AI coding tools can save developers a ton of time when it comes to software development by taking the wheel and writing, reviewing, and debugging code by simply receiving some human-delivered prompts. This guide will discuss the following top AI code assistants for developers in terms of their features, pros, cons, and pricing:
- GitHub Copilot: a great pick for developers seeking a flexible AI coding assistant that can turn natural language prompts from dozens of languages into coding suggestions.
- AskCodi: ideal for developers seeking an AI code assistant that excels in writing documentation and unit tests.
- Codiga: a solid choice for developers needing an AI tool to help ensure their code is clean and secure.
- Tabnine: an excellent solution for developers wanting to ship code faster without exposing intellectual property.
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GitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot is a flexible AI pair programmer for developers looking to convert natural language prompts from dozens of languages into coding suggestions.
Features of GitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot has several features that make it an attractive AI tool for programming. Here are its highlights:
- Supports various programming languages and frameworks
- AI-based code suggestion
- Works with dozens of natural languages
- Integrates with top coding editors
The AI code generator can create code in several programming languages, including C++, JavaScript, Python, Go, TypeScript, and Ruby as well as popular frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue. GitHub Copilot can function as an AI pair programmer for users across the globe, as it can respond to natural language prompts from speakers of many different languages. For added convenience, developers can pair GitHub Copilot with JetBrains IDEs, Visual Studio Code, Neovim, Visual Studio, and other popular code editors.
Pros of GitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot’s pros include:
- Saves time and increase productivity
- Jump-starts code generation
- Flexible in terms of programming language and natural language support
GitHub Copilot’s code snippet, function, and other code suggestions can save developers a ton of time, especially if they are new to a language or framework. Programmers that are stuck and need inspiration can get it from Copilot’s code suggestions, which can help them get unstuck and start writing new code. Another strength of GitHub Copilot is its support for several programming and natural languages, which makes its possible for developers to practice code extensibility and use multiple languages within the same codebase.
Cons of GitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot’s cons include:
- No free plan
- Reported speed and performance issues
- Debugging is somewhat limited
Unlike other artificial intelligence code assistants, GitHub Copilot lacks a free plan. Some complain that Copilot is slow as a code generator when compared to the competition, and its debugging assistance is limited.
Pricing of GitHub Copilot
Developers can give GitHub Copilot a test drive with a free trial. The AI tool offers two pricing options:
- Copilot for Individuals: $10 per month.
- Copilot for Business: $19 per user, per month.
The Individuals plan plugs into your editor and converts natural language into code. It also has multi-line function suggestions, filters for vulnerable coding patterns, and more. The Business plan adds simple license management, privacy, corporate proxy support, a chat beta, and policy management.
AskCodi
AskCodi is an AI code assistant that supports tons of languages and frameworks and helps developers save time on recurring tasks by generating code, writing tests, documentation, and providing task suggestions.
Features of AskCodi
AskCodi’s coding assistance features are highlighted by:
- Multi-language support
- Codi Chat for enhanced communication
- Codi Workbook for documentation and unit testing
- Projects feature for code delineation
- Integrations with popular integrated development environments
AskCodi supports over 50 programming languages and frameworks, plus multiple spoken languages. Codi Chat answers questions, facilitates discussions, offers code suggestions, and provides conversational assistance to developers to help complete various tasks. Workbook is an interactive environment for code generation and explanation, plus writing documentation and unit tests.
The Projects feature lets developers separate code according to project and programming language. AskCodi also has integrations with VS Code, PyCharm, IntelliJ IDEA, PhPStorm, and other IDEs.
Pros of AskCodi
AskCodi’s strengths as an artificial intelligence tool for programmers include:
- Free plan
- Documentation automentation
- Test generation with a single-click
- Supports 50-plus programming languages
AskCodi’s Free plan is relatively robust and should suffice for developers looking to leverage AI with limited budgets. The code assistant tackles the typically unwanted task of writing documentation and can complete it in a matter of seconds. AskCodi can also generate solid tests by simply clicking a button, and it works with a whopping 50-plus programming languages and frameworks.
Cons of AskCodi
AskCodi’s weaknesses include:
- Code quality can use some tweaking
- Support and documentation are lacking
- Occasional speed issues reported
- Initial time investment
AskCodi’s code quality features could be better, as some of the automated code returned is not always the best and its support/documentation is rather limited for beginners looking to learn more or overcome obstacles when using the developer tool. While not intolerable, AskCodi can be slow to generate results at times, especially with larger projects. And, speaking of time, you will need some of it to train the AI with logic to get those desired results. Once trained, however, it delivers great work overall.
Pricing of AskCodi
AskCodi has two pricing plans:
- Free Forever: No cost.
- Premium: $9.99 per month.
Free Forever comes with chat, Codi workbook to generate, explain, document, and test code, 50 monthly credits, and extensions access. Premium comes with the same, but includes 500 monthly credits and priority support.
Codiga
Instead of being a code generator like many of the AI tools on this list, Codiga focuses more on real-time static code analysis and offers features to ensure your code is clean, secure, and safe. If your software development team places a premium on code quality and security, Codiga may be right up your alley.
