A Field Guide to Free Pro-Grade AI Coding Tools

What it does This repository is a curated awesome-list that catalogs AI coding tools and API providers offering free access to pro-grade large language models. It ranks them by the actual generosity of their free tiers—daily requests, token allotments, or monthly credits—rather than vague “free trial” language. The list also applies a hard threshold for “pro-grade”: only models scoring above 60% on SWE-bench Verified make the cut.

The interesting bit The maintainer treats free-tier limits as a first-class feature, sorting tools from most to least generous like a stingy accountant auditing cloud budgets. It also enforces a hard floor for “pro-grade”: only models clearing 60% on SWE-bench Verified earn a spot, which keeps the list from devolving into marketing fluff.

Key highlights

• Side-by-side comparison of 12+ tools including Qwen Code, Rovo Dev CLI, Gemini CLI, Cursor, Warp, and GitHub Copilot
• “Pro-grade” defined strictly as models achieving >60% on SWE-bench Verified, with a published leaderboard of qualifying models
• Free-tier limits normalized into comparable units: requests per day, tokens per day, or credits per month
• Includes API-only providers like OpenRouter and Cerebras for users who bring their own IDE
• Available in eight languages and actively maintained (last updated December 2025)

Caveats

• Several tools (Kilo Code, Amazon Q Developer, Windsurf) still demand a credit card before you can claim the “free” tier
• Cursor’s generous free tier expires on December 11, 2025, and Rovo Dev CLI’s 5M token/day limit is explicitly a beta promotion
• The maintainer disclaims guaranteed accuracy, noting that vendor limits and pricing change frequently—check the primary sources before committing

Verdict Useful if you are a developer treating free AI coding tiers like a resource-management game and want to optimize your requests-per-day. Less useful if you have already picked a paid horse and do not care about quota arithmetic.