Guide
Picking a model without a leaderboard
The model you can call is often a plan limit, not a taste question. Read the plan, then pick the cheaper model that can see the files.
Answer
Start from the plan you already pay for. Copilot Free is auto model selection only. Cursor Plus is Grok-only, and third-party models on higher Cursor tiers are an extra API bill. Gemini CLI's free Google sign-in is 1,000 requests a day. Devin's models doc prices SWE-2 separately from the $20 Pro plan. This page does not rank model quality.
Beginner path
Leave the model on the default
On a first app, the builder picks a model for you. Switching models mid-page is how you lose the plot. Finish the page. If you hit a limit, the tool page says what the next plan costs.
Come back to this guide when a pricing page starts talking about credits, tokens, and model names.
Advanced path
A way to choose
Ask three questions. They are all answerable from the vendor page.
- What does my current plan allow? Copilot Free and Copilot Student are auto selection only, on the plans page checked 15 October 2026. Cursor Plus is Grok models only. Premium is where Cursor says third-party models start, billed at API list price, not inside the $30.
- What happens at the cap? Gemini CLI's unpaid API key stops at 250 Flash requests a day. The Google-account individual tier is 1,000 a day. Devin Pro includes a daily and weekly allowance. The models doc says SWE-2 is free for self-serve plans through 15 October 2026, then $3 per million input tokens, $15 per million output tokens, and $0.30 per million cached input tokens. The pricing page says the free window runs through 16 October 2026.
- Am I paying twice? A subscription plus API overage is two bills. Write both down before you call a "premium" model the default.
- I can name the plan, not just the model.
- I know the overage unit: credits, tokens, or requests.
- The default model is one the plan includes.
- I can point at the vendor URL for the number.
Next step
Questions
Which model is smartest?
This site does not publish that ranking. Vendor benchmarks are their numbers. Use the plan page to see what you are allowed to call, then judge a model on your own task.
Why does the same model cost different amounts in two products?
You are often paying the coding product, not the model company directly. Cursor Premium adds third-party models at API list price on top of the subscription. Copilot includes a credit allowance. Devin bills models against a quota and then on-demand credits.