# 🚀 Quick Reference Guide
*Find the right AI coding tool in seconds*
---
## 🎯 Quick Tool Finder
### "I want to..."
#### **...start coding with AI right now**
→ **GitHub Copilot** (if you have GitHub)
→ **Cursor** (if you want the most powerful)
→ **Bolt.new** (if you want free + web-based)
#### **...build a website quickly**
→ **v0.dev** (best for UI/design)
→ **Bolt.new** (best for full-stack)
→ **Replit** (best for deployment)
#### **...work in the terminal**
→ **Claude Code** (most powerful)
→ **Warp.dev** (best UI)
→ **Codex CLI** (OpenAI)
#### **...use AI in VSCode**
→ **GitHub Copilot** (most popular)
→ **Cline** (open source)
→ **Augment Code** (advanced features)
#### **...have an autonomous agent work for me**
→ **Devin AI** (most autonomous)
→ **Cursor Agent Mode** (balanced)
→ **Poke** (multi-phase)
#### **...write better documentation**
→ **Notion AI** (in Notion)
→ **Perplexity** (research-focused)
→ **GitHub Copilot** (inline docs)
---
## 💰 Budget-Based Selection
### **Free / Open Source**
- **Bolt** - Full-stack web development
- **Cline** - VSCode extension
- **RooCode** - Coding assistant
- **Codex CLI** - Terminal tool
- **Gemini CLI** - Google's tool
- **Lumo** - Open source option
### **Budget-Friendly ($10-20/mo)**
- **GitHub Copilot** - $10/mo individual
- **Replit** - $7/mo starter
- **Warp.dev** - $15/mo team
### **Professional ($20-50/mo)**
- **Cursor Pro** - $20/mo
- **v0 Pro** - $20/mo
- **Augment Code** - Pricing varies
### **Enterprise**
- **GitHub Copilot Enterprise** - Custom
- **Devin AI** - Enterprise only
- **Claude Code** - API-based (can be costly)
---
## 🎓 Skill Level Recommendations
### **Beginners** (Just starting)
1. **GitHub Copilot** - Easiest to start
2. **Replit** - Learn by building
3. **Bolt** - Visual feedback
**Why:** Simple interfaces, good documentation, large communities
### **Intermediate** (Some experience)
1. **Cursor** - More control
2. **v0** - Design + code
3. **Warp.dev** - Terminal efficiency
**Why:** Balance of power and usability
### **Advanced** (Experienced developers)
1. **Claude Code** - Maximum control
2. **Amp** - Powerful agents
3. **Windsurf** - Cutting edge
**Why:** Advanced features, customization, sub-agents
### **Experts** (Team leads, architects)
1. **Devin AI** - Autonomous work
2. **Cursor + Claude Code** - Best of both
3. **Custom setups** - Open source tools
**Why:** Enterprise features, security, integration
---
## 🛠️ By Programming Language
### **JavaScript/TypeScript**
**Best:** v0, Cursor, Copilot
**Good:** Bolt, Replit, Windsurf
### **Python**
**Best:** Cursor, Copilot, Claude Code
**Good:** Replit, Cline, Augment
### **Go**
**Best:** Copilot, Claude Code, Cursor
**Good:** Cline, Augment
### **Rust**
**Best:** Copilot, Claude Code, Cursor
**Good:** Cline, Augment
### **Java/Kotlin**
**Best:** Copilot, Cursor
**Good:** Claude Code, Augment
### **C/C++**
**Best:** Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code
**Good:** Cline
### **PHP**
**Best:** Copilot, Cursor
**Good:** Cline, Replit
### **Ruby**
**Best:** Copilot, Cursor
**Good:** Claude Code, Cline
---
## 🎨 By Use Case
### **Web Development**
| Frontend | Full-Stack | Backend |
|----------|------------|---------|
| v0 | Bolt | Cursor |
| Bolt | Replit | Copilot |
| Cursor | Cursor | Claude Code |
### **Mobile Development**
| iOS | Android | Cross-Platform |
