GitHub Copilot
AI coding assistant with inline completions, chat, and autonomous agent mode across major IDEs
FREEMIUM Verified JUL 3, 2026
Amazon Q Developer
AWS's generative-AI coding assistant and autonomous agent, the successor to CodeWhisperer
Amazon Q Developer is AWS's coding assistant and agent, the successor to CodeWhisperer. The perpetual Free tier includes 50 agentic requests per month plus 1,000 lines of code transformation; Pro costs $19/user/month with higher limits, 4,000 pooled transformation lines, IP indemnity, and admin controls. Agents autonomously implement features, write tests, review code, and upgrade Java and .NET apps. Best for teams already building on AWS.
Verified JUL 10, 2026 FREEMIUM Live
What is Amazon Q Developer?
Amazon Q Developer is AWS’s generative-AI assistant for software development and the successor to Amazon CodeWhisperer. It combines real-time inline code suggestions — from single snippets to full functions — with a chat interface and autonomous agents that can read and write files, generate code diffs, and run shell commands to implement features on your behalf. Beyond writing code, it generates unit tests, scans for security vulnerabilities with automated remediation, and runs dedicated transformation agents that upgrade legacy Java and .NET applications. It plugs into VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Eclipse (preview), and the command line.
Where Amazon Q Developer separates itself from other coding assistants is its depth on AWS itself. It answers questions about Well-Architected patterns, helps optimize cloud cost, investigates operational incidents, and is available directly inside the AWS Management Console, Slack, and Microsoft Teams. Under the hood it runs on the latest Claude models, and it can connect securely to private repositories so recommendations reflect your internal codebase. The pricing is unusually simple: a perpetual Free tier and a single Pro tier at $19 per user per month, with no separate enterprise edition — organizations subscribe developers to Pro and manage them through IAM Identity Center.
Who is it for?
Amazon Q Developer is aimed at developers and teams who already build on AWS and want an assistant that understands both their code and their cloud infrastructure. The Free tier’s 50 agentic requests per month are enough to evaluate the agents or handle light use, but teams running real agentic work or large Java and .NET migrations will need the $19/month Pro tier for its higher limits, pooled transformation allocation, and IP indemnity.
- AWS-native engineering teams who want inline coding help plus Well-Architected guidance and cost-optimization answers in the same tool.
- Enterprises modernizing legacy code who can point the Java and .NET transformation agents at aging applications to cut manual upgrade effort.
- Security-conscious developers who want built-in vulnerability scanning with automated remediation alongside code generation.
- Cost-sensitive individual developers who want a capable free tier and a low $19/month upgrade path rather than a $20+ subscription.
How much does Amazon Q Developer cost?
Starting price: $19/mo · Free tier: yes · Model: freemium
Pricing verified JUL 10, 2026
Price history tracked from June 2026
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 50 agentic requests per month (chat, transforms, scans) · 1,000 lines of code transformation per month for Java upgrades · Access to the latest Claude models · IDE plugins (VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio) and CLI support · Sign in with AWS Builder ID or IAM — no AWS account required |
| Pro | $19/mo | Everything in Free plus increased agentic request limits · 4,000 lines of code per month per user, pooled at the account level · Overage billed at $0.003 per line of code transformed · Admin dashboard with user and policy management · IP indemnity coverage; data automatically opted out of collection |
What are Amazon Q Developer's key features?
