AI Coding Assistants: Complete Comparison and Review

AI coding assistants have transformed software development. From code completion to entire function generation, these tools are now essential for modern developers. But with so many options—GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Tabnine, CodeWhisperer, and more—which should you choose?

This comprehensive comparison covers the leading AI coding assistants in 2025, with real-world testing, honest assessments, and clear recommendations for every development scenario.

Part 1: The Contenders

GitHub Copilot

Company: GitHub (Microsoft)

Type: IDE plugin for code completion Best for: Most developers, general-purpose codingKey Features:

• Real-time code suggestions in your IDE
• Multi-file context awareness
• Copilot Chat for conversational help
• Support for 20+ languages
• Integration with GitHub ecosystem

Pricing:

• Free: 2,000 completions/month + 50 chat messages
• Individual: $10/month or $100/year
• Business: $19/user/month
• Business Pro: $39/user/month (unlimited usage)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Cursor

Company: Anysphere

Type: AI-first code editor (VS Code fork) Best for: Developers wanting AI-native editing experienceKey Features:

• Built-in codebase understanding
• Chat with your entire project
• Multi-file editing and refactoring
• Command K for inline AI
• Can use multiple AI models (GPT-4, Claude, etc.)

Pricing: Free tier, $20/month (Pro)

Windsurf

Company: Codeium

Type: AI-first IDE with autonomous coding (Flow Mode) Best for: Developers wanting AI to handle multi-step tasks autonomouslyKey Features:

• Flow Mode: AI works autonomously across multiple files
• Cascade: Advanced multi-file understanding and editing
• Command K for inline AI assistance
• Choice of AI models (GPT-4o, Claude, etc.)
• Built on VS Code with familiar interface

Pricing: Free tier, $15/month (Pro)

Claude Code

Company: Anthropic

Type: Professional AI coding assistant Best for: Complex code review and architectural workKey Features:

• Deep codebase analysis across entire projects
• Advanced code review and refactoring suggestions
• Multi-file editing with high accuracy
• Extended context window for large codebases
• Strong at security analysis (77.2% SWE-bench Verified)

Pricing: Part of Claude Pro subscription ($20/month), Enterprise plans

Tabnine

Company: Tabnine

Type: Privacy-focused code completion Best for: Teams with strict privacy requirementsKey Features:

• Local AI models (runs offline)
• Team model training on private codebase
• Multi-IDE support
• Compliance-friendly (SOC 2, GDPR)
• On-premise deployment option

Pricing: Free tier, $12/month (Pro), Enterprise pricing

Amazon CodeWhisperer

Company: Amazon (AWS)

Type: Free AI code generator Best for: AWS-focused developers, budget-consciousKey Features:

• Completely free
• AWS service integration
• Security scanning included
• Reference tracking
• IDE integration

Pricing: Free

Codeium

Company: Exafunction

Type: Free alternative to Copilot Best for: Individual developers wanting free advanced featuresKey Features:

• Free for individuals (unlimited)
• Autocomplete and search
• Multi-file context
• Chat interface
• 70+ languages

Pricing: Free (individuals), Team/Enterprise plans

Part 2: Detailed Comparison

1. Code Completion Quality

GitHub Copilot:

• Accuracy: 9/10
• Context awareness: 8/10
• Multi-line suggestions: Excellent
• Language support: 20+ languages, strong across all
• Completeness: Often suggests full functions

Real-world performance: Consistently good suggestions, especially for common patterns. Strong with JavaScript, Python, TypeScript, Go.

Example:

Cursor:

• Accuracy: 9/10
• Context awareness: 10/10 (best-in-class)
• Multi-line suggestions: Excellent
• Language support: Same as VS Code
• Completeness: Entire features, multi-file changes

Real-world performance: Superior codebase understanding. Can suggest changes across multiple files based on your entire project context.

Windsurf:

• Accuracy: 9/10
• Context awareness: 9.5/10 (excellent with Cascade)
• Multi-line suggestions: Excellent
• Language support: Same as VS Code
• Completeness: Autonomous multi-file changes

Real-world performance: Flow Mode enables AI to work autonomously on multi-step tasks. Excellent multi-file refactoring at a lower price point than Cursor.

Claude Code:

• Accuracy: 9.5/10
• Context awareness: 9/10 (excellent for code review)
• Multi-line suggestions: N/A (conversational, not inline)
• Language support: All major languages
• Completeness: Comprehensive analysis and suggestions

Real-world performance: Best for code review, security analysis, and architectural discussions. Not inline completion—conversational assistant.

