What it does
Anthropic's flagship LLM, used inside IDEs (Cursor, Zed) and as a standalone agent for multi-file refactors.
Best for
Senior engineers doing complex, multi-file work.
+ What Works
- +Top-tier code reasoning
- +200k+ context window
- +Strong tool use & agents
− What Doesn't
- −Rate limits on Pro
- −Slower than GPT-class on simple tasks
Pricing
Free · Pro $20 · Team $30/seat · API pay-as-you-go
The Verdict
The default pick for serious software work in 2026.
How we tested
Every tool in the Best AI for Coding vertical is run through the same prompt battery — twenty briefs spanning technical accuracy, aesthetic control, and edge-case handling. Scores weight output quality (50%), ease of use (25%), and value (25%).
Read the full methodology →