Amazon Q Developer

Amazon Q Developer provides inline code suggestions, vulnerability scanning, and chat in popular integrated development environments (IDEs). It includes capabilities to provide guidance and support across various aspects of software development, such as answering questions about building on AWS, generating and updating code, security scanning, and optimizing and refactoring code. Solo developers benefit from its extensive AWS integration and enterprise-grade security features available in both free and paid tiers. Among Windsurf alternatives, it stands out for AWS-focused development workflows.

Strengths

Supports multiple IDEs including JetBrains, IntelliJ IDEA, Visual Studio, VS Code, and Eclipse.
Provides inline code suggestions as you type with real-time vulnerability analysis and fixes.
Agentic coding experience that can read and write files directly, execute bash commands, and engage in natural conversations about your code.
CLI integration allows invoking Q directly from terminal to generate code and get suggestions.
Built-in AWS service expertise and integration capabilities.
Free tier available without requiring AWS account through Builder ID authentication.

Weaknesses

Heavy focus on AWS ecosystem may limit appeal for non-AWS projects.
Pro tier usage limits with potential overage charges at $0.003 per line of code for transformations.
Requires AWS knowledge to maximize potential benefits.
Less community-driven compared to open-source alternatives.

Best for

Developers working on AWS-heavy projects who need instant code explanations and AWS service integration.

Pricing plans

Free Tier — $0/month — Basic functionality, authentication via AWS Builder ID without requiring AWS account.
Pro Tier — $19/user/month — Enhanced functionality, codebase customization, wider feature access.

Tech details

Type: AI coding assistant with IDE extensions and CLI integration
IDEs: JetBrains, IntelliJ IDEA, Visual Studio, VS Code, Eclipse (preview)
Key features: Code generation, security scanning, code optimization, refactoring, AWS guidance
Privacy / hosting: Cloud-based, AWS-hosted service with enterprise security controls
Models / context window: Amazon's proprietary models, context size Unknown

When to choose this over Windsurf

You need specialized AWS development guidance and cloud service integration.
Built-in security vulnerability scanning is a priority for your development workflow.
You want both IDE and CLI integration for comprehensive terminal-to-editor workflows.

When Windsurf may be a better fit

You're working primarily on non-AWS projects or prefer cloud-agnostic tools.
Budget constraints make the $19/month Pro pricing prohibitive for individual developers.
You prefer open-source or community-driven development tools over proprietary solutions.

Conclusion

Amazon Q Developer offers a comprehensive agentic coding experience that understands codebase context and helps complete complex tasks through natural dialog. Its strength lies in AWS ecosystem integration and enterprise-grade security features. While competitively priced at $19/user against similar tools like GitHub Copilot Business, it's best suited for developers already invested in AWS infrastructure. The free tier provides substantial value for experimentation and light usage.