I've tried many AI coders over the years, and in my experience, jumping straight to a sub is usually a mistake. Seriously. I remember when I was starting out, Anthropic Claude 3.5 Sonnet free version fixed my messy script instantly. Save your 20 bucks. What specifically does the script need to do? Knowing the task helps me see if free tools can handle the logic tho.

Building on the earlier suggestion, you might want to consider OpenAI ChatGPT Plus GPT-4o Subscription since it's really solid at explaining basic logic for beginners. Just be super careful about pasting sensitive work data into the prompt tho, thats a major security risk. Also, make sure to verify everything it writes because it can definitely hallucinate code that doesnt actually work. Just take it slow... you'll get there.

Ngl I once leaked some internal company data because I didnt check privacy settings on a web tool... it was a complete nightmare. What exactly is this script supposed to handle? If its sensitive stuff, maybe look into GitHub Copilot Personal Subscription for your IDE. Quick tip: never paste your whole file at once. Just do it block by block so you can spot logic errors early without hitting the context limit.

tbh I completely agree with what dkkfuhstzp said about the risks of rushing things... it is so easy to break stuff when you are stressed and forget about privacy. If you are on a tight budget and need this done by Wednesday, you might want to consider some of the more cost-effective ways to get high quality code without blowing that 20 bucks immediately. I would suggest looking into these:

• Cursor AI Code Editor - this is basically a modified version of VS Code that has AI built right in. The free tier is actually pretty generous and it helps you see the changes directly in your files which is huge for a beginner since you dont have to keep track of where to paste things.
• DeepSeek V3 - if you end up needing an API or a cheaper sub, this one is gaining a lot of traction for being way more affordable than the big US models while still being amazing at Python logic.
• Google Gemini Advanced Subscription - they often do a free trial for the first month or two, so you could get top-tier help for zero dollars right now and save your cash. Just make sure to keep your boss's data private like the others mentioned... maybe use fake placeholder data while you are testing the logic so nothing sensitive leaks. Good luck with the Wednesday deadline, honestly hope you get it sorted.

Building on the earlier suggestion about being careful with data, yeah privacy is basically everything... unfortunately I've seen some real train wrecks when people try to rush these things. Honestly reminds me of my buddy Mike who tried to use an AI to automate his email sorting a few months back.

• He spent all afternoon feeding it examples of what was junk and what was important
• The script ended up flagging his boss's resignation notice as spam and auto-deleting it
• Then it started replying to every client with weird cryptic haikus for some reason
• He had to spend two weeks apologizing to everyone and almost lost a huge account Its kinda wild how much can go wrong when you're just trying to beat a deadline, y'know? I've had issues with tools being super unreliable right when I need them most... anyway, hope your Wednesday goes smoother than Mike's ordeal did lol.

Like someone mentioned, rushing this is where the mistakes happen, especially with privacy. Since you only have until Wednesday, you might want to consider DeepSeek Coder V2 if the usual suspects arent cutting it. Honestly, its a beast for Python specifically and usually has a very generous free tier on their site that beats out a lot of the paid ones for raw coding logic. Another one to look at is Mistral Large 2. I have found it to be way less preachy than ChatGPT and much more direct with the actual logic. If I were you, I would use DeepSeek to write the base script and then paste it into Mistral to ask it to explain the lines to you like you are five. That way you actually learn the logic while getting the job done. Just make sure to double check those variable names... I have seen them hallucinate those the most when they get confused. TL;DR: Use DeepSeek for the heavy coding and Mistral for the explanations. Its a solid DIY combo that wont cost you a dime of your 20 bucks yet. You can totally do this, just take it one block at a time and dont be afraid to ask it to simplify the answer if it gets too technical.