The Stack
The tools I run
AI tools I use in real work, tested and rated. Sort any column, filter by category or pricing. Each verdict is a judgment, not a roundup.
8 tools · last updated 2026-05-08
| Product | Category | Rating | Pricing | Verdict | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | Agentic coding | 9/10 | paid | Use it | 2.1 · 2026-05-16 |
| Cursor | IDE | 8/10 | paid | Use it | 2.4 · 2026-05-14 |
| Codex CLI | CLI agent | 8/10 | open-source | Use it | 0.40 · 2026-05-13 |
| Windsurf | IDE | 7/10 | paid | Worth watching | 1.10 · 2026-05-07 |
| Ollama | Other | 9/10 | open-source | Use it | 0.5 · 2026-05-13 |
| LangGraph | Framework | 7/10 | open-source | Worth watching | 0.3 · 2026-05-10 |
| Zed | IDE | 8/10 | open-source | Use it | 0.160 · 2026-05-03 |
| v0 | Other | 7/10 | freemium | Worth watching | 2.0 · 2026-05-08 |
No tools match those filters.
Stack changelog
- 2026-05-16 Claude Code Retested on 2.1 — verdict held, still the first reach.
- 2026-05-14 Cursor Retested on 2.4 — inline edits faster, rating held at 8.
- 2026-05-13 Codex CLI Retested on 0.40 — second-opinion role holds, rating held at 8.
- 2026-05-13 Ollama Retested on 0.5 — still the local default, verdict held.
- 2026-05-10 LangGraph Retested on 0.3 — docs improved, rating held at 7.
- 2026-05-08 Claude Code Added to the Stack at 9/10.
- 2026-05-08 v0 Retested on 2.0 — output quality up, rating held at 7.
- 2026-05-07 Windsurf Retested on 1.10 — autonomy still uneven, kept at Worth watching.
- 2026-05-05 Cursor Added to the Stack at 8/10.
- 2026-04-28 Codex CLI Added to the Stack at 8/10.
- 2026-04-23 Windsurf Added to the Stack at 7/10.
- 2026-04-16 Ollama Added to the Stack at 9/10.
- 2026-04-09 LangGraph Added to the Stack at 7/10.
- 2026-04-01 Zed Added to the Stack at 8/10.
- 2026-03-20 v0 Added to the Stack at 7/10.