Comparison
Amazon Q Developer Alternative - A PR-Native Agent for GitHub and GitLab
Amazon Q Developer and Agentcode both take a task and open a pull request. The difference is where they are at home: Q Developer is deepest inside the AWS and GitHub world, while Agentcode is host-first and works the same on GitHub or GitLab, on a flat bill.
No card to start · Review-first: the agent never merges
In short
Most people now need an Amazon Q Developer alternative because AWS is retiring it: new Free Tier signups and new subscriptions were blocked on May 15, 2026, and the IDE plugins and paid Q Developer Pro subscriptions reach end of support on April 30, 2027, with the Java and .NET code transformation features retiring too. AWS points users to Kiro, a separate agentic IDE billed on credits from $20 a month with overage at $0.04 per credit, while AWS Transform replaces the transformation features. Amazon Q Developer in the AWS Management Console, the Slack and Teams integrations, and the separate Amazon Q Business product are not affected. Agentcode is an alternative built to be host-neutral and stack-neutral: it opens reviewable pull requests on both GitHub and GitLab, on any hosting, runs your existing test suite, and bills as a flat subscription from $29 a month with no per-line meter and no credit pool. It never merges on its own and never trains on your code.
Where Amazon Q Developer shines
Amazon Q Developer is a strong, cheap, AWS-native tool, and for a Java shop already living in AWS it was hard to argue with. The free tier was genuinely usable, Pro is only $19 per user a month, and its agent opens pull requests from a GitHub issue with the feature-development label or a /q dev command. It is particularly good at things AWS cares about: security scanning, code review, and large-scale legacy Java transformation. Credit where it is due: that transformation tooling had no real equal at the price.
Where Agentcode is different
The most important thing to know in July 2026 is that you probably cannot buy Amazon Q Developer at all. AWS blocked new Free Tier signups and new subscriptions on May 15, 2026, and the IDE plugins and paid Pro subscriptions reach end of support on April 30, 2027, with the Java and .NET code transformation features retiring alongside them. AWS points developers at Kiro instead, a separate agentic IDE that is credit-metered from $20 a month for 1,000 credits with overage at $0.04 per credit. So for most people reading this page, "alternative" is no longer a preference, it is a migration. Beyond that, Agentcode is the alternative when your world is not AWS-shaped. Q Developer's pull-request agent is at its best on GitHub, and its GitLab path runs through GitLab Duo with Amazon Q, which is limited to self-managed GitLab on the Ultimate tier. Agentcode treats GitHub and GitLab as equals, on any hosting and any tier, and it is not tied to a cloud vendor or oriented around Java transformation. It does one thing across any stack: take a task, edit your repo, run your tests, and open a reviewable pull request on a flat subscription with no per-line transformation metering. It never merges on its own and never trains on your code. If Q Developer's value is bundled with AWS and Java, Agentcode's value is being neutral about where your code lives.
| How they compare | Agentcode | Amazon Q Developer |
|---|---|---|
| Can you still buy it? | Yes, available now, free to start. | No. New signups and new subscriptions were blocked on May 15, 2026. |
| Supported until | Actively developed, no announced end date. | April 30, 2027 for the IDE plugins and paid Pro subscriptions. |
| Primary job | Take a whole task and return a reviewable pull request with passing tests. | IDE and CLI assistant plus an agent for feature development, code review, security scans, and Java transformation. |
| Repo support | GitHub and GitLab equally, any hosting, any tier. | Pull-request agent is strongest on GitHub; GitLab runs through GitLab Duo with Amazon Q, on self-managed Ultimate only. |
| Ecosystem | Neutral: no cloud vendor and no language bias. | Deepest value inside AWS, and especially for large Java codebases. |
| Pricing model | Flat monthly subscription. No per-line metering. | Free tier and $19 per user Pro; transformations metered at $0.003 per line above the allowance. |
| Tests | Runs your test suite and shows it green before you look. | Runs checks in its agent environment and can iterate on PR feedback. |
| Control | You review and merge; the agent never merges on its own. | You review and merge the PR; the agent iterates via /q commands. |
| Training on your code | Never. | Not on Pro; the free tier may use content to improve models unless you opt out. |
Prefer a head-to-head? See Agentcode vs Amazon Q Developer, or read what an AI coding agent is, or compare what AI coding assistants actually cost.