Tabnine:

• Accuracy: 7/10
• Context awareness: 7/10
• Multi-line suggestions: Good
• Language support: Wide
• Completeness: Usually line or small blocks

Real-world performance: Solid but not as sophisticated as Copilot. Local models are less capable than cloud-based alternatives.

Amazon CodeWhisperer:

• Accuracy: 7.5/10
• Context awareness: 7/10
• Multi-line suggestions: Good
• Language support: 15+ languages
• Completeness: Functions and blocks

Real-world performance: Good for AWS-related code. Less impressive for general development compared to Copilot.

Codeium:

• Accuracy: 8/10
• Context awareness: 8/10
• Multi-line suggestions: Very good
• Language support: 70+ languages
• Completeness: Functions and blocks

Real-world performance: Surprisingly good for a free tool. Competitive with Copilot for many use cases.

Winner: Cursor (context awareness), Windsurf (autonomous coding), GitHub Copilot (overall inline quality), Claude Code (code review & analysis)

2. IDE Integration & Workflow

GitHub Copilot:

• Supported IDEs: VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Neovim
• Integration quality: Native, seamless
• Workflow disruption: Minimal
• Learning curve: Very easy
• Rating: 10/10 (works in your existing editor)

Cursor:

• Supported IDEs: Cursor only (VS Code fork)
• Integration quality: Deeply integrated (AI-native)
• Workflow disruption: Requires switching editors
• Learning curve: Moderate (new shortcuts, features)
• Rating: 9/10 (excellent if you switch, but requires switch)

Tabnine:

• Supported IDEs: VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Sublime, Atom, Eclipse
• Integration quality: Good, plugin-based
• Workflow disruption: Minimal
• Learning curve: Easy
• Rating: 9/10 (widest IDE support)

Amazon CodeWhisperer:

• Supported IDEs: VS Code, JetBrains, AWS Cloud9, AWS Lambda
• Integration quality: Good
• Workflow disruption: Minimal
• Learning curve: Easy
• Rating: 8/10

Codeium:

• Supported IDEs: 40+ editors (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, etc.)
• Integration quality: Good
• Workflow disruption: Minimal
• Learning curve: Easy
• Rating: 9/10

Windsurf:

• Supported IDEs: Windsurf only (VS Code fork)
• Integration quality: Deeply integrated (AI-native with Flow Mode)
• Workflow disruption: Requires switching editors
• Learning curve: Moderate (learning Flow Mode and autonomous features)
• Rating: 9/10 (excellent AI integration at lower price)

Claude Code:

• Supported IDEs: Web interface, API integration
• Integration quality: Conversational (not IDE plugin)
• Workflow disruption: Separate tool from IDE
• Learning curve: Easy (chat-based)
• Rating: 7/10 (not IDE-integrated, but powerful)

Winner: GitHub Copilot (works in most popular editors with free tier), Tabnine (widest support)

3. Chat & Conversational Coding

GitHub Copilot Chat:

• Availability: Included with Copilot
• Context: Current file + open files
• Capabilities: Explain code, fix bugs, generate tests
• Interface: Sidebar chat
• Rating: 8/10

Cursor Chat:

• Availability: Built-in
• Context: Entire codebase
• Capabilities: Multi-file changes, refactoring, architecture questions
• Interface: Integrated chat + Command K
• Rating: 10/10 (best conversational coding)

Tabnine Chat:

• Availability: Pro tier
• Context: Current context
• Capabilities: Code generation, explanation
• Interface: Sidebar
• Rating: 7/10

Windsurf:

• Availability: Built-in
• Context: Entire codebase with Cascade
• Capabilities: Autonomous multi-step coding, refactoring
• Interface: Integrated chat + Command K + Flow Mode
• Rating: 9.5/10 (excellent autonomous capabilities)

Claude Code:

• Availability: Standalone or via API
• Context: Entire codebase (up to 200K-1M tokens)
• Capabilities: Code review, security analysis, architecture, complex refactoring
• Interface: Conversational (web or API)
• Rating: 10/10 (best for code review and analysis)

Others:

• CodeWhisperer: No dedicated chat
• Codeium: Chat included (free)

Winner: Claude Code (best quality code review), Cursor (best IDE-integrated chat), Windsurf (best autonomous coding)

4. Codebase Understanding

Cursor:

• Indexes your entire project
• Understands relationships between files
• Can answer questions about codebase architecture
• Suggests multi-file refactorings
• Rating: 10/10

Windsurf:

• Cascade technology for deep codebase understanding
• Multi-file awareness and autonomous navigation
• Can execute complex multi-step changes
• Rating: 9.5/10

Claude Code:

• Can analyze entire codebases (up to 1M tokens with Opus 4)
• Excellent at understanding architecture and relationships
• Strong at security analysis across codebase
• Rating: 9.5/10 (best for analysis, not as IDE-integrated)

GitHub Copilot:

• Understands open files and immediate context
• Limited cross-file understanding
• Improving with Copilot Workspace
• Rating: 7/10

Others:

• Most others: Limited to current file context
• Rating: 5-6/10

Winner: Cursor (best IDE-integrated understanding), Claude Code (best analytical understanding), Windsurf (best autonomous navigation)

5. Pricing & Value

GitHub Copilot:

• Free: 2,000 completions/month + 50 chat messages
• Individual: $10/month or $100/year
• Business: $19/user/month
• Business Pro: $39/user/month
• Value: Excellent - free tier now available, generous paid tiers

Cursor:

• Free: 2,000 completions/month, limited AI requests
• Pro: $20/month (unlimited)
• Value: Excellent if you switch editors

Windsurf:

• Free: Limited AI requests
• Pro: $15/month (unlimited)
• Value: Best value for autonomous AI coding at this price

Claude Code:

• Part of Claude Pro: $20/month (includes Claude for other tasks)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing
• Value: Excellent for code review, doubles as general AI assistant

Tabnine:

• Free: Basic completions
• Pro: $12/month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing
• Value: Good for privacy-focused teams

Amazon CodeWhisperer:

• Individual: FREE
• Professional: $19/user/month (enhanced features)
• Value: Unbeatable (free and unlimited)

Codeium:

• Individual: FREE (unlimited)
• Teams/Enterprise: Custom pricing
• Value: Amazing (free and unlimited)

Winner: GitHub Copilot Free (best free tier with brand name), Codeium (unlimited free), Windsurf (best paid value at $15)

6. Privacy & Security

Tabnine:

• Local models: Yes (runs entirely offline)
• Data retention: None (with local models)
• Training on your code: Optional, isolated
• Compliance: SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA-ready
• Rating: 10/10 (best for privacy)

GitHub Copilot:

• Local models: No (cloud-based)
• Data retention: Limited (not used for training by default)
• Training on your code: No (business tier)
• Compliance: Enterprise compliance features
• Rating: 8/10

Cursor:

• Local models: No (cloud-based)
• Data retention: Limited
• Training on your code: No
• Compliance: Standard protections
• Rating: 7/10

Amazon CodeWhisperer:

• Local models: No
• Data retention: AWS security standards
• Training on your code: No
• Compliance: AWS compliance
• Rating: 8/10

Codeium:

• Local models: No (cloud-based)
• Data retention: Not trained on your code
• Training on your code: No
• Compliance: Standard
• Rating: 7/10

Winner: Tabnine (only one with true local/offline capability)

7. Language & Framework Support

Best JavaScript/TypeScript:

• 1st: GitHub Copilot
• 2nd: Cursor
• 3rd: Codeium

Best Python:

• 1st: GitHub Copilot
• 2nd: Cursor
• 3rd: Codeium

Best Go:

• 1st: GitHub Copilot
• 2nd: Cursor
• 3rd: CodeWhisperer

Best Rust:

• 1st: GitHub Copilot
• 2nd: Cursor
• 3rd: Codeium

Best Java/C#:

• 1st: GitHub Copilot (IntelliJ integration)
• 2nd: Tabnine
• 3rd: Codeium

Best PHP:

• 1st: GitHub Copilot
• 2nd: Codeium
• 3rd: Tabnine

AWS/Cloud:

• 1st: Amazon CodeWhisperer
• 2nd: GitHub Copilot
• 3rd: Others

Winner: GitHub Copilot (most balanced across languages)

8. Speed & Responsiveness

GitHub Copilot:

• Suggestion latency: Very fast (200-500ms)
• Impact on IDE: Minimal
• Offline capability: No
• Rating: 9/10

Cursor:

• Suggestion latency: Fast (300-600ms)
• Impact on IDE: Low
• Offline capability: No
• Rating: 8/10

Tabnine (Local):