Features of Codiga
Codiga’s top features for software development teams seeking an AI code assistant include:
- Multi-language support
- Static, real-time code analysis
- Custom analysis rules
- Security analysis
- Automated code review
- Shareable code snippets
Codiga supports all the top programming languages and libraries. Developers can create and share their own static code analysis rules in under five minutes and apply them everywhere in IDEs, CI/CD, etc. Codiga can fix vulnerabilities and code issues in a single click and offers real-time instant code analysis.
Security analysis in Codiga covers all known common software vulnerabilities and threats. Security issues in the IDE get fixed automatically, while leaked API tokens and SSH keys get detected. The AI tool also performs infrastructure code analysis and can execute automated code reviews in over 12 languages in seconds. Lastly, Codiga offers shareable one-click code snippets with your software development team, enhancing productivity and facilitating code collaboration.
Pros of Codiga
Codiga’s pros include:
- Free plan
- Security focused
- Speed and performance
- Flexibility in terms of language and library support
The Codiga Free plan is great for those needing a budget-friendly AI programmer tool. Codiga’s focus on application security (and the tools that support it) is attractive for teams looking to clean up their code and ensure there are no vulnerabilities.
Codiga offers plenty of speed, allowing developers to save time, get code reviews within seconds, and create custom analysis rules in minutes, without the sluggishness some other AI tools suffer from. And Codiga is also quite flexible with its support for various languages and libraries.
Cons of Codiga
Areas where Codiga falls short as an AI code assistant include:
- Limited code generation
- PHP performance
- IDE integrations
Developers looking for an AI code generator in an all-in-one package may feel shorted with Codiga since it focuses on code review and only produces snippets. Some have noted that Codiga’s performance with PHP is less than ideal, though it performs well with other languages, as noted under the “Pros” section. Codiga’s IDE integrations are somewhat limited, which could leave some users out in the cold if they do not use VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, or some of the more well-known IDEs.
Pricing of Codiga
The cost of Codiga’s coding tool is explained on the FAQ page. The basic features are free for all users. The analysis quotas are designed so open-source projects and individuals can use the developer tool at no cost. Any premium and enterprise features are paid, and there are plans for large software development teams of 50-plus seats. Contact Codiga directly to get pricing for such plans.
Tabnine
Tabnine is an AI code assistant ideal for software developers looking to speed up delivery with best-in-class code completion while maintaining privacy and security.
Features of Tabnine
Tabnine’s top features include:
- Multi-language support
- Code completion
- Isolation mode for privacy, security and compliance
- Integrations with popular code editors and IDEs
Tabnine supports many programming languages, including Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, Bash, and Rust. Its top highlight is code completion. Developers can use the AI tool to autocomplete lines of code and get suggestions on full-function completion. Tabnine can also take natural language comments to generate blocks of code.
Besides saving time, Tabnine offers peace of mind by running in fully isolated mode in your preferred environment to remain private, secure, and compliant. It will only train on your code once connected to your codebase. Tabnine also integrates with the top IDEs for a fuss-free setup.
Pros of Tabnine
Tabnine’s advantages include:
- Free plan for citizen developers
- Plenty of support for languages, frameworks, and IDEs
- Code privacy
- Code completion features are robust
Tabnine’s Free plan is a plus for individual programmers. The AI tool supports various languages and IDEs and keeps your code private. The code completion is also tough to beat and is a huge time-saver.
Cons of Tabnine
Tabnine’s disadvantages include:
- Heavy resource usage for larger projects
- Code suggestions errors in the early stages of AI training
- JavaScript UI frameworks could be more accurate
The code assistant needs a lot of RAM and processing resources to run, so keep that in mind if you have legacy systems. Tabnine could have accuracy issues with its coding suggestions in the early stages as you train up the AI as well. Accuracy can also become an issue when working with JavaScript UI frameworks, so always double-check the output in those scenarios.
Pricing of Tabnine
Tabnine’s AI coding assistant has three pricing plans:
- Starter: Free for one user.
- Pro: $12 per user, per month for up to 100 users.
- Enterprise: Custom pricing for unlimited users.
The free Starter plan offers short code completions with community support. Pro offers advanced code completion capabilities (natural language to code, whole-line, full-function). It learns your coding style and patterns and comes with standard support. Enterprise offers complete privacy control and security with context-aware completions, hosting options (VPC, on-premises, secure SaaS), and premium support.
What to Look For in AI Code Assistants
There are many AI coding assistants on the market. As such, you need to consider certain criteria to filter results and ensure you pick the right one for your needs. Beyond considering the cost of the artificial intelligence tool, look for reviews on the following:
- User-friendliness
- Consider the programming languages and developer tools you use, and make sure they are compatible
- Do the code assistant’s features align with your daily tasks and workflows? If so, good. If not, keep searching
- Think about whether you want the artificial intelligence tool to function as a code generator or reviewer. Some AI coding assistants do both, while others focus on just one functionality.
- Lastly, think about integrations with your IDE. If you use Visual Studio Code, for example, you want the AI tool you pick to offer seamless integration to help and not hinder your productivity.
Final Thoughts on AI Code Assistants for Developers
The AI coding tools in this list are some of the best on the market. Before choosing one to make your life as a developer much easier, be sure it offers the specific features you require and fits your budget.
Next Steps
Now that you have some AI code assistant software and tools to choose from, consider adding other types of developer tools to your arsenal. We have som roundups of other programming software that can enhance your code quality and productivity listed below to help you in your journey:
