Best AI-Powered IDEs and Coding Assistants in 2025

An Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is central to the development of any computer program. It brings together everything programmers need into one workspace, helping them be more productive. In the early days, when IDEs were novel, people even took courses to make the most out of IDEs. Over time, they became an indispensable and common tech that every developer uses. But while they've long been considered almost routine, with AI revolutionizing industries and software development becoming no exception, the time has come that they also have stepped into a new AI-driven era.

In recent years, a wave of AI-powered tools has entered the market to accelerate the coding process, reduce repetitive tasks, and elevate what it means to build software. In 5 to 10 years, we might look at AI coding tools much the same way we currently view traditional IDEs. Not only can they make development faster and easier, but they can reshape the whole development process and project outcomes. All these tools fall into two primary categories: AI plugins for mainstream IDEs and standalone AI-driven IDEs.

1. AI Plugins/Integrations for mainstream IDEs 

These tools integrate into the developer's preferred IDE and text editors like Visual Studio Code, Eclipse, or JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm), allowing them to benefit from AI-assisted coding without switching to an entirely new platform. Some of them may focus on accelerating coding with smart suggestions while developers type. Others go beyond autocompletion by offering additional features like generating entire functions, providing explanations, accepting natural language prompts, and even debugging tips directly within the IDE. 

 The most popular AI Assistants on the market today are Codeium, Tabnine, GitHub Copilot, and Amazon Q Developer (formerly Amazon CodeWhisperer).

2. Standalone IDEs that are AI-driven by design

Unlike traditional IDEs enhanced with plugins, these tools are built from the ground up with AI as a core feature. They provide a complete standalone development environment that leverages AI for tasks such as intelligent project setup, advanced debugging, and deep integration of AI insights throughout the development workflow. These tools are less popular for now as most developers prefer integrating AI tools into their familiar IDEs rather than switching entirely to a new environment. However, fully AI-integrated environments are suitable for developers open to exploring new workflows and have the potential to totally substitute traditional IDEs one day.

The most popular tools in the category are Cursor AI and Windsurf by Codeium, released only about 2 weeks ago, but positioning itself as the best IDE in the world that is set to change how developers navigate and interact with the code.

Let’s analyze all these top AI tools for developers available today, their standout features, their price tags, and the development needs for which they're best suited. 

Codeium

Codeium is a general-purpose AI extension that offers advanced coding assistance. It integrates with multiple existing IDEs, including VS Code and JetBrains products, and supports numerous programming languages. The tool stands out for its combination of high-quality AI code completions at no cost to individual developers. It focuses on delivering fast, accurate code suggestions as developers type so they can accept or ignore them. It can interpret natural language prompts related to programming, such as explaining code, generating functions, and debugging, though it may not prioritize natural language processing as heavily as some other tools. Unlike many AI tools that require expensive subscriptions, Codeium offers a genuinely free tier with unlimited code autocomplete and AI-powered chat, making AI coding accessible to developers at all skill levels. Still, to assess advanced features such as full-function completions, personalized models, and enterprise-level privacy features, you will have to purchase paid plans. 

Getting started is easy: visit their website, install the extension for your IDE, activate the AI assistance, and customize the settings to match your coding style.

Codeium Key Features:

• Real-time intelligent code suggestions: Codeium provides real-time, context-aware auto-completions and code suggestions.

• Multiple languages support: The tool supports 70 programming languages, including Python, JavaScript, Java, PHP, Ruby, Go, and many more, making it suitable for diverse projects.

• IDE integration: Codeium can be integrated into popular IDEs such as Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, JetBrains IDEs, Eclipse, Neovim, and others, so developers can use it within their existing environments.

• Free for individual developers: Unlike many other AI tools with subscription fees, Codeium offers its core features for free with no limits.

• Privacy and security focus: Codeium keeps your code private, ensuring it's not used for public training or shared without your permission. For teams using enterprise plans and concerned about data security, it is possible to set it up on your own company's servers (self-hosted) to keep your code within your controlled environment, whether on-premises or in a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC).

• Customizable AI models: At the enterprise level plan, teams can fine-tune Codeium on their own codebase for highly customized code suggestions.

Pricing:

• Individual: Free (unlimited code completion and AI chat).

• Pro: $10/month (adds unlimited access to Codeium’s biggest and best models, more advanced context awareness).

• Team: $15/month per seat (adds collaboration features, organizational analytics, and seat management).

• Enterprise: Custom pricing for larger organizations (offers private deployment, fine-tuned models, and much more).

