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Developer Tools · head to head

Sweep vs Thought Machine

Sweep logo

Sweep

Developer Tools

AI coding assistant for JetBrains IDEs

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Thought Machine logo

Thought Machine

Technology

Cloud native core banking where products are written as smart contracts

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Sweep has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Sweep limited to JetBrains IDEs only, not available for VS Code or other editors; Thought Machine a core replacement is a two to four year programme at an established bank, and the licence is a minority of total cost against system integrator fees, parallel running and data migration.
  • They diverge on capability: Sweep covers Autocomplete, Thought Machine covers Smart contract product engine.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Sweep and Thought Machine actually diverge.

Attributes where Sweep and Thought Machine differ
AttributeSweepThought Machine
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFreemium with paid tiersquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsJetBrains IDEsWeb, API, Cloud
CategoryDeveloper ToolsTechnology
Founded2023Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Sweep

  • Autocomplete
  • AI Agent
  • Full codebase indexing
  • Code review functionality
  • Multi-IDE support
  • GitHub integration

Only in Thought Machine

  • Smart contract product engine
  • Cloud native architecture
  • Real time ledger
  • Vault Payments
  • API first design
  • Multi entity and multi currency
  • Product versioning and testing
  • Configurable posting rules

What people use each for

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

Sweep

  • Accelerating code completion for JetBrains developersnot Thought Machine
  • Automating refactoring tasks across codebasesnot Thought Machine
  • Handling bug fixes with full repository contextnot Thought Machine
  • Code review and quality assurancenot Thought Machine

Thought Machine

  • A large bank launching a separate digital brand on a clean core rather than migrating the back booknot Sweep
  • A bank whose product launches are blocked by vendor change requests on a legacy corenot Sweep
  • An institution needing real time balances and postings for instant payment obligationsnot Sweep
  • A group consolidating multiple country cores onto one multi entity platformnot Sweep

Where each one falls short

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

Sweep

  • Limited to JetBrains IDEs only, not available for VS Code or other editors
  • Free tier limited to 1,000 autocompletes per month
  • API credit consumption varies by feature usage
  • Performance dependent on codebase size and indexing quality

Thought Machine

  • A core replacement is a two to four year programme at an established bank, and the licence is a minority of total cost against system integrator fees, parallel running and data migration.
  • The smart contract model presumes a bank can write and maintain Python financial products, and institutions without that engineering capability end up outsourcing the very flexibility they bought.
  • Cloud infrastructure cost sits with the bank and is not trivial at scale, so total cost of ownership comparisons against a hosted legacy core often miss a large recurring line.
  • Thought Machine has made two rounds of job cuts pursuing profitability, which is a legitimate supplier stability concern for a system a bank expects to run for fifteen years.
  • The functional footprint is core ledger and product engine, so origination, collections, regulatory reporting and channels all come from other vendors, and the integration estate around Vault is the bank's problem to design and own.

Pricing, plan by plan

Sweep

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1,000 autocompletes
    • 5 USD API credits included
    • All JetBrains IDEs supported
  • Pro$20/month
    • Unlimited autocomplete
    • Higher API credit allocation
    • Priority support
  • Ultra$60/month
    • Unlimited autocomplete
    • Maximum API credit allocation
    • Extended context window

Thought Machine

On request
  • Vault Core$undefined/year
    • Quoted per institution, typically on account volumes or annual contract value
    • Implementation and system integrator costs commonly exceed the licence fee
    • Cloud infrastructure costs are the bank's and are not included

Which should you pick?

Choose Sweep if

  • You need autocomplete.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on JetBrains IDEs.
  • You also want ai agent.
Sweep review

Choose Thought Machine if

  • You need smart contract product engine.
  • You work on Web, API, Cloud.
  • You also want cloud native architecture.
Thought Machine review

Questions people ask

Is Sweep or Thought Machine better?
Neither clearly leads. Sweep starts at Free and Thought Machine at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Sweep or Thought Machine?
Sweep has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Sweep and On request for Thought Machine.
Does Sweep or Thought Machine run on more platforms?
Sweep runs on JetBrains IDEs. Thought Machine runs on Web, API, Cloud.
Can I use Sweep for free?
Yes. Sweep has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Thought Machine starts at On request.
What is Sweep best used for?
Sweep is most often used for accelerating code completion for jetbrains developers, automating refactoring tasks across codebases, handling bug fixes with full repository context, code review and quality assurance. Of those, accelerating code completion for jetbrains developers and automating refactoring tasks across codebases are not what Thought Machine is typically brought in for.
What can Sweep do that Thought Machine cannot?
Sweep covers Autocomplete, AI Agent, Full codebase indexing, Code review functionality. Thought Machine covers Smart contract product engine, Cloud native architecture, Real time ledger, Vault Payments.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Sweep: What programming languages does Sweep support?

Sweep works with all programming languages supported by JetBrains IDEs, including Python, Java, JavaScript, Go, Kotlin, C++, and many others.

Source
Thought Machine: Is Vault Core genuinely cloud native?

Yes. It is containerised, runs on Kubernetes on public cloud, and posts in real time rather than in overnight batch.

Sweep: Does Sweep retain my code data?

No. Sweep is SOC 2 Type II certified with zero data retention. Code is processed for suggestions but not stored.

Source
Thought Machine: How long does a migration take?

Eighteen months at the absolute fastest for a narrow greenfield launch; two to four years for a phased migration at an established bank.

Sweep: Can I cancel my Sweep subscription anytime?

Yes. You can cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings with no long-term commitments or cancellation fees.

Source
Thought Machine: Does the licence fee represent the total cost?

No. Implementation, system integration, parallel running and cloud infrastructure typically cost more than the licence over the programme.

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