• Suggestion latency: Instant (50-200ms)
• Impact on IDE: Moderate (local model uses resources)
• Offline capability: Yes
• Rating: 9/10 (for latency), 7/10 (for resource usage)

Amazon CodeWhisperer:

• Suggestion latency: Fast (300-700ms)
• Impact on IDE: Minimal
• Offline capability: No
• Rating: 8/10

Codeium:

• Suggestion latency: Very fast (200-500ms)
• Impact on IDE: Minimal
• Offline capability: No
• Rating: 9/10

Windsurf:

• Suggestion latency: Fast (300-600ms)
• Impact on IDE: Low
• Offline capability: No
• Rating: 8/10

Claude Code:

• Suggestion latency: Moderate (conversational, not real-time)
• Impact on IDE: N/A (separate tool)
• Offline capability: No
• Rating: 7/10 (not optimized for speed, optimized for quality)

Winner: Tabnine (local mode), Copilot Free and Codeium (cloud-based)

Part 3: Use Case Recommendations

For Individual Developers (Budget Matters)

Best free option:

• GitHub Copilot Free (2,000 completions/month + 50 chats) - Best brand, generous limits
• Codeium (unlimited free forever) - True unlimited
• Amazon CodeWhisperer (completely free) - Unlimited, AWS-optimized
• Cursor/Windsurf free tiers (limited but powerful)

Best paid option ($10-20/month):

• Windsurf Pro ($15/month) - Best value with autonomous coding
• GitHub Copilot ($10/month) - Best overall, works in existing editor
• Cursor Pro ($20/month) - Best for codebase understanding
• Claude Pro ($20/month) - Best for code review + general AI use
• Tabnine Pro ($12/month) - Best for privacy

For Teams & Companies

Best for security/privacy:

• Tabnine Enterprise (local models, private training)
• Can train on your codebase privately
• Meets strict compliance requirements

Best for productivity:

• GitHub Copilot Business ($19/user/month)
• Proven track record
• Excellent ecosystem integration

Best for AI-first teams:

• Cursor or Windsurf Team plans
• Maximum AI leverage with autonomous coding
• Modern development approach
• Lower cost with Windsurf ($15/user vs $20/user)

For Specific Scenarios

AWS-heavy development:

• Amazon CodeWhisperer (free, AWS-optimized)
• Built-in AWS SDK support

Open-source projects:

• GitHub Copilot (free for OSS maintainers)
• Codeium (free for individuals)

Students/Learning:

• GitHub Copilot Free (2,000 completions/month for everyone, verified students get more)
• Codeium (free unlimited)
• Amazon CodeWhisperer (free unlimited)

Highly regulated industries (finance, healthcare):

• Tabnine Enterprise (on-premise, local models)
• Compliance certifications

Startups wanting maximum AI leverage:

• Windsurf (best value at $15/month with autonomous coding)
• Cursor (most mature AI-native experience)
• Multi-file understanding and refactoring

Code review and architecture:

• Claude Code (best quality code review and security analysis)
• Part of Claude Pro subscription ($20/month)

For Different Editor Preferences

VS Code users:

• Windsurf (if willing to switch, best value at $15/month)
• Cursor (if willing to switch, most mature at $20/month)
• GitHub Copilot (if staying in VS Code, free tier or $10/month)
• Codeium (free unlimited alternative)

JetBrains users:

• GitHub Copilot (best integration)
• Tabnine (good alternative)
• Codeium (free option)

Vim/Neovim users:

• GitHub Copilot (official plugin)
• Tabnine (good Vim support)
• Codeium (free with Vim support)

Multiple editors:

• Tabnine (supports 15+ editors)
• Codeium (supports 40+ editors)

Part 4: Head-to-Head Testing

I tested all major assistants on identical coding tasks:

Test 1: Generate REST API Endpoint

Task: Create Express.js endpoint with JWT auth, validation, error handling

GitHub Copilot:

• Generated complete, working endpoint
• Proper error handling
• Good TypeScript types
• Score: 9/10

Cursor:

• Generated endpoint with better architecture
• Suggested related middleware files
• More production-ready
• Score: 9.5/10

Codeium:

• Generated working endpoint
• Slightly less polished
• Good but not exceptional
• Score: 8/10

CodeWhisperer:

• Working endpoint
• AWS-focused patterns
• Score: 7.5/10

Winner: Cursor (most complete solution)

