Amazon Q Developer: Features, Pricing, Models & Alternatives (2026)

Last researched: September 26, 2026. Pricing and included usage limits can change — verify current figures at aws.amazon.com/q/developer/pricing.

Amazon Q Developer is AWS's generative-AI-powered assistant for software development, built by Amazon Web Services. It combines inline code suggestions, a chat interface, security scanning, and agentic code-transformation features across IDEs, the command line, and the AWS Management Console, with particular emphasis on AWS-specific development workflows and legacy application modernization.

What Is Amazon Q Developer?

Amazon Q Developer (the successor and expansion of Amazon's earlier CodeWhisperer product) is AWS's answer to AI pair-programming, positioned specifically for developers building on or migrating to AWS. Beyond standard autocomplete-style suggestions and chat, its distinguishing feature is agentic "code transformation" — for example, automating Java version upgrades across a codebase — plus deep integration with AWS Console for explaining infrastructure, diagnosing errors, and answering questions about a user's actual AWS resources.

Key Capabilities

• Real-time inline code suggestions and full-function generation across supported IDEs
• Chat-based assistance for code questions, debugging, and AWS resource/service questions
• Automated security and vulnerability scanning of code
• Agentic code transformation for tasks like upgrading Java applications to newer language versions
• Natural-language interaction with AWS Console to explain errors and resources and take some actions
• Reference tracking that flags code suggestions matching public training data, with an option to suppress such suggestions
• Automated pull request generation, code review, and test-coverage improvements via GitHub/GitLab integrations

Main Features

Use Cases

• In-IDE code completion and chat for day-to-day development
• Automated legacy Java application upgrades at scale
• Security vulnerability scanning as part of a development or CI workflow
• Troubleshooting AWS infrastructure and resource errors via natural language
• Automated pull-request review and test-coverage improvements on GitHub/GitLab
• Operations support via Slack/Microsoft Teams for monitoring and troubleshooting AWS resources

Supported Models / Technologies

Amazon Q Developer runs on foundation models served through Amazon Bedrock. AWS materials referenced in this research indicate the Free tier includes "access to the latest Claude models," implying Anthropic's Claude family is part of the underlying model mix, alongside Amazon's own first-party models. AWS does not publish one single fixed model name as "the" Amazon Q Developer model, and the exact blend can change; treat specific model names as not fully disclosed/confirmed beyond the Claude reference found in this research. Agentic capability (multi-step code transformation, autonomous PR generation) is a core, named feature rather than a side chat function.

Platforms

• IDE integration: VS Code, JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ IDEA, others), Visual Studio, Eclipse (preview)
• CLI: supported across 250+ common command-line tools (git, aws, docker, npm, yarn, and more)
• Web: AWS Management Console chat integration
• Chat platforms: Microsoft Teams and Slack, for operational/AWS resource use cases
• API: usable programmatically as part of AWS's broader developer tooling, though Q Developer is primarily consumed through the IDE/CLI/console integrations above rather than a general public chat API
• No dedicated standalone desktop or mobile app was found for Amazon Q Developer specifically

Integrations

• GitHub.com and GitHub Enterprise Cloud (preview) — automated fixes, feature implementation, test coverage, documentation, PR review
• GitLab Duo with Amazon Q — generally available, agentic AI woven into GitLab's DevSecOps workflow
• Microsoft Teams and Slack — operational chat for AWS resource monitoring/troubleshooting
• IAM Identity Center — for Pro tier single sign-on and centralized access control
• Broad CLI ecosystem integration (git, aws, docker, npm, yarn, and 250+ others)

Pricing

| Plan | Price | Notes | |---|---| | Free | $0 | 50 agentic requests/month, code suggestions, chat, security scanning, IDE/CLI access, 1,000 lines/month of Java code transformation; excludes IP indemnity and admin dashboard | | Pro | $19 per user/month | Higher agentic request limits, 4,000 lines/user/month of code transformation pooled at the account level (then $0.003 per additional line), admin dashboard, IP indemnity, IAM Identity Center SSO, automatic data-collection opt-out |

Billing is per user per month, pro-rated for partial months on sign-up, with the full month charged even if a seat is canceled mid-cycle, per AWS's published terms.

