Claude pulled 20,748 total Hacker News points across 10 mentions in our dataset, more than any other AI tool this week. Gemini followed with 15,813 points, then ChatGPT at 14,379 and DeepSeek at 12,344. The developer-only tools are smaller but stickier: GitHub Copilot hit 10,420 points from 10 mentions, while Cursor AI, Codeium, and Tabnine attracted under 1,100 points combined. This gap suggests general-purpose LLMs still dominate mindshare on Hacker News, but coding assistants hold their own in focused discussions.
> Quick Verdict: Claude is the clear winner for freelancers and small teams that want a high-engagement general assistant because it led our dataset in total Hacker News points and posts transparent pricing. However, GitHub Copilot is the better choice for developers who need IDE-native code completion at a lower $10/month entry price.
Price Comparison: Where the Money Goes
Prices below come from our dataset and reflect public starting prices, not enterprise quotes. We did not guess on tools with unverified pricing.
| Tool | Category | Free Tier | Starting Price | Team Price | HN Total Points | Best For | Key Feature |
|—|—|—|—|—|—|—|—|
| Claude | LLM | Yes | $20/month | $30/user/month | 20,748 | General assistant | Highest HN engagement |
| DeepSeek | LLM | Yes | API