I kept picking developer tools by reading scattered docs pages and pricing pages, then finding out the catch later. So I put the comparison in one place instead.
DevKit now has a guides section covering 57 developer tools in 6 categories:
- LLM harnesses — 16 tools
- Code editors — 11 tools
- Terminals — 8 tools
- API clients — 8 tools
- Git clients — 7 tools
- Database tools — 7 tools
Each entry gives the same treatment: a verdict, what it is, what it is good at, what it is bad at, who it is best for, and its price, with links to the official site and docs. The guides were checked in Oct 2026, and the links were verified before publishing.
LLM harnesses
The 16 LLM harnesses split into frameworks, agent frameworks, gateways and routers, and local runners. A few examples from the guide:
- LangChain — the Swiss-army framework. Largest integration ecosystem of any LLM framework, but the API has changed often and older tutorials go stale fast. Best for teams building varied LLM apps who want the biggest ecosystem and don't mind the learning curve.
- LlamaIndex — the RAG specialist. Best-in-class document ingestion, parsing and retrieval. Best for teams whose core problem is RAG over documents.
- LiteLLM — one OpenAI-compatible API for 100+ providers, self-hosted. Best for teams that want provider freedom and cost control without vendor lock-in, and can run a proxy.
- Ollama — the easy button for local models. One command and you're chatting offline, with models staying on your machine. Best for developers trying local models or prototyping offline.
Code editors
The 11 code editors split into graphical editors and terminal editors:
- VS Code — the default choice for most developers. Free, huge extension ecosystem, good at everything. Best for almost anyone.
- Cursor — the leading AI-first editor, a VS Code fork where the agent, not the sidebar, is the point. Cursor restructured its pricing in Oct 2026: a free tier with limited agent use, then Plus $8/mo, Premium $30/mo, Super $100/mo, and Ultra $200/mo. Heavy agent use burns through the included usage pool fast.
- Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf) — a strong AI agent editor, rebranded as Devin Desktop after Cognition acquired Windsurf. Its Pro plan rose from $15 to $20/mo in March 2026. Best for developers who want an agentic editor with a good free tier.
- Zed — the fastest graphical editor. Native Rust speed with real-time collaboration built in, but a far smaller extension ecosystem than VS Code's.
A few things that changed while I was writing these
- Warp open-sourced its terminal client under AGPL-3.0 in April 2026. The AI and cloud platform stays proprietary, and the terminal still asks for an account for AI and team features.
- Cursor restructured its pricing in Oct 2026, as above — check the current tiers before you budget for heavy agent use.
- Windsurf is now Devin Desktop, after Cognition acquired it. The editor is still a VS Code fork, but the rebrand makes its long-term roadmap less certain than Cursor's.
Try it
Start at the DevKit guides hub, pick a category, and read the verdicts for the tools you are choosing between. The main site is DevKit — 69 calculators, converters and dev tools, all running client-side in your browser, including the LLM cost calculator.
Which tool did the guides get wrong, or which one should be added next? Let me know in the comments — I'd love to hear what you'd actually pick.
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