Comparison of Major AI Service Development Environments: VSCode, CLI, and Standalone IDEs
The official Gemini extension for VSCode (Gemini Code Assist Individual tier) and Gemini CLI, which have long been used within VSCode, have been discontinued as part of Google’s integration and consolidation strategy for development tools. The migration is now underway toward a standalone editor (GUI) called “Google Antigravity" and “Antigravity CLI" (CUI).
For developers who have subscribed to monthly plans such as “Google AI Pro" and enjoyed the perk of flat-rate Gemini usage within VSCode, this sudden shift presents a major challenge in that they can no longer use their familiar development workflows.
Optimizing Development Tool Configurations and Cost Performance
The purpose of this article is to comprehensively organize the development interface forms and pricing structures provided by major AI services (Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, and GitHub), enabling readers to reconstruct the most efficient development environment while minimizing unnecessary expenses.
Our goal is to clearly distinguish between everyday AI chat usage in web browsers and code generation functions in local development environments like VSCode, allowing you to select tools that match your personal development style.
Structural Confusion Between Flat-Rate Subscriptions and API Pay-As-You-Go Billing
The most common pitfall when building a development environment is confusing “flat-rate monthly subscriptions for web chat and the like" with “pay-as-you-go developer APIs."
For instance, when using third-party extensions like “Roo Code" or “Cline" inside VSCode, an API key is required regardless of whether you have a web subscription, and pay-as-you-go billing (post-paid charges) based on the token volume consumed will occur separately. There are countless cases where developers suffer from unexpected charges or integration errors due to the misconception that “paying a monthly flat fee means API usage is also unlimited."
Comparison of Development Interfaces (GUI/CLI/Standalone IDE) for Major AI Services and Tools
We have tabulated the access methods deployed by major vendors (browser UI, VSCode extensions, CLI, and standalone IDEs) along with the usage conditions under flat-rate tiers.
Major AI Service Development Environment and Structure Comparison Table
| # | Provider | Plan Name | Base Price | Browser Chat UI |
(1) Official VSCode Extension (GUI) |
(2) Official CLI (CUI) |
(3) Official Standalone IDE / App (GUI) |
Development Usage Conditions under Flat Rate
|
| 1 | Gemini Free | 0 JPY | Yes | None | None | None |
No dev tool tier (Web chat only)
|
|
| 2 | Google AI Pro | Approx. 2,900 JPY ($19.99) | Yes | None (*Old extension ended) |
Antigravity CLI | Antigravity IDE |
CLI/IDE available at no extra cost
|
|
| 3 | Google AI Ultra | From 14,500 JPY | Yes | None (*Old extension ended) |
Antigravity CLI | Antigravity IDE |
Extra-large execution quota several times larger than Pro
|
|
| 4 | OpenAI | Free | 0 JPY | Yes | None | None | None |
No dev tool tier (Web chat only)
|
| 5 | ChatGPT Plus | Approx. 3,000 JPY ($20) | Yes | None (*Requires Copilot, etc.) |
Codex CLI | ChatGPT App (Codex) |
App/CLI available at no extra cost
|
|
| 6 | ChatGPT Pro | Approx. 30,000 JPY ($200) | Yes | None (*Requires Copilot, etc.) |
Codex CLI | ChatGPT App (Codex) |
Unlimited / large-capacity quota for Codex / high-load models
|
|
| 7 | Anthropic | Free | 0 JPY | Yes | None | None | None |
No dev tool tier (Web chat only)
|
| 8 | Claude Pro | Approx. 3,000 JPY ($20) | Yes | Claude Code | Claude Code CLI | None |
VSCode extension/CLI available at no extra cost
|
|
| 9 | Claude Max | Approx. 15,000 JPY ($100) | Yes | Claude Code | Claude Code CLI | None |
Ultra-heavy agent execution quota
|
|
| 10 | Microsoft | Copilot Free | 0 JPY | Yes | None | None | None |
No dev tool tier (Web chat only)
|
| 11 | Copilot Pro | Approx. 3,200 JPY | Yes | None | None | None |
Not available for development (*For M365 Office)
|
|
| 12 | GitHub | Copilot Free | 0 JPY | No | GitHub Copilot | GitHub Copilot CLI | None |
Trial environment with monthly limits
|
| 13 | (MS Subsidiary) | Copilot Pro | Approx. 1,500 JPY ($10) | No | GitHub Copilot | GitHub Copilot CLI | None |
Specialized for native VSCode (unlimited completion & chat)
|
| 14 | Copilot Pro+ / Max | $39 to $100 | No | GitHub Copilot | GitHub Copilot CLI | None |
Optional AI model selection, large-capacity AI credits granted
|
|
| 15 | Various APIs | API Pay-as-you-go | Fully pay-as-you-go | No | No (*Requires Roo Code, etc.) | No (*Requires third-party) | None |
Post-paid based on tokens used (*See below)
|
Post-paid based on tokens used (*See below)
*For details on storage capacity, image generation features, Office integration, and other services included in each plan, please check the official comparison pages below.
