surveyed
Best AI stack for coding: keep your IDE, replace the rest
Keep Cursor, Claude Code or Codex where you write code. Put the chat, research and docs work around it in one workspace.
The usual stack
Public US list prices in USD, checked November 10, 2026. Annual totals use the vendor's annual price when shown.
Swipe or scroll horizontally to compare every column.
| Tool | What it is for | Monthly | Annual equivalent | Annual total | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT Plus Official source | General chat, documents, images and research | $20/mo | Not listed | $240/yr | November 10, 2026 |
| Claude Pro Official source | Long-form work, projects and coding chat | $20/mo | $17/mo | $200/yr | November 10, 2026 |
| Google AI Pro Official source | Gemini app and Google AI features | $19.99/mo | $16.67/mo | $199.99/yr | November 10, 2026 |
| Perplexity Pro Official source | Web research with citations | $20/mo | $16.67/mo | $200/yr | November 10, 2026 |
| Cursor Pro (legacy) Keep this Official source | Keep your existing IDE agent | $20/mo | Not listed | $240/yr | November 10, 2026 |
- ChatGPT Plus: Monthly billing only is listed.
- Claude Pro: $200 billed up front for the annual plan.
- Perplexity Pro: Annual page displays $17 per month, billed annually.
- Cursor Pro (legacy): Legacy plan for existing subscribers. New plans use different names and pricing.
Prices may vary by region, tax and account. A public monthly price without an annual offer is annualized at the monthly rate, not discounted.
What our customers actually use
15 of 26 paid for 2+ tools before Krater
average subscriptions before Krater
monthly median among 17 paying customers
of credits went to chat, among 17 paying customers
of credits went to video, among 17 paying customers
Source: Krater purchase survey of paying customers (Sep 9 to Nov 10, 2026) and credit usage in the 30 days to Nov 10, 2026.
These results describe Krater customers in the stated periods.
500+ AI models and creative tools in one workspace
Krater brings chat, research and hosted image, video, voice and music creation together. Keep a specialist service when its workflow is essential.
Replace your stack
Select the subscriptions you pay for. Totals include public prices and exclude items marked keep this.
Monthly total: $79.99
12-month total: $839.99
Median usage fits: Krater Pro, $20/mo, 1,500 credits
Annual totals use the published annual price; otherwise the monthly rate is multiplied by 12.
What Krater credits buy
The median coding customer used 742 credits in 30 days, 49% of Pro's monthly credits.
2.57 median credits per task
11.14 median credits per task
18.41 median credits per task
Median credits per task across all Krater usage, 60 days to Nov 10, 2026. Costs vary by model and settings.
Pro includes enough monthly credits for the median usage shown.
$20/mo, 1,500 monthly credits.
Keep the agent that fits your editor
Krater does not run Cursor, Claude Code or Codex. Keep the agent you use for repository changes. Use a shared workspace for research, planning, documentation, model comparisons and tasks outside the editor. ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro, Google AI Pro and Perplexity Pro each sell separate personal subscriptions. The table keeps Cursor Pro visible as a keep-this item and excludes it from the replaceable total.
Use a standalone coding agent for changes inside a repository, then use a shared workspace for research, planning, documentation, model comparison or tasks outside the editor. ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro, Google AI Pro and Perplexity Pro each sell separate personal subscriptions. The table keeps Cursor Pro visible as a keep-this item and excludes it from the replaceable total.
Keep the chat and research budget separate
Coding work spans research, planning, documentation and code edits. The table separates chat and research subscriptions from the IDE tool you keep.
Use the calculator to compare subscriptions around your editor. The credit cards show how the median coding usage maps to Pro’s monthly credits.
Separate the editor budget from the research budget
An IDE plan can be worthwhile even when you cancel other chat subscriptions. Record which tool handles code changes, which handles research and long-form explanations, and which team tasks can move into a shared workspace. Then use the calculator to estimate only the subscriptions you are considering replacing.
Chat answers, agent tasks and research reports use different amounts of credit. The cards use whole-number estimates at each median task cost, not a promised monthly output.
How to switch without disrupting the work
- 1. List recurring work. Write down the tasks, output formats and subscriptions used in the past month.
- 2. Test a real task. Compare one recurring deliverable, including review steps and controls.
- 3. Change one bill at a time. Cancel only the subscription you have actually replaced.
Talk with Adam
Map an AI workspace to your team's work, usage and rollout.
Book a consultationQuestions about this AI stack
Should developers cancel Cursor, Claude Code or Codex?
Not on the basis of this comparison. Keep the IDE agent that is part of your workflow. Krater does not run these tools, and the page makes no performance or quality claim about them.
What does the coding calculator include?
It compares ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro, Google AI Pro and Perplexity Pro. Cursor Pro is shown as a keep-this item and is excluded from the replaceable subscription total.
What did coding customers use in Krater?
The coding survey included 26 paying customers. Fifteen had paid for two or more AI tools before Krater. The median usage was 742 credits among 17 paying customers.
Which plan covers the coding median?
The 742-credit median fits Pro, with 1,500 monthly credits. Use the models and settings that match your coding workflow.
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