Cognition, the startup behind the buzzworthy AI coding agent Devin, has rolled out a budget-friendly entry-level plan aimed at attracting more users to the platform.
Since its launch, Devin made waves online for its ability to handle certain software development tasks without human intervention. The tool went viral on social media, capturing the attention of tech leaders like Perplexity AI’s CEO Aravind Srinivas. While early feedback highlighted its struggles with complex programming work, the buzz significantly boosted Cognition’s visibility in the crowded AI space.
Originally priced at a steep $500 per month for team access, Devin was clearly positioned for enterprise-level users. But now, Cognition is shaking things up. Just weeks after reportedly securing hundreds of millions in new funding, the company introduced a lower-cost alternative: a $20 entry package that shifts users to a flexible pay-as-you-go model.
This new pricing tier is designed to lower the barrier to entry — but there’s a catch.
How the New Devin Pricing Works
With the $20 starter plan, users receive approximately 9 Active Compute Units (ACUs), Cognition’s internal credit system for measuring compute usage. At this tier, each ACU costs $2.25 — a slight markup from the $2 ACU rate available to subscribers on the $500 plan.
So what can 9 ACUs get you? According to Cognition, one ACU covers about 15 minutes of “active Devin work.” That means the $20 plan offers just over two hours of usable time — not ideal for users working with large codebases or running intensive development tasks.
Devin 2.0 Promises Major Improvements
Despite the limitations of the lower-tier plan, Cognition insists that the latest version of the tool — dubbed Devin 2.0 — is significantly more capable than before. It now offers features similar to GitHub’s Copilot, such as generating detailed development plans, answering coding questions with citations, and auto-creating documentation wikis for project repositories.
Silas Alberti, a developer on the Devin team, claimed in a recent interview that Devin “gets twice as much work done as before,” emphasizing improvements in both speed and performance.
However, the tool’s capabilities still come with some caveats.
Caution Remains Around AI Coding Tools
Despite bold claims, experts caution that AI-powered development tools — including Devin — are far from perfect. Research has shown that code generated by AI can often include bugs or even security vulnerabilities due to gaps in logic and contextual understanding.
In fact, a recent evaluation found that Devin only completed 3 out of 20 assigned tasks correctly. That track record may give potential users pause, especially if they’re considering relying on the tool for mission-critical work.
Still, with its lower-cost offering, Cognition is clearly hoping to bring more developers into its ecosystem — especially those curious to test out the promise of autonomous coding agents without the upfront financial commitment.