- Autonomous agents for feature implementation, documentation, testing, code review, and software upgrades
- Real-time code suggestions from snippets to full functions based on comments and existing code
- Java and .NET code transformation for automated legacy upgrades
- Security vulnerability scanning with automated remediation suggestions
- CLI completions and natural-language-to-bash translation in local and remote terminals
- Deep AWS expertise — Well-Architected patterns, cost optimization, and console diagnostics
- Secure connection to private repositories for customized, codebase-aware recommendations
- Reference tracking and public-code suppression to flag or block suggestions resembling public code
What people use Amazon Q Developer for
- 01 Generating real-time inline code suggestions and completions inside VS Code, JetBrains, or Visual Studio
- 02 Upgrading legacy Java or .NET applications automatically with the code-transformation agent
- 03 Investigating operational incidents and getting AWS Well-Architected guidance from the AWS Management Console, Slack, or Microsoft Teams
- 04 Running autonomous agents that read and write files, generate diffs, and execute shell commands to implement a feature
- 05 Scanning code for vulnerabilities and applying automated remediation suggestions
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Perpetual free tier with 50 agentic requests per month and no AWS account required (Builder ID sign-in) | Strongest inside the AWS ecosystem — for general-purpose coding, assistants like Claude and Claude Code often produce better results |
| Pro is only $19/user/month — among the cheapest professional coding assistants | Free tier's 50 agentic requests per month is easy to exhaust on real agentic work |
| Unmatched depth on AWS services, Well-Architected guidance, and cloud cost optimization | Transformation overage at $0.003 per line can add up on large legacy migrations |
| Built-in security scanning and Java/.NET transformation agents that most rivals lack | Eclipse and GitHub Enterprise Cloud integrations are still in preview |
| Pro includes IP indemnity and automatic opt-out of data collection |
What are the best Amazon Q Developer alternatives?
Cursor
AI-native code editor that runs autonomous agents to build, test, and review code
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Claude
Anthropic's AI assistant built for long-context analysis, coding, and safe reasoning
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Windsurf
Agentic AI IDE with Cascade that writes, edits and runs code autonomously inside your editor
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Tabnine
Privacy-first AI coding assistant with air-gapped deployment and your choice of LLM
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Gemini
Google's multimodal AI assistant with real-time Search access and deep Workspace integration
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How people make money with Amazon Q Developer
- Offer AWS legacy-modernization services — use the Java and .NET transformation agents to accelerate enterprise app upgrades and bill per migration project
- Run an AWS cloud-consulting practice where Q Developer's Well-Architected guidance and cost-optimization answers speed audits; the Pro tier's account-level pooled allocation fits multi-developer agencies
Frequently asked questions
Is Amazon Q Developer free?
Yes. There is a perpetual Free tier at no cost that includes 50 agentic requests per month and 1,000 lines of code transformation for Java upgrades. You can sign in with an AWS Builder ID or IAM user — no separate AWS account is required for the free tier.
How much does Amazon Q Developer Pro cost?
Amazon Q Developer Pro costs $19 per user per month, billed monthly. It adds increased agentic request limits, 4,000 pooled lines of code transformation per user per month, an admin dashboard, IP indemnity, and automatic opt-out of data collection.
Is Amazon Q Developer the same as CodeWhisperer?
Amazon Q Developer is the successor to Amazon CodeWhisperer. AWS folded CodeWhisperer's inline code-suggestion capabilities into Amazon Q Developer and expanded it with chat, autonomous agents, code transformation, and security scanning.
Which IDEs and platforms does Amazon Q Developer support?
It offers plugins for VS Code, JetBrains IDEs (including IntelliJ IDEA), Visual Studio, and Eclipse (preview), plus a command-line interface for local and remote terminals. It is also available in the AWS Management Console, Slack, and Microsoft Teams, with GitLab and GitHub integrations.
Can Amazon Q Developer act as an autonomous coding agent?
Yes. Its agents can automatically read and write files, generate code diffs, and run shell commands to implement features, generate documentation, review code, refactor, and upgrade applications. The Free tier includes 50 agentic requests per month; Pro raises that limit.
What limits apply to code transformation?
The Free tier includes 1,000 lines of code transformation per month for Java upgrades. Pro includes 4,000 lines per user per month, pooled at the AWS payer-account level, with overage billed at $0.003 per line of code submitted.
Is Amazon Q Developer good for non-AWS projects?
It works for general coding, but its biggest advantage is deep AWS knowledge. For everyday multi-language coding outside AWS, general-purpose assistants such as Claude, GitHub Copilot, or Cursor are often stronger choices.