Claude Code vs Codex vs Gemini CLI vs Qwen: My Results

The winner is still Claude Code…

I have been using Claude Code for a while, but I always hit the usage limit. So I am always tempted to also find cheaper alternatives that work to complement it. If Qwen Code works, I actually plan to explore setting up local AI coding agents that run 24/7 with AMD Strix Halo + QWen-Coder:30b.

I always find coding benchmarks don’t reflect real-world usability. So, I tested them on a real project: coding a new section in an existing landing page of Hashmeta AI. For context, the landing page is coded with Next.js and Ant Design.

To me, this is what makes a good front-end coder, whether it is human or AI: ✅ Design Intuition - Smart layout decisions ✅ Clean Code - Reusing existing components ✅ Style Consistency - Following established patterns ✅ Great Copywriting - Write text that sells

These matter more than raw coding ability.

Here is my prompt:

---

Based on the following LinkedIn post and the cover image. Add a section of Hashmeta AI vs Traditional Marketing Team in [@page.tsx].

Cover image: [@image.png]

LinkedIn Post: [Copy paste LinkedIn Post]

LinkedIn post: https://lnkd.in/gcmNWd6N

Unsurprisingly, the winner is Claude Code.

The Results:

Anthropic Claude Code ⭐ ✅ Layout: Exactly what I envisioned ✅ Reused existing components and Ant Design ✅ Followed coding patterns consistently ✅ Copywriting on point ❌ Still need some fine-tuning on colors

Gemini CLI ❌ Weird layout choices ✅ Reused existing components and Ant Design ✅ Followed coding patterns consistently ❌ Missing CTA button

Qwen Coder ✅ Acceptable layout ✅ Reused existing components and Ant Design ✅ Followed coding patterns consistently ❌ Poor copywriting judgement

OpenAI Codex ✅ Layout: Close to what I envisioned, but missing details like highlight ✅ Reused existing components and Ant Design ✅ Followed coding patterns consistently ❌ Copywriting slightly off

Cursor + GPT-4.1 ✅ Decent layout ✅ Copywriting on point ❌ Ignored existing coding styles, wrote raw HTML/CSS ❌ Overly long CTA buttons

The Takeaway: You pay for what you get. The free one still doesn’t work as well.

For UI work, you need an AI that understands your codebase, makes good design decisions, and maintains consistency. Claude Code wins because it combines design intuition with code awareness.

What about improving my prompt?

Yup, I believe with the right prompt, all the above AI Coding Assistants will be able to produce exactly what I want. But I don’t want to end up becoming a babysitter for AI. That lowers the value of using AI coding assistants in the first place.

#AIcoding #WebDevelopment #UI #UX #ClaudeCode

Now, let’s play a guessing game: which images belong to which coders? (I put a number on the top right of each image)