Softwr

Developer Tools · head to head

Cody vs shadcn/ui

Cody logo

Cody

Developer Tools

AI coding assistant powered by code search

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
shadcn/ui logo

shadcn/ui

Web Development

Copy-paste React components you own, not a dependency

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Cody sourcegraph now publishes a single Enterprise plan starting at $16K, with no free or individual Pro tier listed on the pricing page; shadcn/ui no upgrade path: once copied, upstream fixes and improvements are yours to port by hand
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cody and shadcn/ui actually diverge.

Attributes where Cody and shadcn/ui differ
AttributeCodyshadcn/ui
Pricing modelfreemiumOpen source, no licence fee
CategoryDeveloper ToolsWeb Development
Founded2013Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Cody

Nothing recorded that shadcn/ui does not also cover.

Only in shadcn/ui

  • Copy, not install
  • Radix primitives
  • Tailwind styling
  • Themeable

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Cody

  • Code completion and intelligent autocomplete in IDEsnot shadcn/ui
  • Developer chat with codebase context awarenessnot shadcn/ui
  • Automated debugging and error identificationnot shadcn/ui
  • Customizable prompts for workflow automationnot shadcn/ui

shadcn/ui

  • Projects already using Tailwind that need accessible components without a theming fightnot Cody
  • Design systems that will diverge from any library’s defaults anywaynot Cody
  • Teams who have been burned by breaking changes in component library upgradesnot Cody

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Cody

  • Sourcegraph now publishes a single Enterprise plan starting at $16K, with no free or individual Pro tier listed on the pricing page
  • sourcegraph.com/cody redirects to the documentation rather than a Cody product or pricing page
  • AI features are metered as credits included per user, and exceeding the allocation requires buying a higher volume bucket
  • Volume credit buckets are sold as an add-on rather than included
  • A customer success manager and premium support are optional paid extras on top of the Enterprise plan
  • Standard support is 24x5 rather than 24x7, with round-the-clock coverage sold as an upgrade
  • The published $16K figure is a starting price that scales with team size, so the actual cost is quoted rather than listed

shadcn/ui

  • No upgrade path: once copied, upstream fixes and improvements are yours to port by hand
  • Requires Tailwind and React, so it is not an option outside that stack
  • Component code lives in your repository, which grows it and puts maintenance on your team
  • Its popularity has made the default look recognisable, which undercuts the customisation argument

Pricing, plan by plan

Cody

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Cody review.

shadcn/ui

Free
  • shadcn/uiFree
    • Full functionality
    • Commercial use permitted
    • Community support

Which should you pick?

Choose Cody if

  • You want to start without paying.
Cody review

Choose shadcn/ui if

  • You need copy, not install.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want radix primitives.
shadcn/ui review

Questions people ask

Is Cody or shadcn/ui better?
Neither clearly leads. Cody starts at Free and shadcn/ui at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cody or shadcn/ui?
Cody starts at Free and shadcn/ui at Free.
Does Cody or shadcn/ui run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Cody for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Cody best used for?
Cody is most often used for code completion and intelligent autocomplete in ides, developer chat with codebase context awareness, automated debugging and error identification, customizable prompts for workflow automation. Of those, code completion and intelligent autocomplete in ides and developer chat with codebase context awareness are not what shadcn/ui is typically brought in for.
What can Cody do that shadcn/ui cannot?
shadcn/ui covers Copy, not install, Radix primitives, Tailwind styling, Themeable.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cody: Is Cody free?

Cody offers a free tier for individual developers via VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, and the web app. Unlimited free usage is available for solo developers.

Source
shadcn/ui: Is shadcn/ui free?

Yes, open source and free for commercial use.

Cody: What does Cody Enterprise cost?

Cody Enterprise pricing is custom and requires contacting Sourcegraph sales. It is available for Sourcegraph Enterprise customers and must be quoted based on your deployment and usage needs.

Source
shadcn/ui: Why is it not an npm package?

So you own the code. Components are copied into your project, which makes customisation trivial — at the cost of receiving no automatic updates.

Cody: What LLMs does Cody use?

Cody uses the latest large language models for code completions, chat, and debugging. It leverages Sourcegraph's advanced Search API to pull codebase context from local and remote repositories.

Source
shadcn/ui: Do I need Tailwind?

Yes. Components are styled with Tailwind utility classes and built on Radix primitives, so both are required.

Share

Related pages

More on Cody

More on shadcn/ui

Keep looking

Other head to heads