AI coding tools streamline the software development process and your coding, making it more efficient by automating tedious tasks and improving code reliability by dynamically correcting errors. In other words, a coder worth their salt is using AI to complement their work.

Thus, this list serves as the beginning of your journey of finding the right AI coding tool for you by ranking them based on supported languages, IDE compatibility, pricing, and popularity.

How did we choose the best AI coders?

We ranked over 30 AI coding tools based on the number of supported languages and integrated development environments, or IDEs. Further, pricing and popularity were taken into consideration, as the more an AI tool is used the more it is supported with new features and capabilities. Lastly, we looked at general reviews and reception to whittle down the list to the best 16.

OpenAI Codex

OpenAI Codex, a ChatGPT 3 AI coding tool, generates code in 12 languages and integrates with top development environments like VS Code, Neovim, and JetBrains. Its distinction lies in its ability to interpret natural language commands, from its NLP and LLM infrastructure, supporting tasks such as coding autocomplete to creating complex functions. Overall, enhancing developer efficiency.

Note that OpenAI Codex is deprecated, as other AI tools on this list are better.

Price: Free.

GitHub CoPilot X

GitHub CoPilot X is an advanced AI coding assistant that supports a wide array of coding languages and integrates with renowned editors like Visual Studio Code, JetBrains IDEs, and Neovim. It stands apart by offering AI-powered code generation, debugging, and detecting potential security vulnerabilities.

• Provides AI-powered code suggestions or entire functions

• Assists in identifying and fixing code errors

• Detects potential security flaws in the code

• Features a learning model that adapts to the user’s coding style

• Works seamlessly with popular IDEs

Note that we recommend opting for CoPilot X as this is on OpenAI’s ChatGPT 4 infrastructure.

Price: CoPilot X is free for students, teachers, and moderators of selective open-source projects. Otherwise, $10/month for individuals and $19/month for enterprises.

Tabnine

Tabnine is a comprehensive AI-based code completion tool developed by Codota, supporting over 20 languages and 15 editors, including VS Code, IntelliJ, and more. Its distinct feature is the usage of machine learning for intelligent code completions and automation, significantly boosting productivity and improving code quality.

• Assists with intelligent code completions using ML algorithms

• Compatible with over 20 languages and 15 coding editors

• Identifies potential errors and offers smart suggestions

• Facilitates automatic generation of code documentation

• Learns from vast datasets of open-source code for accurate suggestions

Price: Free for an individual, $12/month for up to 100 users, option for unlimited.

Polycoder

Polycoder, an open-source AI coding tool, is developed by Carnegie Mellon University and supports 12 coding languages. Its standout feature is its precision in C language code generation, outperforming other models like Codex.

• Open source allows continuous improvement through user contributions

• Precise in generating C language code

• Trained on a vast 249 GB codebase

• Supports a range of application types from Web to Machine Learning

Price: Free.

DeepCode by Snyk.io

DeepCode is a cloud-based AI code analysis tool that interprets code written in multiple languages including Java, Python, and JavaScript, across various platforms. DeepCode is particularly capable of automating the scanning of project codebases and identifying potential bugs and vulnerabilities.

• Offers automated and highly accurate bug detection

• Integrates with popular IDEs and version control platforms

• Suggests code improvements with refactoring and lining

• Implements machine learning for deeper analysis and suggestion accuracy

Price: Free for open-source, otherwise individual plan is $5.99/month, and for enterprises $19.99/month.

Replit Ghostwriter

Replit Ghostwriter is a sophisticated AI-based coding assistant that facilitates code formulation in 16 programming languages, confined to the Replit IDE. The unique aspect of the Ghostwriter extension to Replit is its ability to learn from user code and offer contextually relevant coding suggestions.

• Streamlines coding with contextually astute inline suggestions

• Enables code learning within the document and provides explanations

• Offers real-time code completion, speeding up coding processes

• Identifies code errors and proffers correction suggestions

• Voice-to-code functionality allows for fast task kickstarting

Price: $30/month for both Replit and the Ghostwriter extension.

Codiga

Codiga is an AI-powered static analysis tool designed to improve code quality, supporting popular languages like JavaScript, Ruby, Python, and more across various development environments. Its distinguishing factor is its real-time code correction feature for improved security and efficiency.

• Conducts automatic code reviews to enhance quality

• Provides standard code snippets for common tasks

• Offers real-time identification and fixing of code vulnerabilities

• Facilitates customized rules and easy sharing with others

• Prioritizes security with focused threat inspection and auto-fix capabilities

Price: From $14/month, with a basic version for free.

ChatGPT 4

The most well-known on this list. ChatGPT 4, developed by OpenAI, is a general-purpose conversation-based AI. However, with some guided prompts, it works wonders as a coding assistant across various languages and environments. When used properly, it shines in generating code, debugging, and planning product development processes, acting like a conversational collaborator.

• Effectively interprets and generates new code
• Detects and assists in correcting code errors
• Useful for brainstorming and refining development strategies
• Adapts to users’ coding style to provide personalized suggestions
• Exhibits advanced natural language understanding for prompt comprehension

Price: Limited free version, otherwise $20/month.