Best for: developers seeking simple yet powerful autocompletions and AI chat features through their existing IDEs absolutely for free and without any limits, even under a free plan.

Tabnine

Tabnine is a general-purpose AI-powered code assistant designed to boost developer productivity. It uses advanced machine learning to analyze the developer's coding patterns and context and provides relevant code completions and suggestions that can adapt to unique coding styles. It integrates with popular IDEs and supports a wide range of programming languages. Additionally, it guarantees complete protection from IP issues, relying on models trained only on permissive sources. If you're working in a team, you can further train custom models on your own codebase for even more personalized suggestions. Like Codeium, it also offers free plans with AI code completions and an AI-powered chat. And similarly, Tabnine may not prioritize natural language processing as heavily as some other tools. Still, to assess advanced features such as full-function completions, integration with Jira, personalized models, and enterprise-level privacy features, you will have to purchase paid plans.

To get started, install the Tabnine plugin for your favorite IDE, like Visual Studio Code or JetBrains. Once it's set up, you can adjust settings to match your style. 

Tabnine Key Features:

• Real-Time personalized code completions: Tabnine provides real-time suggestions, including whole functions, templates, context-aware code snippets and adapts to developer’s coding style and project context.

• Multiple languages support: It supports numerous programming languages, including JavaScript, Python, Java, Go, PHP, Ruby, C++, and more, catering to a wide range of development needs.

• IDE integration: Tabnine works with popular IDEs like Visual Studio Code, JetBrains IDEs, Eclipse, and more, providing a seamless coding experience without changing existing environments.

• Free for basic autocompletion: The tool offers a free tier for unlimited AI code completions for single and multiple lines and AI-powered chat.

• Privacy and security focus: Just like Codeium, Tabnine keeps your code private, ensuring it's not used for public training or shared without your permission. For teams using higher plan tiers and concerned about data security, Tabnine supports self-hosted deployment for enterprises, allowing models to run on company-controlled servers or VPCs. However, it doesn't support fully offline operation on personal machines.

• Customizable AI models: At the enterprise level plan, teams can fine-tune Tabnine on their own codebase for highly customized code suggestions.

Pricing: 

• Basic: Free (unlimited AI code completions for single and multiple lines, AI-powered chat).

• Pro: $12/month per user (adds advanced features like AI agents for documentation, tests, and integration with Jira).

• Enterprise: $39/month per user with a 1-year commitment (offers private deployment, fine-tuned models, advanced admin tools, and much more).

Best for: developers seeking powerful autocompletions and AI chat features through their existing IDEs for free and without limits even under a free plan.  It is a close competitor to Codeium, though Tabnine’s Pro plan stands out by offering advanced features that are not available in Codeium, all at a similar price.

GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot is a general-purpose AI tool developed by GitHub in collaboration with OpenAI to enhance developers' coding experience. It is powered by the OpenAI Codex, an AI system that can convert natural language prompts into code. Copilot suggests code completions, generates entire functions, and provides multi-line code options that adapt to the developer's style over time. Unlike plugins like Tabnine or Codeium, which integrate separately with IDEs, GitHub Copilot is built directly into GitHub. This deep integration allows it to work not only in GitHub's code editor but also within GitHub's web interface for tasks like pull requests and reviews. The main drawback of the tool is that it does not offer a free tier, even for individual developers. You can only have a 30-day trial period, which is not always enough to adapt to the tool and have the tool adapted to your own needs to become more effective. 

To start using GitHub Copilot, install the extension in your IDE, sign in with your GitHub account, and begin coding. Copilot will suggest code based on your inputs, and you can adjust the suggestions to meet your needs. 

GitHub Copilot Key Features: 

• Real-time contextual code auto-completions: Copilot analyzes the surrounding code and offers intelligent suggestions that fit seamlessly into your existing codebase.

• Multi-line suggestions: It can generate more than just a single line of code; Copilot can provide entire functions, loops, and blocks based on context or instructions, even giving multiple options to choose from.

• Natural language requests: Copilot has one of the most advanced natural language prompt handling capabilities, allowing users to request complex code-related tasks. It can generate entire functions or explain code logic in a way that's accessible to developers, offering a more conversational style compared to the others. 

• Multiple languages support: Core languages for GitHub features include C, C++, C#, Go, Java, JavaScript, Kotlin, PHP, Python, Ruby, Rust, Scala, and TypeScript, which are fewer compared to the AI tools we discussed above.

• IDE Integration: GitHub Copilot is compatible with Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, Azure Data Studio, Xcode, and Vim/Neovim.

