Production Companies Should Look at 5 Criteria Before ‘Performance’—Data Handling, Management Features, Pricing Models, Usage Limits, and Client Explanations. Comparison Table with Official Page Verification Dates｜黒字化の外科医｜Web制作会社の「実務改善」経営参謀

This article covers the criteria for production companies when choosing AI coding tools.

When researching how to choose AI coding tools, you will find many comparisons of ‘which one is the smartest.’ However, for contract-based production companies, what matters more than performance is the criteria for a company entrusted with client code.

Starting with ’employees signing up on their own’

At one production company, engineers were each subscribing to different AI tools using their personal credit cards. One day, a question arrived from a client’s information systems manager: ‘Which AI tools is your company inputting our source code into? Are they set to not use it for training?’

No one could answer immediately. Choosing a tool is a matter of productivity, but it is also a matter of explaining things to the client.

Selecting an AI tool is the process of first narrowing down tools that satisfy data handling, management mechanisms, and cost structures as a company entrusted with client information, and then choosing the one that is easiest for the team to use.

I am a surgeon for profitability. I will dissect the criteria production companies should use when choosing AI tools.

There are three reasons to look at them in this order.

First, performance differences change quickly. Which tool writes better code changes with model updates. Data handling and management mechanisms remain as the form of the contract.

Second, what you explain to clients is handling, not performance. What you write in proposals and explanatory materials is ‘which tool is used, what is input, and how it is handled.’ Tools that cannot be explained here become difficult to use in contract work.

Third, the cost structure determines how you create estimates and costs. Is it a flat rate per seat, or does it increase based on usage? Can administrators set limits? This changes how costs are allocated to projects.

Selection Factory: How to Choose AI Coding Tools, 5 Criteria for Production Companies to Consider

① データの扱い：入力したコードが、モデルの学習に使われるか（既定の設定は何か）
② 管理機能：SSO、管理者による一元の請求と管理、利用状況の確認、監査ログ
③ 料金の形：席ごとの定額か、使用量に応じた課金か、その組み合わせか
④ 使用量の上限：管理者が上限を決められるか、超えたときにどうなるか
⑤ 顧客への説明：上の①〜④を、公式ページの日付つきで説明資料に書けるか

Information confirmed on official pages (as of October 25, 2026)

The following contains only information confirmed on each company’s official page. Prices are displayed in dollars; please check each company’s page for taxes, exchange rate handling, and detailed conditions. Since content changes, always review the latest page before use.

Claude (Claude Code)

確認したページ：claude.com/pricing（2026年10月25日）
・Claude Codeは、有料のすべてのプランに含まれる、と記載
・Teamプラン：標準の席は年払いで1席あたり月20ドル、月払いで25ドル（日本向けの表示は消費税10%込みで22ドル・27.50ドル）
　　　　　　　プレミアムの席は年払いで月100ドル、月払いで125ドル（同じく税込で110ドル・137.50ドル）
・Enterpriseプラン：1席あたり月20ドル（年払い、20席から）、利用料はAPIの料金で別途
・Team：SSO、一元の請求と管理、利用状況の分析に対応
・Team・Enterprise：既定では、内容をモデルの学習に使わない、と記載
・Enterprise：監査ログ、SCIM、管理者による利用額の上限設定に対応

Cursor

確認したページ：cursor.com/pricing（2026年10月25日）
・Teamsプラン：1ユーザーあたりの月額（プランの体系が変わりつつあるため、金額は公式の料金ページで確認）
・Teams：SAML/OIDCのSSO、一元の請求と管理、利用状況の分析、チーム全体のプライバシー設定に対応
・プライバシーモードを有効にすると、コードのデータを学習に使わない、と記載
・Enterprise：料金は個別の問い合わせ、監査ログ、SCIMなどに対応

GitHub Copilot

確認したページ：docs.github.com（Plans for GitHub Copilot）、github.com/features/copilot/plans（2026年10月25日）
・Copilot Business：割り当てた1席あたり月19ドル
・Copilot Enterprise：割り当てた1席あたり月39ドル
・Business・Enterprise：管理者が使用量の上限と、追加の有料利用を認めるかを決める、と記載

Features or conditions not listed here do not mean they ‘do not exist.’ It simply means they could not be verified. This is not a recommendation for which tool is best.

Try it now: A prompt to create your company’s selection table

私はWeb制作会社の経営者です。AIコーディングツールの選定表を作ってください。

【前提】
・候補のツール：〔記載〕
・使う人数：〔記載〕
・扱うお客様の情報：〔例：ソースコード、管理画面の構成、未公開のデザイン〕
・お客様から求められている条件：〔例：学習に使わないこと、SSO〕

1. 5つの物差し（データの扱い、管理機能、料金の形、使用量の上限、顧客への説明）を列にした表の枠を作る。
2. 各ツールの欄は空けておき、「公式ページで確認する項目」と「確認したページのURLと日付を書く欄」を付ける。
3. あなたの知識でツールの機能や料金を埋めないこと。
4. 最後に、社内で決めるべきこと（誰が契約するか、個人契約を認めるか）を箇条書きにする。

The trick is not to let the AI fill in the contents of the selection table. Since pricing and features change, a human must always verify them on the official page.

Structural risks

I will point out a paradox.

When narrowing down by criteria, tools that engineers on the front lines are accustomed to using may be excluded.
If they continue to use them through personal contracts, client code will be entered into tools that lack management mechanisms.

Therefore, at the same time as selecting tools, establish a rule that ‘client information must not be entered into any tools other than those contracted by the company.’ Criteria only become effective when paired with rules.

You can find how to audit internal AI tool contracts here.

▶ AI tool cost management for production companies with too many company contracts—how to audit who is contracting what, how to find unused contracts, and how to distinguish between costs that can and cannot be billed to clients

Common Q&A

Q. What if a client specifies which tools to use?

In accordance with the client’s instructions, we will specify in the estimate who will bear the cost of the tool. We will also verify the data handling policies of the specified tool on its official page.

Q. What should we do if the pricing changes?

Write the verification date on the selection table and set a date to review it every six months. Changes in pricing directly affect the cost of the project.

Conclusion

Choosing AI tools is not about comparing performance, but about the judgment of the company entrusted with the client’s information.

Only companies that verify data handling and management mechanisms first, and can explain them with verification dates, will be trusted by clients to handle AI-driven development.

The format for listing the tools to be used in proposals and explanatory materials has been compiled in this template.

▶ AI-Driven Development Proposal and Explanatory Material Template—4 pages covering project schedules, structure, risks and countermeasures, and cost breakdowns; 6 client-facing explanatory slides; 10 sales rephrasing tips; tool usage section; and a pre-submission checklist

Previous articles can be read in the ‘Profitability Operations Room’ membership. It is 1,980 yen per month, the price of two articles. See profile for details.

#WebProductionCompany #AITools #ClaudeCode #Cursor #GitHubCopilot #ToolSelection #ProductionCompanyManagement #SMEs #InformationManagement #AIDrivenDevelopment