Test 2: Fix Bug in Complex Function

Task: Debug function with subtle logic error

GitHub Copilot Chat:

• Identified issue
• Suggested fix
• Explained reasoning
• Score: 8.5/10

Cursor:

• Identified issue
• Showed related code affecting the bug
• Comprehensive fix
• Score: 9/10

Others:

• Limited conversational debugging
• Score: 6-7/10

Winner: Cursor (best debugging with full context)

Test 3: Generate Unit Tests

Task: Create comprehensive test suite for module

GitHub Copilot:

• Generated good test coverage
• Multiple test cases including edge cases
• Score: 9/10

Cursor:

• Generated tests
• Suggested additional test files
• Better organization
• Score: 9/10

Codeium:

• Generated solid tests
• Good coverage
• Score: 8/10

Winner: Tie (Copilot and Cursor both excellent)

Test 4: Refactor Legacy Code

Task: Modernize old JavaScript to TypeScript with best practices

Cursor:

• Best at this (full codebase understanding)
• Multi-file changes suggested
• Score: 10/10

GitHub Copilot:

• Good single-file refactoring
• Limited cross-file awareness
• Score: 7/10

Others:

• Basic refactoring only
• Score: 6/10

Winner: Cursor (clear winner for refactoring)

Part 5: Productivity Impact

Measured Time Savings

GitHub Copilot:

• Studies show: 30-55% faster at repetitive tasks
• My experience: ~40% time savings on average
• Best improvement: Boilerplate, tests, documentation

Cursor:

• Studies show: Limited formal studies (newer)
• My experience: ~50% time savings on complex refactoring
• Best improvement: Large-scale changes, architecture

General AI assistants:

• Average: 20-40% productivity increase
• Varies by: Task type, developer experience, language

Learning Curve Impact

Time to productivity:

• GitHub Copilot: Immediate (starts suggesting right away)
• Cursor: 1-2 days (learn new shortcuts, features)
• Tabnine: Immediate
• Others: Immediate to 1 day

Time to mastery:

• GitHub Copilot: 1 week (learn to accept/reject well)
• Cursor: 2-3 weeks (master codebase chat, multi-file editing)
• Others: 1 week or less

Part 6: Limitations & Concerns

What AI Assistants Can't Do Well

• Novel algorithms - Not good at creating new approaches
• Complex business logic - Needs human guidance
• Architecture decisions - Can suggest but needs human judgment
• Security - Can introduce vulnerabilities
• Performance optimization - General suggestions, not deep optimization

Common Issues

Hallucinations:

• All assistants can generate plausible but wrong code
• Always review suggestions

Over-reliance:

• Easy to accept without understanding
• Maintain your coding skills

Security:

• May suggest insecure patterns
• Security review is essential

Licensing:

• May suggest code similar to training data
• Understand intellectual property implications

Best Practices

Do:

• Review every suggestion
• Understand code before accepting
• Use as learning tool
• Keep your skills sharp
• Test generated code

Don't:

• Blindly accept suggestions
• Skip code review
• Use for security-critical code without extra review
• Forget about licensing implications
• Let it prevent learning

Part 7: Making Your Decision

Decision Framework

Question 1: What's your budget?

• $0 → Codeium or CodeWhisperer
• $10-12/month → GitHub Copilot or Tabnine
• $20/month → Cursor Pro

Question 2: What's your primary editor?

• VS Code → Cursor or Copilot
• JetBrains → Copilot or Tabnine
• Multiple → Tabnine or Codeium

Question 3: What's most important?

• Code quality → Copilot or Cursor
• Privacy → Tabnine
• Codebase understanding → Cursor
• Free → Codeium or CodeWhisperer

Question 4: What's your use case?

• Individual developer → Copilot or Codeium
• Team/company → Copilot Business or Tabnine
• AWS-focused → CodeWhisperer
• AI-first development → Cursor

My Personal Recommendations

For most developers: GitHub Copilot ($10/month). It's the most mature, works in your existing editor, and has proven productivity gains.For AI power users: Cursor Pro ($20/month). If you're willing to switch editors, it offers the most advanced AI-assisted development experience.For budget-conscious: Codeium (free). Surprisingly capable and completely free for individuals. Best free option.For privacy-focused: Tabnine (with local models). Only option that truly keeps your code on your machine.For AWS developers: Amazon CodeWhisperer (free). AWS-optimized and costs nothing.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is GitHub Copilot worth $10/month?

