Which AI coding tool makes the most money for its users?

None of them, measurably. Claude Code and Cursor both hold 10 third-party-verified revenue figures, and their medians sit at $15K/mo and $14K/mo — a gap smaller than the noise in any single case. What differs is what people build, and how many published a number.

Why is the Codex list so small?

Codex arrived late to the creator economy that produces these breakdowns. Ten indexed cases is an anecdote, not a sample. The oddest detail: none of the seven Codex cases with a monthly figure reports under $20K/mo, which reflects who films videos, not who ships small profitable things.

Does a verified grade mean the business is good?

No. It means the number was corroborated beyond the founder's word — a dashboard on camera, a store payout, a tracking-tool placement. A verified $100/mo extension and a verified $500K/mo portfolio carry the same grade. It says how much to trust a figure, not whether to copy it.

Should I switch tools based on this table?

Almost certainly not. In every column, the cases that earn share a narrow paid problem and a reachable buyer, not an editor. Switching costs a week of muscle memory and buys nothing the evidence can detect. The one honest signal is which community publishes numbers, not which product is better.

ProvenStartups

Claude Code vs Cursor vs Codex vs Gemini: the revenue table

Claude Code leads on revenue evidence — 49 indexed cases, 10 third-party verified — with Cursor right behind at 44 and 10. But this table ranks which…

ProvenStartups·Published 2026-09-22

Claude Code leads on revenue evidence — 49 indexed cases, 10 third-party verified — with Cursor right behind at 44 and 10. But this table ranks which tool's builders publish numbers, not which tool earns more. Three files are too thin to rank: Windsurf has 2 cases, Copilot 5, Codex 10. Read those three as anecdotes.

·Which AI coding tool has the most revenue evidence?
·What does each headline tool's file say?
·What about the prompt-to-app and thin files?
·How is a case graded?
·Which one would we actually pick?
·Frequently asked questions

Close-up of hands coding on a laptop, focusing on programming productivity. — Photo by Alicia Christin Gerald on Pexels

Which AI coding tool has the most revenue evidence?

Claude Code, on both counts: 49 indexed cases and 10 third-party-verified revenue figures, against Cursor's 44 and 10. Codex is proportionally better verified — 3 of 10 — and far too small to rank. Bands below come only from cases publishing a clean monthly figure.

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Claude Code	49	10	21 figures · median $15K/mo · 13 between $1K–$20K · 2 over $100K · $100–$500K/mo	CoinSnap portfolio $500K/mo ✅	Codex · Cursor · Gemini CLI · Copilot · ChatGPT
Cursor	44	10	26 figures · median $14K/mo · 18 between $1K–$20K · 3 over $100K · $2K–$600K/mo	Gravl $440K/mo ✅	Claude Code · Codex · Windsurf · Copilot · Replit
Gemini	26	3	12 figures · median $12.5K/mo · 3 over $100K · $300–$600K/mo	Mine Marketing $140K/mo ✅	vs Claude Code
Lovable	19	4	5 figures only · $100–$180K/mo	Fluently ~$100 MRR ✅	Base44 · Replit · Bolt
Bolt	15	2	7 figures · median $25.6K/mo · $10K–$250K/mo	Sprout $250K/mo ✅	vs Lovable
Replit	13	3	4 figures only · $2.5K–$42K/mo · none over $100K	Peptide Tracker $11K MRR ✅	Lovable · Cursor
Codex	10	3	7 figures · median $30.9K/mo · nothing under $20K/mo · $20.2K–$250K/mo	Profit AI $30K MRR app + ~$40K MRR services ✅	Claude Code · Cursor
Copilot	5	1	2 figures: $16K/mo and $250K+/mo	Atlas $250K+/mo 🗣	Claude Code · Cursor
Windsurf	2	1	1 figure: $500K/mo	Cluely $500K/mo 🗣	vs Cursor

Contents

Which AI coding tool has the most revenue evidence?

What does each headline tool's file say?

What about the prompt-to-app and thin files?

How is a case graded?

Which one would we actually pick?

Frequently asked questions

Which AI coding tool makes the most money for its users?

Why is the Codex list so small?

Does a verified grade mean the business is good?

Should I switch tools based on this table?