AskCodi

AskCodi is a comprehensive AI code generator compatible with popular coding languages and IDEs, such as Visual Studio Code and PyCharm. Its uniqueness lies in the utilization of AI for code generation by simplifying your coding process and answering free-language coding queries.

• Provides AI-generated code based on natural language prompts
• Quick and precise responses to coding questions
• Delivers code suggestions in real-time
• Assists in creating DocStrings and SQL query generation

Price: From $7.99/month.

Visual Studio IntelliCode

Visual Studio IntelliCode is an AI-powered extension to Microsoft’s Visual Studio Code editor, that supports Java, Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, C#, and XAML. Its main differentiator is its AI-assisted development capabilities, notably speeding up coding tasks by making insightful code completion suggestions.

• Offers AI-assisted IntelliSense completions for improved productivity
• Supports multiple programming languages
• Integrates seamlessly with MS Visual Studio Code
• Trained on numerous GitHub open-source projects for smart suggestions
• Reduces coding time by providing contextual recommendations

Price: Free versions available.

PyCharm

PyCharm, developed by JetBrains, is an AI-powered code completion tool for Java, Python, and JavaScript developers. The PyCharm environment incorporates various editors, and its unique quality is its keyboard-centric design expediting the coding process.

• Exhibits robust code completion capabilities
• Provides dynamic error checks, quick fixes, and project navigation
• Facilitates task efficiency by allowing developers to focus on core tasks
• Adapts to various programming languages and seamlessly integrates with multiple editors

Price: For the first year $249, the second year $199, and year three $149.

AIXcoder

AIXcoder is an AI programming partner supporting languages including Java, Python, and JavaScript. It is integrated across multiple editors and offers an offline mode for enhanced security and convenience. The standout feature of AIXcoder is its general AI capabilities, relieving developers of routine tasks and making error-check catering easy.

• Provides automated routine tasks and complex code completions
• Performs real-time code analysis and identifies potential errors
• Supports individual and team-level customization
• Offers a fully operative offline version for data security and convenience
• Facilitates coding statistics for tailored code inspection rules

Price: No information.

Ponicode

Ponicode is an AI-powered coding assistant that proficiently supports Java, Python, JavaScript, and TypeScript languages and is compatible with a range of editors. Ponicode specializes in unit-test generation, enabling developers to automate the testing process, saving time, and increasing code quality.

• Automates creation of unit tests, improving code stability
• Provides insightful indications of code coverage gaps
• Streamlines the coding workflow by generating code from user descriptions
• Enhances productivity, and balances high-quality coding with speed
• Assists in detecting software bugs and errors

Price: Free for individuals, otherwise one-time cost of 15,000 Euro for enterprises.

WPCode

WPCode, developed by Isotropic, is an AI WordPress code generator supporting languages such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Python. It’s compatible with various coding editors and uniquely serves both developers and non-technical WordPress creators for its ease of use.

• Generates high-quality code snippets swiftly
• Includes AI assistants for code improvement suggestions
• Offers intelligent conditional logic
• Enables protective error handling and global header/footer script creation
• Features code snippets specifically tailored to WordPress applications for quick deployment.

Price: Basic for $49/year, plus version $99/year, pro for $199/year, and elite will run you $399/year.

Amazon CodeWhisperer

Amazon CodeWhisperer is an AI-driven code generator that recognizes various programming languages and is compatible with several IDEs including JetBrains, AWS Cloud9, and more. It differentiates by identifying open-source code matches to suggest immediate security patches based on common cybersecurity practices and standards.

• Facilitates reference tracking and security scans
• Boosts productivity by automating repetitive tasks
• Enhances code accuracy through ML recommendations
• Identifies potential open-source code matches for efficient review

Price: Free for non-commercial use, otherwise $19/month.

Jedi

Jedi is an open-source AI code completion tool primarily designed for Python and compatible with various editors like Visual Studio Code, Atom, and Sublime Text. It excels in static code analysis, providing documentation and code suggestions.

• Python code suggestions for optimized development
• Offers excellent virtualenv/venv support
• Accommodates additional functionalities such as goto, search/find, refactoring
• Straightforward API for easy integration
• Efficiently handles complex module, function, and class hierarchies

Price: Free, with a downloadable open-source coding library.

The future of AI coding and coders

While many coders are worried about their livelihood, fearing replacement. It is more likely AI coding tools will complement and automate tedious coding tasks, while improving due diligence and reliability in dynamically checking for coding errors. Effectively, AI coding tools enable programmers to be more creative and efficient.

When that is said, as AI coders continue to advance in complexity there is a risk of the replacement of entry-level coders which will pivot more towards AI prompt engineers as AI still needs human input and oversight.

Further, significant programming projects involve much more than mere coding, such as an understanding of human needs and when unintuitive changes occur based on human behavior and culture. It is much more likely that AI coding turns into standard tools programmers use as ‘second nature’.

FAQs

Which AI can write code?

All generative AI tools are capable of writing code. However, this doesn’t speak of the output quality. Depending on budget, the AI coding tools such as OpenAI Codex, Tabnine, and ChatGPT 4 all are able to write code while detecting errors. In this article you can find the right AI coder for you that matches your needs and budget.

Which free AI coders are out here?

There are various free AI coding tools you can use, but the most prominent are Jedi, Amazon CodeWhisperer, Ponicode, and Polycoder, with Tabnine if you are an individual.