|-----|---------|----------------|
| Xcode | Copilot | Cursor |
| Copilot | Cursor | Copilot |
| Cursor | Claude Code | Replit |
### **Data Science / ML**
| Analysis | Training | Deployment |
|----------|----------|------------|
| Copilot | Cursor | Replit |
| Cursor | Copilot | Claude Code |
| Replit | Claude Code | Copilot |
### **DevOps / Infrastructure**
| Scripting | CI/CD | Cloud |
|-----------|-------|-------|
| Claude Code | Copilot | Copilot |
| Warp.dev | Claude Code | Claude Code |
| Copilot | Cursor | Cursor |
### **Game Development**
- **Unity**: Copilot, Cursor
- **Unreal**: Copilot, Cursor
- **Godot**: Copilot, Cline
---
## 🏢 By Team Size
### **Solo Developer**
**Top Pick:** Cursor or Claude Code
- **Why:** Maximum flexibility
- **Cost:** Affordable individual plans
- **Features:** All you need
### **Small Team (2-10)**
**Top Pick:** GitHub Copilot or Cursor
- **Why:** Collaboration features
- **Cost:** Per-user pricing
- **Features:** Shared context
### **Medium Team (10-50)**
**Top Pick:** GitHub Copilot Enterprise
- **Why:** Admin controls
- **Cost:** Predictable per-user
- **Features:** Security, compliance
### **Large Team (50+)**
**Top Pick:** GitHub Copilot Enterprise or Devin AI
- **Why:** Enterprise features
- **Cost:** Volume discounts
- **Features:** SSO, audit logs, custom models
---
## ⚡ By Speed Requirement
### **Fastest Response** (Tab completion)
1. GitHub Copilot
2. Cursor
3. Augment Code
### **Fast Reasoning** (Chat)
1. Cursor
2. Copilot
3. Claude Code
### **Deep Analysis** (Complex tasks)
1. Claude Code
2. Amp (Oracle)
3. Devin AI
---
## 🔒 By Security Needs
### **Maximum Privacy**
**Choose:**
- Open source self-hosted (Bolt, Cline, RooCode)
- Claude Code (API only, not stored)
- Local-only models (if available)
### **Enterprise Security**
**Choose:**
- GitHub Copilot Enterprise
- Cursor Pro (with enterprise features)
- Self-hosted options
### **Standard Security**
**Most tools are fine:**
- Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code
- Check privacy policies
---
## 🌐 By Platform
### **Windows**
✅ **Works Great:** Cursor, Copilot, VSCode extensions, Warp.dev
⚠️ **Limited:** Some CLI tools (use WSL)
### **macOS**
✅ **Works Great:** All tools, Xcode, Warp.dev
✅ **Best Experience:** Cursor, Claude Code, Warp
### **Linux**
✅ **Works Great:** Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code, all CLI tools
✅ **Best Experience:** Claude Code, Warp.dev, Open source tools
### **Web Only** (Chromebook, iPad)
✅ **Best Options:**
- Replit
- Bolt
- v0
- GitHub.dev (with Copilot)
---
## 🎯 Feature-Specific Recommendations
### **Need Git Integration**
→ Claude Code, Copilot, Cursor
### **Need Web Search**
→ Claude Code, Amp, Perplexity
### **Need Image Understanding**
→ Copilot (GPT-4V), Claude Code, Amp
### **Need Sub-Agents**
→ Amp, Cursor, Claude Code
### **Need Memory/Context**
→ Cursor, Claude Code, Amp
### **Need Terminal Access**
→ Claude Code, Warp.dev, Cursor
### **Need Multi-Model Support**
→ Cursor, Copilot, Cline
---
## 📊 Model Preference Guide
### **Want GPT-5**
- GitHub Copilot ✅
- Cursor ✅
- Amp ✅
- Augment Code ✅
### **Want Claude 4 Sonnet**
- Claude Code ✅
- Cursor ✅
- Amp ✅
- Augment Code ✅
### **Want Gemini 2.5 Pro**
- GitHub Copilot ✅
- Gemini CLI ✅
- Cline ✅
### **Want Local Models**
- Cline ✅
- Open source tools ✅
---
## 🚦 Decision Tree
```
Start Here
│
├─ Do you want to pay?