• Customizable AI Models: In September 2024, Copilot announced the launching of fine-tuned models, available in a limited public beta for Copilot Enterprise users.  

Pricing:

• Individual: $10/month or $100/year (AI code completion, chat assistance).

• Business: $19/user/month (adds security features, IP indemnity, and command-line support).

• Enterprise: $39/user/month (adds extra layers for customization and offers deeper integration with GitHub's platform, like a chat interface to interact with Copilot across various GitHub tools)​.

Best for: developers looking for a mature AI assistant beyond just autocompletions. It excels at offering contextual code suggestions, generating boilerplate code, and assisting with complex logic based on natural language prompts. However, unlike some competitors, it does not offer any free plan.

Amazon Q Developer

Amazon Q Developer (formerly CodeWhisperer) is a specialized AI-powered code generator developed by AWS. It focuses on seamless AWS service integration, making it an excellent fit for developers working on cloud-based applications that rely heavily on AWS services (e.g., using AWS databases, storage, or machine learning tools). It simplifies incorporating these services by automatically generating AWS-specific boilerplate code, reducing the need to look up documentation. Amazon Q Developer also has an AI chat feature, so developers ask questions about software development, request code generation, get help with debugging, and receive explanations for code snippets. It also provides suggestions for improving or refactoring code. Additionally, the tool goes beyond simple code generation with its built-in security scanning feature that proactively detects security vulnerabilities and offers fixes. The Amazon Q is free at the individual tier.

To start with Amazon Q Developer, install the extension in your preferred IDE, sign in with your AWS account for optimized features, and begin coding to receive context-aware suggestions, including AWS-specific recommendations.

Amazon Q Developer Key Features:

• Real-time intelligent code suggestions:  Amazon Q Developer analyzes the existing code and offers context-relevant code completions, ranging from single-line suggestions to full functions.

• AWS Service Optimization: It provides specific code recommendations for AWS services, SDKs, and APIs, reducing the need to reference documentation

• Built-In Security Scanning: Amazon Q Developer scans for vulnerabilities (including OWASP Top 10 issues), offering remediation steps and enhancing application security.

• Multiple languages Support: The tool supports various programming languages, such as JavaScript, Java, Python, C++, PHP, and more, with varying quality and accuracy of code suggestions.

• IDE integration: Amazon Q Developer integrates with popular IDEs, such as Visual Studio Code and JetBrains IDEs, although supported features can vary.

Pricing: 

• Individual Tier: Free (for a basic set of features, including unlimited code suggestions but limited advanced features like security scans)

• Professional Tier: $19 per user/month (offers additional features like organizational license management and policy setting for enterprise users)​.

Best for: developers working on cloud-based projects, particularly those utilizing AWS services. 

Cursor

Cursor is a full-fledged IDE, rather than just a plugin as all the tools mentioned above. It is built on top of Visual Studio Code and has advanced AI capabilities directly within the coding environment. So, this IDE is suitable for developers already used to working with VS Code, as it supports the same extensions and a familiar UI, making the transition smoother. Unlike other IDEs that require separate AI extensions, Cursor has its AI functionality directly embedded, offering tools for code generation, bug fixes, and documentation within its interface. Powered by GPT-3.5 or GPT-4, with this IDE, developers can interact naturally with their codebase using plain language prompts.  It offers a free plan but has a monthly limit of completions, which can get quickly exhausted. Once the limit is reached, you must either upgrade to a paid plan or wait for the limit to reset.

To start using Cursor, download and install it as your primary code editor. Using it as a plugin is also possible, but currently only with Visual Studio Code (VS Code). Then, customize the workspace to fit your development style with themes.

Cursor Key Features:

• Real-time intelligent code suggestions: Cursor provides predictive code edits and contextual suggestions across multiple lines, considering your recent changes.

• Natural language requests: Similar to Copilot, Cursor excels at natural language prompt handling capabilities, so developers can provide natural language instructions to Cursor, and Cursor will generate the corresponding implementation.

• AI-Powered Chat Interface: Developers can engage with the conversational AI assistant within the editor to ask questions, explain the codebase, or generate code segments directly within the editor.

• Multi-file generation: Cursor supports generating and modifying code across multiple files, making complex project changes seamless.

• Multi-language support: Cursor is suitable for a wide range of programming languages. It is particularly strong in languages like Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, C++, C#, Ruby, Go, and Rust, among others. 

Pricing:

• Free for 2,000 code completions/month only

• Pro: $20/month (adds unlimited completions and unlimited slow AI model requests)

• Business: $40/user/month (adds admin tools, centralized billing, and privacy enforcement).

