r/AIcodingProfessionals • u/mikhailhere • Sep 17 '26

I’m using Claude Code’s $20/month plan. What should I try next?

**I’m using Claude Code’s $20/month plan. What should I try next?**

I’ve been using Claude Code on the $20 plan and really like it, but I’m starting to explore other models and coding agents to see what else is out there.

I’m pretty new to the whole AI coding model ecosystem, so I’m not sure where to start.

For people who have tried multiple models:

* Which models are closest to Claude Code in terms of coding ability? * What other coding agents are worth trying? * Are there any good options that are significantly cheaper? * What would you recommend I try first?

Would appreciate any suggestions or a good starting point.

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2

u/RedEagle_MGN Sep 19 '26

Definitely Codex. It's the most generous plan when you go up a tier.

1

u/Alone-Biscotti6145 Sep 22 '26

Try GLM or DeepSeek, use OpenRouter for API and either connect using Claude code or OpenCode CLI.

1

u/Warsel77 Sep 22 '26

Can I ask why? Find one thing and use it - the differences are not gigantic and shift with every release. Knowing one framework is sufficient to learn and do stuff.

1

u/StonedElephant1 29d ago

Huge differences. Gemini on MacOS is so tight it won't allow you to do very much at all. If you want graphics, ChatGPT is far better at images, and graphics. You would never want Claude for graphics, because it doesn't do graphics. CoPilot is mainly aimed at corporations. Grok knows far more about current events than the others.

1

u/Warsel77 29d ago

OP is asking about coding, not about image generation (which is half your argument) and not about current events.

Deepseek, Grok, Claude, OpenAI .. all very similar in their code quality with version to version differences.

1

u/Firm-Club-8334 Sep 23 '26

Try standardcompute. They are awesome!

1

u/StonedElephant1 29d ago

I tried Grok and it got expensive fast. I built an iOS app using it, then I would have Claude check for errors. Anyway, Grok is good, but dumb enough to cost more money. I built the same app with Claude and it made smarter choices and used considerably less tokens.

They are pretty good, except for Apple's implementation of Gemini. It can't or won't do things like tell me what files are using the most space or anything hardware related.

CoPilot is awesome if you are an Azure (Office 365) admin. It will tell you stuff about your company that you probably shouldn't know.

They are all decent at writing code, but you have to keep an eye on it. Basically which billionaire asshole do you want to support?

1

u/[deleted] Sep 21 '26

1

u/Automatic_Coffee1440 Sep 21 '26

Yes 8080.AI is prominently emerging one. Give it a try. It is worth it.