ai / coding / codex / claude code / cursor / zcode / muse code / developer tools
Best AI Coding Tool in 2026? Codex Is S Tier. Cursor Fell From A to D.
I rank the five AI coding tools I use, and the biggest move on the board is Cursor. Six months ago I would have put it in A tier. Now it is D tier. It is extremely expensive, the usage seems to have dropped significantly, and it has been a more forgetful agent since Elon Musk took it over. It is one of the only agentic coding tools I actually unsubscribed from this month.
Codex is S tier and by far the best agentic coding tool I use. GPT-5.6 Sol can do outstanding tasks and GPT-6 Astra is still incredible, which is why I pay for two Codex subscriptions. Claude Code is A tier across both the CLI and the Claude app. The app now manages long-term tasks better than the CLI, and the CLI still has a special place for me because it was one of the first agentic coding tools I ever used. ZCode is B tier and a good replacement for Cursor, with a lot of usage, generous reset limits and solid results on quick tasks. Muse Code is B tier too, a strong pick on a budget at maybe $20 to $30 a month if you don't mind sending your data to a big tech company.
I build NexusTrade with these tools every day. If you want to see what they help me ship, the AI trading agent is free to try.
Transcript
0:00Cursor.
0:00A tier if we were talking six months ago.
0:04D tier now.
0:05Not only is it extremely expensive, but the usage seems to have decreased significantly.
0:10It has overall been a worse, more forgetful agent since Elon Musk took it over.
0:16It's one of the only agentic coding tools that I've actually unsubscribed from this month.
0:21Codex.
0:22S tier.
0:23By far the best agentic coding tool.
0:26GPT-5.6 Sol can do outstanding tasks and GPT-6 Astra is still incredible.
0:33It is so good that I literally have two Codex subscriptions.
0:37Claude Code.
0:38A tier.
0:39We're talking both about the CLI tool and the actual Claude application.
0:44The Claude app is a lot better than what it used to be, and it helps you manage lots of long term tasks way better than the CLI.
0:53But the CLI still has a special place in my heart, because it's still one of the first agentic coding tools I've ever used.
1:00A tier in total.
1:01ZCode.
1:02B tier.
1:03And I think it's a perfect replacement for Cursor.
1:06There's a lot of great usage you can use.
1:09They have great reset limits, and it seems to do pretty good for a simple, quick task.
1:15Muse Code.
1:16B tier again.
1:17This is really great if you're on a budget and you don't mind sending your data to a big tech company.
1:24Muse Code only costs maybe $20 to $30 per month, while the other major agentic tools can cost you more than $200.
1:33I definitely use it if you're on a budget, but you still want to use agentic coding tools.
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