│ ├─ No → Bolt, Cline, or RooCode
│ └─ Yes → Continue
│
├─ Where do you code?
│ ├─ Terminal → Claude Code or Warp.dev
│ ├─ VSCode → Copilot or Cline
│ ├─ Browser → Bolt, Replit, or v0
│ └─ Want new IDE → Cursor or Windsurf
│
├─ What's your priority?
│ ├─ Speed → Copilot
│ ├─ Power → Cursor or Amp
│ ├─ Privacy → Open source
│ └─ Autonomy → Devin AI
│
└─ Team or solo?
├─ Solo → Cursor or Claude Code
└─ Team → Copilot Enterprise
```
---
## 📚 Learning Resources
### **Getting Started Guides**
- Each tool's directory has actual system prompts
- See `COMPARISON.md` for detailed feature comparison
- Check `INSTALL.md` for this repository's setup
### **Tool Documentation**
- Official websites (linked in README.md)
- Discord communities
- GitHub discussions
### **Prompt Engineering**
- See system prompts in this repo
- Study tool-specific patterns
- Compare approaches across tools
---
## 🎁 Special Recommendations
### **Best Value for Money**
🥇 **GitHub Copilot** - $10/mo, works everywhere
🥈 **Cursor** - $20/mo, most powerful
🥉 **Bolt** - Free, surprisingly capable
### **Best for Learning AI**
🥇 **Bolt** - Open source, see how it works
🥈 **Cline** - Simpler architecture
🥉 **Claude Code** - Official tool, good docs
### **Best for Production**
🥇 **Cursor** - Battle-tested, powerful
🥈 **GitHub Copilot Enterprise** - Enterprise features
🥉 **Claude Code** - Anthropic-backed
### **Most Innovative**
🥇 **Amp** - Oracle + agents
🥈 **Windsurf** - Wave architecture
🥉 **Devin AI** - Fully autonomous
### **Best Open Source**
🥇 **Bolt** - Most complete
🥈 **Cline** - Best VSCode integration
🥉 **RooCode** - Good alternative
---
## ⚠️ Things to Know
### **Common Gotchas**
1. **Context Limits**: Even large models have limits
2. **API Costs**: Some tools charge per-token
3. **Internet Required**: Most need connectivity
4. **Learning Curve**: Advanced features take time
5. **Not Perfect**: Always review AI-generated code
### **Best Practices**
1. ✅ Always review generated code
2. ✅ Test thoroughly
3. ✅ Use version control
4. ✅ Start simple, build up
5. ✅ Learn the tool's strengths
6. ✅ Keep security in mind
7. ✅ Stay updated on new features
---
## 🔄 Migration Guide
### **From Copilot to Cursor**
- **Why:** More features, agent mode
- **How:** Export settings, install Cursor
- **Time:** < 1 hour
### **From Cursor to Claude Code**
- **Why:** Terminal focus, more control
- **How:** Install CLI, configure
- **Time:** 30 minutes
### **From Closed to Open Source**
- **Why:** Privacy, customization
- **How:** Install Bolt or Cline
- **Time:** 1-2 hours
---
## 📞 Getting Help
### **Tool Issues**
1. Check tool's documentation
2. Search Discord/GitHub
3. Open issue on their repo
4. Ask in community
### **General AI Coding Questions**
- Discord: [LeaksLab](https://discord.gg/NwzrWErdMU)
- This repo's discussions
- Tool-specific communities
---
## 🎯 Final Recommendations
### **Just Starting Out?**
→ **GitHub Copilot** or **Bolt**
### **Want Maximum Power?**
→ **Cursor** or **Amp**
### **Need Terminal Focus?**
→ **Claude Code** or **Warp.dev**
### **Building Web Apps?**
→ **v0** or **Bolt**
### **Enterprise Needs?**
→ **GitHub Copilot Enterprise**
### **Want Open Source?**
→ **Bolt** or **Cline**
---
*Can't decide? Start with GitHub Copilot for 30 days, then try Cursor for 2 weeks. You'll quickly learn what matters most to you.*
---
**Last Updated:** October 2, 2025