Does SWE-agent or Plandex have a free plan?

SWE-agent is a paid tool. Plandex is a paid tool. Always verify current pricing directly with the vendor.

SWE-agent vs Plandex

Q: Can I use SWE-agent and Plandex together?

Yes, many teams use both tools together for different purposes. Use the Stack Builder section above to combine SWE-agent and Plandex with other tools and save your AI toolkit.

Comprehensive side-by-side comparison — features, pricing, performance, and more.

Updated July 2026

SWE-agent

Princeton University

Autonomously fix GitHub issues and perform coding tasks with your preferred language model.

0.0(0)

Open Source

84% verification coverage

Plandex

Build real-world software with AI, designed for large projects and complex tasks.

0.0(0)

Open Source

88% verification coverage

Trust & Reliability

SWE-agent

Trust data not available yet

Plandex

Users:10K-100K

GDPR

Too Close to Call

SWE-agent (6.3) vs Plandex (6.0) — difference of 0.3 points

AI Comparison Summary

SWE-agent

6.3

avg score

Plandex

6.0

avg score

Both tools score very similarly overall — the best choice depends on your specific priorities.

Based on 12 dimensions

How scores are calculated

Too close to call — it's a tie

SWE-agent

Best For

Software developers automating bug fixes

Researchers in AI and software engineering

Cybersecurity professionals for vulnerability detection

Teams solving competitive coding challenges

Consider Alternatives If

Non-technical users seeking a no-code solution

Simple text generation or content creation tasks

Real-time customer support or conversational AI

Plandex

Best For

Software developers working on large codebases

Engineers needing robust AI assistance for complex tasks

Teams building entire features and applications with AI

Users requiring granular control over AI agent actions

Consider Alternatives If

Non-technical users or those uncomfortable with command-line interfaces

Individuals seeking a fully managed, cloud-hosted AI coding solution

Projects that require a visual development environment or IDE integration

* Verdict is based on our algorithmic scoring of publicly available data. Learn about our methodology

SWE-agent is best for

✍️Writing & Content8.0💬Chat & Conversation8.0🔍Research7.0

Plandex is best for

✍️Writing & Content9.0💬Chat & Conversation9.0🤖Automation & Agents7.0

Filter by your use case:

Pros & Cons

SWE-agent

Pros

Achieves state-of-the-art performance on SWE-bench
Offers high flexibility with choice of language models
Fully configurable through a single YAML file
Designed for research, making it simple and hackable
Supports multimodal input for processing images in issues
Open-source with an active community

Cons

Currently in maintenance-only mode, superseded by mini-swe-agent
Requires technical expertise for setup and configuration
Performance is dependent on the chosen language model
Not a plug-and-play solution for non-developers
May require human oversight for critical code changes

Plandex

Pros

Open source and community-driven
Designed for large-scale projects and files
Offers flexible autonomy levels
Supports multiple AI models to avoid vendor lock-in
Includes a diff review sandbox for isolated changes
Terminal-based workflow is familiar to developers

Cons

Requires command-line proficiency
No graphical user interface (GUI) available
Plandex Cloud service is winding down, focusing solely on self-hosted
May have a learning curve for new users unfamiliar with AI agents
Relies on external AI models, incurring their respective costs

Weighted Score — Adjust What Matters to You

Pick a profile or drag sliders — scores and radar update instantly on the right.

Quick profiles:

Ease of Use5

Output Quality5

Value for Money5

Customization5

Support5

Integration5

Accuracy & Reliability5

Safety & Alignment5

Performance5

Task Completion5

Tool Use Correctness5

Planning Quality5

Dimension Comparison

SWE-agent

6.3

/ 10

Your pick

Plandex

6.0

/ 10

Dimension Breakdown

Ease of Use

How intuitive is onboarding, UI navigation, and day-to-day usage for the target audience?

SWE-agent

3.0

Plandex

4.0▲ +1.0

Output Quality

How accurate, reliable, and useful are the outputs this product generates?

SWE-agent

7.0

Plandex

7.0

Value for Money

How well does the pricing match the features and output quality delivered?

SWE-agent

10.0▲ +2.0

Plandex

8.0

Customization

Calculated

How much can users tailor workflows, settings, prompts, or outputs to their needs?

SWE-agent

7.0▲ +3.0

Plandex

4.0

Support

How strong is the documentation, customer support, community, and learning resources?

SWE-agent

7.0▲ +1.0

Plandex

6.0

Integration

Calculated

How well does it connect with other tools, APIs, and workflows?

SWE-agent

4.0

Plandex

7.0▲ +3.0

Accuracy & Reliability

Factual accuracy and hallucination resistance

SWE-agent

—

Plandex

—

Safety & Alignment

Calculated

Bias mitigation, content filtering, harmful-output prevention

SWE-agent

—

Plandex

—

Performance

Calculated

Latency + throughput speed

SWE-agent

—

Plandex

—

Task Completion

End-to-end task success rate

SWE-agent

—

Plandex

—

Tool Use Correctness

Picks the correct tool + correct arguments

SWE-agent

—

Plandex

—

Planning Quality

Calculated

Multi-step planning depth + replanning capability

SWE-agent

—

Plandex

—

Calculated = derived from verified integration count and API/open-source signals. AI = LLM-assessed from public website content. Methodology

Task Performance

SWE-agent

Task

Plandex

6.0

Code Completion

7.0

8.0

Bug Detection

8.0

7.0

Code Explanation

7.0

Refactoring

7.0

6.0

Test Generation

6.0

5.0

Multi Language Support

7.0

8.0

Context Understanding

9.0

7.0

Documentation Generation

6.0

7.0

Performance Optimization

7.0

8.0

Security Scanning

5.0

* Task scores (1–10) are algorithmically generated from publicly available data.

Data is sourced from public information and vendor websites. It may not always be up-to-date — verify pricing and features directly with the vendor before purchasing.Report inaccuracy

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, SWE-agent or Plandex?

Both are strong options. SWE-agent has a rating of 0.0/5 (0 reviews), while Plandex has a rating of 0.0/5 (0 reviews). The best choice depends on your specific use case, budget, and workflow requirements.

Is SWE-agent cheaper than Plandex?

SWE-agent starts at free (open_source model). Plandex starts at free (open_source model). Use the Cost Calculator above for a detailed estimate.

What are the main differences between SWE-agent and Plandex?

SWE-agent — "Autonomously fix GitHub issues and perform coding tasks with your preferred language model.". Plandex — "Build real-world software with AI, designed for large projects and complex tasks.". Key differences include their pricing models, platform support, integrations, and technical capabilities. See the Feature Comparison table above for a complete side-by-side breakdown.

Can I use SWE-agent and Plandex together?

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