Advantages

• Free tier is a genuine perpetual plan (not a time-limited trial), covering core suggestion/chat/scanning features
• Deep, native integration with AWS Console and AWS resources is a differentiator versus general-purpose coding assistants
• Agentic Java code-transformation feature addresses a concrete, high-value legacy-modernization use case
• Broad CLI coverage (250+ tools) extends assistance well beyond the IDE

Limitations

• Most differentiated features (higher agentic limits, admin controls, IP indemnity) are gated behind the paid Pro tier
• Code transformation is currently most documented for Java upgrades rather than broad multi-language refactoring
• Value is strongest for teams already invested in AWS; less AWS-specific benefit for teams on other clouds
• Exact underlying model composition is not fully disclosed publicly

Security & Privacy

The Pro tier includes an automatic data-collection opt-out and IP indemnity for generated code, plus IAM Identity Center integration for centralized authentication and access policies. The Free tier does not include IP indemnity or the admin dashboard. For complete, current data-retention and model-training policies, consult AWS's own Amazon Q Developer security and data privacy documentation.

Best For

Amazon Q Developer is best suited to developers and organizations already building on AWS who want AI assistance that understands their actual cloud resources, plus teams facing large-scale legacy Java modernization work where the agentic code-transformation feature offers a concrete, measurable time savings.

Alternatives

• GitHub Copilot — broader multi-cloud/general-purpose IDE assistant with wide language and editor support
• Gemini Code Assist — comparable cloud-vendor-native assistant for teams standardized on Google Cloud
• OpenAI Codex — general-purpose agentic coding assistant via ChatGPT, not tied to a specific cloud vendor
• Cursor — AI-native code editor for developers who want a dedicated local editor experience
• Tabnine — code-completion-focused assistant with strong on-premises/private-deployment options

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Amazon Q Developer free?

Yes, there is a permanent Free tier with 50 agentic requests per month, code suggestions, chat, and security scanning. It excludes IP indemnity and the admin dashboard, which require the Pro tier at $19 per user per month.

What IDEs does Amazon Q Developer support?

It provides inline suggestions, chat, and scanning in VS Code, JetBrains IDEs (including IntelliJ IDEA), Visual Studio, and Eclipse (in preview), plus command-line support for git, the AWS CLI, Docker, npm, yarn, and 250+ other popular CLIs.

Which underlying AI models does Amazon Q Developer use?

Amazon Q Developer runs on foundation models hosted on Amazon Bedrock. AWS has indicated access to Anthropic Claude models as part of its offering, alongside Amazon's own models, but a complete, fixed model list is not publicly disclosed.

Can Amazon Q Developer help upgrade legacy Java applications?

Yes. Its code transformation capability can automate upgrades of Java applications (for example, from older Java versions to Java 17/21), with a monthly line-of-code allowance included in each tier and metered billing beyond that allowance on the Pro tier.

Does Amazon Q Developer integrate with GitHub and GitLab?

Yes. It integrates with GitHub.com and GitHub Enterprise Cloud (preview) for automated fixes, test coverage, documentation, and PR code review, and with GitLab through the generally available GitLab Duo with Amazon Q integration.

Final Summary

Amazon Q Developer is AWS's AI coding assistant, distinguished less by novel chat features and more by its native ties to AWS Console, IAM, and agentic Java code-transformation tooling. Its two-tier pricing (a real free plan plus a $19/user/month Pro tier) makes it accessible for individual use, while its deepest value — resource-aware troubleshooting and legacy modernization at scale — is aimed squarely at teams already committed to the AWS ecosystem.