Try the free tier first! As of November 2025, GitHub Copilot has a free tier with 2,000 completions/month + 50 chat messages. For many individual developers, this is sufficient. If you need more, the $10/month tier is absolutely worth it—if it saves you even 20 minutes per month, it's paid for itself. Studies show 30-55% productivity improvement.

2. Should I switch from VS Code to Cursor or Windsurf?

Try both free tiers!

• Windsurf ($15/month): Best value with Flow Mode for autonomous coding
• Cursor ($20/month): Most mature AI-native IDE with excellent codebase understanding

Both require switching editors but offer superior AI integration. Many developers use multiple setups: Cursor/Windsurf for complex projects, VS Code + Copilot for quick edits.

3. Are these tools safe for company code?

Depends on the tool and your company's policies:

• Generally safe: Copilot Business (no training on your code)
• Most secure: Tabnine with local models
• Check policies: Many companies now allow with restrictions

4. Will these make me a worse programmer?

Only if you let them. Used well, they're learning tools. Used poorly, they prevent learning. Best practice: Try solving problems yourself first, then use AI to check/improve.

5. Which is best for learning to code?

Free options are now excellent for learners:

• GitHub Copilot Free (2,000 completions/month for everyone)
• Codeium (unlimited free)
• Amazon CodeWhisperer (unlimited free)

These help you learn patterns and see different approaches. But don't let them do all the work—try solving problems yourself first, then use AI to check and learn.

6. Can I use multiple coding assistants?

Technically yes, but not recommended. Multiple assistants can conflict and slow down your IDE. Choose one primary assistant. You can use general AI (ChatGPT, Claude) alongside for different purposes.

7. Do these work offline?

Only Tabnine with local models. All others require internet connection for AI features.

8. What about copyright and licensing?

Complex area:

• Your generated code: You own it (typically)
• May resemble training data: Possible but rare
• GitHub Copilot: Offers "duplication detection"
• Best practice: Review and understand all code

9. Which assistant is best for [specific language]?

General answer: GitHub Copilot is most consistent across languages. For specific languages:

• JavaScript/TypeScript: Copilot or Cursor
• Python: Copilot or Cursor
• Java: Copilot (JetBrains integration)
• AWS/Cloud: CodeWhisperer

10. Should companies ban AI coding assistants?

No, but have policies. Banning them puts you at competitive disadvantage. Instead:

• Choose approved tools (e.g., Copilot Business, Tabnine)
• Require code review
• Train developers on proper usage
• Audit generated code

Conclusion

AI coding assistants are essential tools for modern development. Here's my final recommendation hierarchy for November 2025:

Best free option: GitHub Copilot Free (2,000 completions/month)

• Now available to everyone
• Brand name quality with generous limits
• Good for most individual developers

Best free unlimited: Codeium (unlimited forever)

• Surprisingly capable
• True unlimited with no monthly cap
• Great backup when Copilot Free limit reached

Best value paid: Windsurf Pro ($15/month)

• Autonomous coding with Flow Mode
• Multi-file understanding
• Lower cost than Cursor

Best overall paid: GitHub Copilot Individual ($10/month)

• Proven, mature, works in existing editors
• Good for 90% of developers
• Unlimited usage

Best for power users: Cursor Pro ($20/month)

• Most mature AI-native IDE
• Excellent codebase understanding
• Worth switching editors for

Best for code review: Claude Code ($20/month with Claude Pro)

• Best quality code review and security analysis
• 77.2% SWE-bench Verified
• Doubles as general AI assistant

Best for privacy: Tabnine (local models)

• Only true offline option
• Enterprise-friendly

Best for AWS: CodeWhisperer (free)

• AWS-optimized, costs nothing

My recommended setup (November 2025):

• Free: GitHub Copilot Free + Codeium (backup) + Claude Free (code review)
• Paid: Windsurf or Cursor ($15-20) + Claude Pro ($20) for code review

Start here:

• Try GitHub Copilot Free (2,000/month) - quality brand name coding assistant
• Add Codeium (free) as unlimited backup
• If you want more, try Windsurf ($15/month) for autonomous coding or Cursor ($20/month) for most mature experience
• Add Claude Pro ($20/month) for code review and general AI use

The good news? Most offer free trials or tiers. Experiment to find what fits your workflow.

Related Resources:

• Complete guide to AI developer tools
• AI tools for specific developer tasks
• Compare AI models for coding
• Browse developer AI prompts

Last updated: November 2025