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ZDNET's key takeaways
My 2025 AI spend hit $1,665 across tools and upgrades.
$300 in agentic coding tools did years of coding in days.
Adobe was half the bill, then I cut it down drastically.
We're approaching the end of 2025, which also marks the conclusion of the third year of the new wave of generative AI. At the end of 2024, we thought we had a handle on how much AI would change us, but 2025 took the game to an entirely new level with the emergence of agentic AI.
Leading the pack has been the rise in agentic coding tools. These tools, such as Gemini Jules, Claude Code, and OpenAI Codex, are capable of writing entire programs and products. I put both Codex and Claude Code to the test, creating four plug-in add-on security products for WordPress using Codex, as well as a full-featured iPhone app using Claude Code.
Also: The best AI chatbots: I tested ChatGPT, Copilot, and others to find the top tools now
I use other AI tools, too. In fact, I've added a few new ones to the lineup this year. In this article, I'm going to show you the AI tools I entered the year with, the products I kept, the products I added, the products I dumped, and any that are currently on the chopping block as we move into 2026.
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