow
OpenAI's Codex on two surfaces: CLI in the terminal for hands-on work, Cloud for fire-and-forget PRs.
Cursor (IDE-first)
Code · Workflow
Cursor as the primary surface. Inline edits, agent mode for multi-file work, Bugbot for review.
Antigravity (Google)
Code · Workflow
Google's IDE on top of Gemini's 2M-context. Especially clean if your stack is GCP, Firebase, Android, or Workspace.
Windsurf (Devin Local)
Code · Workflow
Windsurf's Devin Local agent plans + executes multi-step changes in the IDE. Fewer per-turn cycles on big diffs than Composer.
Indie SaaS
Code · Builder
Ship a SaaS by Sunday. Design, scaffold, build, deploy without leaving the AI loop.
Indie SaaS (Gemini long-context)
Code · Builder
Ship a SaaS by Sunday with Gemini's 2M-token context window holding the whole codebase as one file.
iOS app with AI
Code · Mobile
Ship an iOS app from scratch: Cursor for Swift code, Xcode for build/sign/TestFlight, Claude for product decisions.
Android app with AI
Code · Mobile
Ship a Kotlin app: Cursor and Claude for the code, Android Studio for build, signing, and Play Console upload.
iOS + Android with Expo
Code · Mobile
One codebase, both app stores. Expo + React Native, Cursor for the code, Claude for the architecture, EAS Build for native compile.
Full-stack with Lovable
Code · Builder
Prompt a working full-stack app: Lovable scaffolds the UI, wires Supabase, drops in Stripe, and deploys to a live URL.
UI-first with v0
Code · Builder
v0 generates the React + shadcn UI; Cursor wires the backend + DB; Vercel deploys.
Cloud IDE with Replit
Code · Builder
No local install, no terminal. Replit Agent builds, runs, and hosts the app in your browser.
Cheap bulk LLM automation
Code · Backend
Run thousands of LLM calls a day for the price of a coffee. DeepSeek for production volume, Claude as the calibration and eval surface.
Open-weight LLM stack
Code · Backend
Run frontier-grade LLMs on weights you can inspect, self-host, and audit. Llama for general work, Mistral when EU data residency matters, Claude as the calibration eval.