- Google One / Gemini Pricing Plan Details
- ChatGPT Pricing Comparison Page
- Claude Pricing Plans List
- GitHub Copilot Pricing Comparison Guide
⚠️ Cautions When Considering Copilot Pro (Misunderstandings Regarding Office Integration)
Copilot Pro (approx. 3,200 JPY/month) is a license to add AI features and does not include usage rights for the desktop applications themselves, such as Word or Excel.
- Web Office (Browser): AI integration features can be used with Copilot Pro alone (using a free Microsoft account).
- Desktop Office (PC App): Activating AI within the apps requires paid subscriptions to both “Copilot Pro" and “Microsoft 365" (Personal, etc.).
💡 [Note] Estimated Unit Prices for API Pay-As-You-Go Billing (Per 1 Million Tokens)
- Gemini 1.5 / 2.0 Pro: Input approx. $1.25 / Output approx. $5.00 (Lowest class)
- GPT-4o: Input approx. $2.50 / Output approx. $10.00
- Claude 3.5 / 3.7 Sonnet: Input approx. $3.00 / Output approx. $15.00
Conclusion on Recommended Development Configurations by Purpose
Based on the comparison of tool systems, choices according to developer needs can be broadly classified into two categories.
If You Only Want Code Editing and Development Efficiency on Native VSCode
A standalone subscription to “GitHub Copilot" (approx. $10 / ~1,500 JPY per month) is the cheapest and most effective option. Real-time completions and agent features can be used unlimitedly on a flat-rate basis within VSCode, and the model selection feature allows you to choose and use Claude 3.5 Sonnet or GPT-4o in the background.
If You Want to Use Web Chat and Bundled Services Together
It is best to decide based on your preferences for everyday conversational response tendencies and the contents of bundled services.
- Focus on Google Ecosystem: Google AI Pro, which offers storage perks and Antigravity (IDE/CLI)
- Focus on Advanced Conversation & Image Generation: ChatGPT Plus, which allows the use of DALL-E 3 and Codex mode
- Focus on Document Creation & Code Analysis: Claude Pro, which allows the use of Artifacts and Claude Code (VSCode extension)
- Focus on Office Operations: Copilot Pro, which supports Office integration (*GitHub Copilot is separately required for development purposes)
https://amzn.to/45zn13YSummary
We have organized and verified the access methods and pricing structures of major AI services. Web subscriptions and developer APIs are separate systems, and it is crucial to properly understand the form of the development environment available under flat-rate tiers (VSCode extension, CLI, standalone IDE). If you are looking purely for specialization in coding tasks within VSCode, the $10/month “GitHub Copilot" offers exceptional cost performance. If you also desire AI chat in the browser and various bundled perks, choosing a plan in the 3,000 JPY/month tier based on your preference for response styles and perk contents constitutes the most rational setup.