Cognition, the innovative startup behind the viral AI programming tool known as Devin, has introduced a new low-cost plan aimed at encouraging more users to sign up. Launched last year, Devin quickly gained traction on social media due to its remarkable ability to autonomously perform various software development tasks. However, as users delved deeper into its capabilities, it became clear that Devin faced challenges when tackling more complex coding assignments.
Despite these limitations, Devin received significant accolades from influential figures in the tech industry, including Aravind Srinivas, the CEO of Perplexity. This praise significantly boosted Cognition's visibility and reputation within the competitive AI landscape. Initially, Devin was made available to teams at a premium price of $500 per month, which deterred many potential users from trying out the tool.
On Thursday, shortly after Cognition reportedly secured hundreds of millions of dollars in new funding, the company announced an attractive entry-level option for Devin priced at just $20. This new plan is designed to make the tool more accessible, especially for startups and individual developers. After the initial $20 payment, users will transition to a pay-as-you-go model, which, while flexible, could potentially become expensive based on usage.
The initial $20 investment provides users with approximately 9 Active Computing Units (ACUs), which is the company’s terminology for computing credits. It's worth noting that the cost of ACUs has increased compared to the previous subscription model. Under the new plan, 1 ACU costs $2.25, a slight increase from the $2 rate on the $500 monthly subscription. Cognition estimates that 15 minutes of active work with Devin equates to about 1 ACU, meaning that 9 ACUs will only cover roughly 2.25 hours of productive coding work—a limitation for users managing extensive codebases.
Despite its earlier shortcomings, Cognition asserts that the latest version of Devin, referred to as Devin 2.0, has undergone significant improvements since its December release. Similar to GitHub's popular Copilot tool, Devin now offers enhanced functionalities, including the ability to generate comprehensive plans for coding projects, respond to coding inquiries with citations, and create detailed “wikis” that include code documentation.
Silas Alberti, a key member of Devin’s development team, shared insights with TechCrunch, revealing that the tool is now capable of delivering “twice as much work” as it could previously. This enhancement is likely to appeal to a broader audience of developers, making it a compelling option for those seeking to leverage AI in their coding endeavors.
Overall, Cognition's strategic move to introduce a lower-cost plan for Devin could revolutionize how developers approach software development tasks, providing them with an affordable and powerful AI tool to enhance their productivity.