Best for: for developers who prefer standalone IDE rather than integrating AI tools into existing IDEs and are used to working in VS Code. Cursor offers contextual code suggestions, boilerplate code generation, and helps with complex coding logic with natural language suggestions, much like GitHub Copilot. While it offers a free plan it has limitations, making it comparable to the low tier GitHub Copilot option. 

Windsurf

Windsurf is the newest AI-powered Integrated Development Environment (IDE) developed by Codeium and launched mid November this year. It introduces agentic AI capabilities, distinguishing it from the existing Codeium extension. The Codeium extension remains available and continues to be supported, but Windsurf offers a more comprehensive, AI-native environment aimed at maximizing productivity. It includes features such as intent-based code suggestions, context-aware debugging, and task automation, making it an upgrade for developers looking for a fully integrated AI experience. Positioning itself as a competitor to platforms like Cursor​, Windsurf, at the same time, promises to be a game-changer of how developers navigate and interact with the code. It combines the best of AI copilots and autonomous agents into a unified experience, powered by its Cascade system. This system allows for real-time codebase understanding and automation of complex tasks across entire projects. Riptide, an AI-powered search tool built on Cascade, Windsurf can quickly index millions of lines of code with high accuracy. It offers a free plan with unlimited code completion and AI chat, which sets it apart from the closest rivals, Cursor and Copilot.

To start using Windsurf, download and install it as your primary code editor. After installation, choose whether to import your VS Code settings or start fresh, customize your editor theme and keybindings, and sign up or log in with your Codeium account. Then, customize the workspace to fit your development style with themes. 

Windsurf Key Features:

• AI-powered code generation and analysis: Windsurf provides full context-aware suggestions, real-time analysis, and intelligent import recommendations. It automates the creation of functions, test cases, and documentation while also providing real-time error detection and performance suggestions.

• Cascade feature: Windsurf’s Cascade replaces traditional chat interfaces in AI-powered IDEs. Acting like a virtual senior developer, it provides contextual suggestions, automates multi-file edits, and offers real-time improvements across your codebase. Unlike traditional tools that respond to isolated prompts, Cascade actively participates in the development process, suggesting improvements and even automating multi-file edits based on the context of your project​. This functionality is particularly useful for managing large, complex codebases.

• Multi-cursor operations: Enables synchronized editing across multiple parts of the code for improved efficiency.

• Multi-language support: Windsurf is suitable for a wide range of programming languages, including Python, JavaScript, Java, PHP, Ruby, Go, and many more, making it suitable for diverse projects.

• Multi-file Editing: Cascade supports multi-file edits by maintaining coherence across files, leveraging context awareness, and integrating iterative problem-solving techniques.

• Customizable AI models: At the enterprise level plan, teams can fine-tune Windsurf on their own codebase for highly customized code suggestions.

Pricing:

• Individual: Free (unlimited code completion and AI chat).

• Pro: $10/month (adds more context length, access to larger models, access to Cascade in editable mode).

• Team: $24/month per seat (adds collaboration features, organizational analytics, and seat management)

• Enterprise: Custom pricing for larger organizations (offers private deployment, fine-tuned models, and much more).

Best for: developers who prefer a standalone AI-driven IDE, especially those who work in VS Code and like tools as Cursor. Windsurf is ideal for those working with large codebases, offering its Cascade feature for better navigation and debugging. Unlike its closest competitors, Cursor and GitHub Copilot, Windsurf's freemium model includes unlimited AI support, which enhances its value for developers working on complex projects without incurring additional costs. 

Final Thoughts

AI coding tools are set to transform software development, making workflows smarter and more efficient. Both Codeium and Tabnine extensions offer competitive autocompletion features, with robust free plans ideal for developers seeking cost-effective solutions. Amazon Q Developer is best suited for cloud-based projects using AWS services. GitHub Copilot, known for its natural language prompt capabilities, remains a top choice for general-purpose AI development but lacks a free plan, unlike other tools on the list, which could be a deciding factor for developers on a budget. 

Cursor and Windsurf are promising tools that are suitable for developers who are comfortable switching to a new IDE rather than integrating AI tools into their existing IDEs. Windsurf excels in deep, context-aware analysis, ideal for tackling complex codebases, while Cursor prioritizes speed with quick, efficient reorganizations, but with its free tier limitations, it can leave you without help when you need it most. Ultimately, it’s about what fits your workflow best. Whatever tool you choose, even a paid one, you have an option to try it first.