How to start coding with AI: Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code and Codex

A beginner's path into AI coding assistants: set up a free one in minutes, try it on a small task, then build the habits that keep AI-written code safe.

15 min · Updated September 25, 2026 · Tools: GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, VS Code

1Install VS Code. Download Visual Studio Code, the free code editor, if you don't have it. It's the easiest place to try an AI assistant.
2Turn on GitHub Copilot Free. In VS Code, hover over the Copilot icon in the Status Bar and choose to use AI features, then sign in with a GitHub account. Without a paid plan, you're signed up for Copilot Free automatically.
3Start small. Open the Chat view and ask for help with one small, real task: explain a file, write a function or fix an error message.
4Review every change. Read each suggestion before you accept it, open the diff for every changed file, and run your tests. You're responsible for the code you keep.
5Keep secrets out. Never paste passwords, API keys or private data into an AI tool, and check that any package it suggests really exists before installing it.
6Try an agent when you're ready. Agent tools like Claude Code or OpenAI Codex can work across a whole project. Give them clear, testable tasks and approve their commands yourself.

AI coding assistants can explain unfamiliar code, write functions, fix bugs and even carry out multi-step changes across a project. You can try one for free in about ten minutes. The key is to start small and treat everything it writes as a draft you're responsible for.

Pick your starting point

Tool	Best way in	Cost to start
GitHub Copilot	Inside VS Code	Free plan
Cursor	Its own AI-first editor	Free Hobby plan
Claude Code	Terminal, editor or desktop app	Paid Claude plan (from $20/month)
OpenAI Codex	ChatGPT, desktop app or CLI	Included in ChatGPT plans

All four are compared in our AI coding tools overview.

Assistants vs. agents

Assistants suggest code as you type and answer questions in a chat panel. You stay in control of every line.
Agents take a task, like "add a login page," and work through it: reading files, writing changes and running commands. Claude Code, Codex and the agent modes in Copilot and Cursor work this way. Learn more in our explainer on AI agents.

Habits that keep you safe

The official guidance from GitHub, Anthropic and the security group OWASP comes down to a few rules:

Review before you accept. AI can write code with bugs or security holes.
Verify with tests. Anthropic's advice for Claude Code: if you can't verify it, don't ship it.
Treat output as untrusted. Check that suggested packages actually exist; made-up package names can be a route for malware.
Keep secrets out of prompts and files you share.
Approve commands yourself when an agent wants to run them, and keep a way to undo changes.

AI tools can also make things up. See why AI hallucinates.

Quick questions

Is GitHub Copilot free?

There's a free plan for individuals with up to 2,000 code completions a month, chat and agent mode in your editor. Paid plans start at $10 a month (Pro).

Which AI coding tool is best for beginners?

Starting in VS Code with GitHub Copilot Free is the lowest-effort way in: it's free and works inside a popular editor. Cursor also has a free plan and is a full AI-first editor.

Do I need to know how to code to use AI coding tools?

They help a lot while you learn, but you still need to understand and check the code. GitHub says users are responsible for bugs, security problems and licensing issues in code they accept.

Does Claude Code work with the free Claude plan?

No. Claude Code needs a Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise or Console account.

Sources

Settings and prices change. We check guides against these sources and update the date above when we do.