Cognition AI vs Refraction (2026): Pricing, Features & Which to Choose

Who comes out ahead

Based only on the facts in our directory. The right pick still depends on the job you need done.

Lower starting price
Not comparable
Not comparable: Refraction does not list a price
Free plan
Tie
Both have one
Higher rating
Cognition AI
4.1 against 3.9
Same job?
Yes
Both are Coding tools

Side by side

Compared on	Cognition AI	Refraction
Our rating	4.1Better	3.9
Starts at	$20/mo	Free
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Category	Coding	Coding
Plans	From $20/mo	Free
Key features	Autonomous planning, coding, testing, and PR creation from a single ticket Sandboxed VM execution isolated from a team's live environment Integration with existing code repositories and developer tools Agent Compute Unit-based usage pricing Deployment inside large enterprise codebases referenced publicly by the company	Unit test generation from pasted code Refactoring suggestions and code explanations Documentation generation for existing functions Browser-based with no editor extension required
Pros	Handles full ticket-to-PR workflows, beyond inline code suggestions Backed by a funding round and valuation that signal long-term investment in the product Deployed at large, complex organizations beyond early-adopter startups	Targets the work that actually gets skipped under deadline No setup, so it is usable on any codebase immediately
Cons	ACU-based pricing makes real monthly cost hard to predict in advance Independent reporting has questioned whether early demos overstated real-world reliability Best suited to well-scoped tickets rather than ambiguous, judgment-heavy work	Generated tests can assert the wrong behaviour if accepted unread Browser paste workflow is clumsier than an in-editor assistant
Company	Cognition AI, founded 2023

Prices come from each vendor's pricing page, last checked 20260811. Check the vendor before you buy.

FAQ

Questions people ask

Is Cognition AI better than Refraction?

In our reviews Cognition AI scores 4.1 and Refraction scores 3.9. The better pick depends on the job. Cognition AI: Cognition AI built Devin, an autonomous coding agent that plans, writes, tests, and ships code inside a sandboxed development environment. Refraction: Generates unit tests, refactors and documentation from code you paste in.

Which is cheaper, Cognition AI or Refraction?

Cognition AI: from $20/mo. Refraction: free.

Do Cognition AI and Refraction have free plans?

Yes, both have a free plan.

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