7 Free AI Coding Tools That Replace $200/Month Subscriptions

Developers are paying up to $200/month for AI coding tools — and most of them don't need to. In EP3 of AI Tools, Tested, we break down 7 genuinely free AI coding tools (GitHub Copilot Free, Cursor Hobby, Cline, Windsurf, Kilo Code, Zed, and OpenCode), the honest catch on every free tier, and the exact $0 stack we'd run instead. Plus our new recurring segment: Free Pick of the Week. Part of the "Best AI Tools 2026 – Tested & Compared" playlist:    • Best AI Tools 2026 – Tested & Compared   CHAPTERS 00:00 – Cold open: the $0 promise 00:57 – Tools 1–2: GitHub Copilot Free & Cursor (Hobby) 02:40 – Tools 3–4: Cline & Windsurf 04:24 – Tools 5–6: Kilo Code & Zed 06:07 – Tool 7: OpenCode + the $0 stack 07:40 – Free Pick of the Week: Trae 08:22 – Final verdict & what's next NEXT EPISODE (EP4): Claude Code vs Cursor vs GitHub Copilot — which AI coding assistant actually wins. Subscribe so you don't miss it. Disclosure: voiceover is AI-narrated from an original human-written script; B-roll backgrounds and thumbnail are AI-generated. — from Machine Work TV (@machineworkofficial)    / @machineworkofficial