last verified: 2026-04-09, updated: 2026-05-10
| feature | claude code | google antigravity |
|---|---|---|
| pricing | free tier / $20 pro / $100 max 5x / $200 max 20x per month | VERIFY AT antigravity.google/pricing -- upstream docs not readable as of this update |
critical note: upstream documentation for antigravity pricing and preview status is not accessible for verification. this doc was last verified 2026-04-09. before recommending antigravity to users, check current status directly at official google pages.
google antigravity launched november 2025 alongside the gemini 3 model family. it was built by a team google hired from windsurf (formerly codeium) in july 2025 as part of a $2.4B deal that brought ~40 senior engineers into google deepmind. the product shares technological ancestry with windsurf but is a distinct google product. windsurf itself continues as a separate product under cognition AI, which acquired windsurf's remaining assets for ~$250M in july 2025.
antigravity is currently in public preview and free for individual users. google has not announced post-preview pricing.
antigravity's status post-public-preview is unconfirmed as of may 2026. during preview it was free. verify current pricing and availability at antigravity.google/pricing before recommending.
status update (may 26 2026): verify current pricing and preview status at antigravity.google/pricing -- public preview terms may have changed since april verification.
verification note (june 8 2026): antigravity's public preview status and pricing should be re-verified at antigravity.google/pricing. last detailed check was april 9 2026.
claude code lives in your terminal. if your work involves git, docker, ssh, kubectl, makefiles, or any CLI-heavy workflow, claude code meets you where you are. antigravity requires working inside its standalone IDE. terminal-native developers lose workflow continuity when they have to switch to a separate app.
claude code's extensibility stack -- hooks, plugins, skills, agents, commands, MCP servers -- is a full developer platform. you can intercept tool calls before they execute, persist data across sessions, build reusable workflow templates, and run subagent processes. antigravity has agent skills and google cloud MCP integrations but no equivalent extension system for building custom tooling.
claude code is open source. you can read the code, audit the tool calls, understand what's happening under the hood, fork it, and extend it. antigravity is closed source. in an era where AI tools have deep access to your codebase, transparency matters.
claude code works in any terminal, plus VS Code and JetBrains extensions. antigravity is its own standalone IDE -- if you use neovim, emacs, sublime, or a different JetBrains product, antigravity isn't an option.
claude code is production-ready with SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certifications, documented performance data from anthropic's own engineering teams, and a stable API. antigravity is in public preview with no SLAs, no external case studies, and limited production track record.
every claude code session produces parseable JSON transcripts. the lore plugin builds sqlite databases from session data -- searchable by file, tool, cost, model, duration. antigravity has conversation history in its UI but no export or analysis layer.
antigravity is free during public preview with generous rate limits on gemini 3.1 pro. google AI Pro/Ultra subscribers get priority access. this is the lowest barrier to entry of any AI coding tool -- $0/mo vs claude code's $20/mo minimum for useful throughput. caveat: free users have weekly quotas, and google hasn't committed to keeping it free permanently.
antigravity provides free access to claude sonnet 4.6, claude opus 4.6, and GPT-OSS 120B alongside gemini models. getting opus 4.6 access normally requires a $100-200/mo claude code subscription. if you want to try multiple frontier models without paying for each, antigravity bundles them.
antigravity's manager view lets you run multiple autonomous agents in parallel across different tasks. you can kick off a refactoring agent, a test-writing agent, and a documentation agent simultaneously. claude code runs one agent per session -- parallelism requires worktree isolation and explicit subagent setup.
antigravity inherits the full VS Code experience -- file tree, extensions, terminal panel, debugger, inline diffs, syntax highlighting. AI features are embedded in the editor: inline completions as you type, agent sidebar, visual artifacts showing what agents did. for developers who prefer graphical IDEs, the experience is more polished than a terminal conversation.
antigravity provides inline code completions as you type -- ghost text suggestions for lines and blocks. claude code doesn't do tab completion. if intelligent autocomplete is central to your workflow, antigravity covers it and claude code doesn't.
antigravity has native MCP integration with BigQuery, AlloyDB, Spanner, Cloud SQL, and Looker. if you're in the google cloud ecosystem, antigravity speaks your infrastructure language out of the box.
| plan | claude code | google antigravity |
|---|---|---|
| free | limited usage | free (public preview) -- weekly quotas |
| entry | $20/mo (Pro) | $0 (preview) |
| heavy use | $200/mo (Max 20x) | $0 (preview) |
| enterprise | API-based | custom (contact sales) |
pricing comparison is currently moot -- antigravity is free. when google announces post-preview pricing, this section will update. given google's history with developer tools (generous free tiers on firebase, cloud run, etc.), expect a competitive free tier to persist.
choose claude code if:
- your workflow is terminal-centric
- you want to build custom hooks, plugins, and agents
- you value open source and transparency
- you use neovim, emacs, or non-VS-Code editors
- you need production-grade reliability with SLAs
- session history mining and analysis matter to you
choose antigravity if:
- you want free access to frontier models (including opus 4.6)
- parallel agent execution for complex multi-task workflows
- you prefer a visual IDE experience
- you're in the google cloud ecosystem
- you're evaluating AI coding tools and want zero commitment
use both: some developers use antigravity for in-editor tab completion and parallel agent tasks while using claude code for terminal-heavy work, complex refactors, and automation. different tools for different surfaces.
see also: pricing comparison across all tools