Amazon Q Developer pricing vs Agentcode pricing
Amazon Q Developer is cheaper on the sticker, but the sticker is now mostly historical: new subscriptions closed on May 15, 2026, so these prices only apply if you were already a customer. Existing subscribers keep plugin access until April 30, 2027 and can still add users to a subscription they already have. Prices below are as AWS published them and as we checked them in July 2026.
| Plan | Price (USD) | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Q Developer Free (closed to new users) | $0 | 50 agentic requests a month and 1,000 lines of Java transformation. New signups blocked May 15, 2026. |
| Q Developer Pro (closed to new subs) | $19 per user / mo | Higher agent limits and 4,000 lines of transformation a month, pooled at the AWS payer-account level. Supported to April 30, 2027. |
| Q Developer transformations | $0.003 per line | Metered rate for lines of code transformed above the allowance. Retires with the plugins. |
| Kiro (the AWS-recommended move) | From $20 / mo | Credit-metered: 1,000 credits on Pro, extra credits $0.04 each. A meter, not a flat seat. |
| Agentcode Starter | $29 / mo billed yearly | One connected repo, task to pull request, GitHub and GitLab, review-first. |
Amazon Q Developer pricing as published by the vendor and checked in July 2026. Check their site for the current figure before you buy. For every plan, the seat math and the questions buyers ask, see the full Amazon Q Developer pricing breakdown. See how Amazon Q Developer and every other tool bill, flat versus metered, on the AI coding tool pricing comparison.
Amazon Q Developer alternatives: your questions answered
What is the best Amazon Q Developer alternative?
It depends on why you are switching, and in 2026 most people are switching because AWS is retiring it. If your work is AWS-native, Kiro is the first-party path, though it bills on credits rather than a flat seat. If you bought Q Developer for Java or .NET modernization, AWS Transform replaces that specifically. If you want an agent that opens pull requests on GitLab as easily as GitHub on a predictable flat bill, a host-neutral agent like Agentcode fits.
Is Amazon Q Developer being discontinued?
Yes, in part. The Amazon Q Developer IDE plugins for VS Code, JetBrains, Eclipse and Visual Studio and the paid Pro subscriptions reach end of support on April 30, 2027, and new signups and subscriptions were blocked on May 15, 2026. Code transformation features retire with them. Q Developer in the AWS Management Console, the Slack and Teams integrations, and Amazon Q Business are not affected.
What should I migrate to from Amazon Q Developer?
Kiro is what AWS recommends: a standalone agentic IDE built on Code OSS with a CLI and web interface, organized around spec-driven development, priced on credits from $20 a month. For Java upgrades and .NET porting, use AWS Transform instead. If what you want is a flat bill and an agent that opens a reviewable pull request on GitHub or GitLab, Agentcode is $29 a month with no meter. Plan it before April 30, 2027 rather than after.
Does Amazon Q Developer open pull requests?
Yes. On GitHub, applying the feature-development label to an issue or using the /q dev command takes a task from idea to a completed pull request, and it iterates on review feedback through /q commands. The GitLab path runs through GitLab Duo with Amazon Q and is limited to self-managed GitLab on the Ultimate tier.
Does Amazon Q Developer work with GitLab?
Partly. Its integration with GitLab is delivered through GitLab Duo with Amazon Q, which requires self-managed GitLab on the Ultimate tier, so hosted GitLab and lower tiers are not covered. If your code is on GitLab and you want an agent to open merge requests there without that constraint, that is the specific gap Agentcode fills.
Is Agentcode cheaper than Amazon Q Developer?
Not on the sticker: Q Developer Pro is $19 per user a month and has a free tier, while Agentcode starts at $29 a month billed yearly. The comparison that matters is total cost with your workload. Q Developer meters code transformations per line above the allowance, while Agentcode is flat with no per-line metering, which is easier to forecast at volume.
Does Amazon Q Developer train on your code?
On the Pro tier, no: your content is not used to improve the service or train the foundation models. On the free tier it may be used to improve models unless you opt out. Agentcode never trains on your code on any plan, which is a common reason teams with sensitive repositories look for an alternative.
Last updated: August 2026
Further reading
Amazon Q Developer is being retired, so this is a migration decision rather than a preference. Amazon Q Developer versus Kiro covers the end-of-support timeline, what AWS wants you to move to, and why a credit meter is not the same as the flat seat you had. For the migration budget itself, Kiro pricing lists every tier and the per-model credit multipliers that decide what you will actually spend. If the reason you bought Q Developer was modernization work, AI code migration and refactoring legacy code with AI cover what that job needs from a tool.
See the difference
A reviewable pull request, every time
Pick a task
Plan
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Files changed
Test run
Pull request
You review and merge. Agentcode never merges on its own.
Compare Agentcode with other AI coding tools
Weighing up the cost of each? Read what AI coding assistants actually cost, or see the enterprise AI coding assistant requirements. If you are still comparing the whole field, the guide to the best AI for coding covers nine tools with verified pricing and an honest note on who each one is wrong for.
Try Agentcode on your repo
No new IDE. Connect a repo and review the first PR.