Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the way we work, and software development is no exception. AI coding assistants are empowering developers to write code faster and more efficiently than ever before.
In this article, we'll compare the 11 best AI coding assistants, highlighting their unique features and pricing, to help you find the perfect coding partner:
- GitHub Copilot
- Tabnine
- Amazon CodeWhisperer
- Replit AI
- CodeWP
- Android Studio Bot
- Sourcegraph Cody
- AskCodi
- SQLAI
- DeepCode AI
- Amazon CodeGuru
We'll also introduce you to n8n's Advanced AI modules: an AI code helper assistant and LangChain native integrations. With this Advanced AI in n8n, you can use AI for writing code and, on top of that, manage advanced LLM logic on a low-code platform.
Without further ado, let's get started!
What are AI coding assistants?
AI coding assistants are tools that use artificial intelligence to help you write code more efficiently and accurately. They generate code based on prompts in natural language or an existing code base and suggest code completions in real-time as you type.
Imagine a super-smart colleague who's always ready to lend a hand, point out possible mistakes, suggest best practices, and help you navigate complex codebases.
That's exactly what AI code assistants do!
They utilize vast amounts of data, including open-source code repositories and documentation, to provide context-aware recommendations tailored to your specific needs.
Is ChatGPT good at coding?
ChatGPT is a universal tool when it comes to AI assistance, and coding is definitely one of its strengths.
However, keep in mind that ChatGPT's coding capabilities are more general in nature compared to tools like GitHub Copilot or Ask AI feature by n8n, which are specifically designed to help with coding. Think of ChatGPT as your friend, always ready to offer advice, while specialized AI for coding is like your personal coding coach, helping you improve your skills in specific areas.
That's why we will now delve into reviewing the 11 best AI code assistants available, each offering unique features and capabilities to enhance your coding experience.
11 best AI code assistants
Which AI assistant is the best for coding?
The best AI assistant for coding can vary depending on individual preferences, needs, and the specific programming languages or tasks involved. Some popular AI coding assistants include:
GitHub Copilot
🌟 Main feature: AI coding powered by the world's largest source code repository
GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered code completion tool developed by two industry leaders: GitHub and OpenAI. With its deep understanding of code patterns, Copilot acts as your personal assistant, helping you program faster and more efficiently.
What sets GitHub Copilot apart from other AI for programming is its seamless integration with the GitHub ecosystem. It has been trained on an extensive corpus of open-source code repositories and thus supports virtually all programming languages in the public domain.
What we liked about GitHub Copilot:
- Intelligent code completion and suggestions;
- Works best with common programming languages like Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Ruby, Go, and C#;
- Integration with popular IDEs and editors;
- Access to relevant documentation and examples to help you understand and implement code effectively.
Price:
- From $10/month for individual users;
- From $19 per user/month for businesses.
Tabnine
🌟 Main feature: Supports a wide range of programming languages and IDEs
Tabnine is a powerful coding assistant that offers intelligent code completion and suggestions for a wide range of programming languages. It integrates well with more than 15 IDEs and editors, ensuring smooth coding completion regardless of your preferred development environment.
Tabnine’s advanced AI engine provides real-time code completion and error detection. As you type, it analyzes your codebase and suggests the most relevant code snippets and examples. It learns from your coding patterns and style, making suggestions more accurate and personalized over time.
Tabnine is especially suited for tech-savvy enterprise teams. What sets it apart is its increased focus on security and the ability to tailor its AI model to an organization’s specific coding standards. Tabnine offers both cloud-based and on-premises solutions, enabling offline operations through a local AI model.
What we liked about Tabnine:
- Code completion and error detection in real-time;
- Support for over 25 programming languages and 15 IDEs;
- Personalized code suggestions based on your coding style;
- Access to relevant code snippets and examples.
Pricing:
- A free basic plan is available;
- More advanced Pro plan starts at $12 per user/month.
Amazon CodeWhisperer
🌟 Main feature: Seamless integration with AWS ecosystem
Amazon CodeWhisperer may be the perfect choice for developers working on AWS-based projects. With support for over 18 programming languages including Java, Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, and C#CodeWhisperer offers a versatile and efficient coding experience.
CodeWhisperer sets itself apart from other AI coding software by employing the vast knowledge and experience of Amazon's developer community. It provides intelligent code suggestions and completions based on best practices and real-world examples, helping developers write clean, efficient, and maintainable code. Native integration with AWS services and tools, such as AWS Cloud9, further improves workflow efficiency and development productivity.
Amazon Q is an interactive, generative AI-powered assistant available in the IDE via CodeWhisperer that gives you expert guidance through a simple conversational interface.
What we liked about CodeWhisperer:
- AI-powered code suggestions and completions;
- Support for more than 18 programming languages;
- Integration with popular IDEs and editors, including VS Code and JetBrains IDEs;
- Access to relevant documentation and examples from the AWS ecosystem;
- Amazon Q provides expert guidance through a simple, conversational interface.
Pricing:
- Free for individual use;
- Pro plan at $18 per user/month.
Replit AI
🌟 Main feature: Coding assistance within an online IDE
Replit AI is a coding assistant that integrates smoothly with Replit's online IDE. With intelligent code completion, generation, and error-highlighting features, Replit AI will be your trusted companion on your coding journey.
Unlike GitHub Copilot or Tabnine, which cater to a wide range of IDEs and editors, Replit AI is specifically designed to improve your coding workflow on the Replit's platform. This specialization allows Replit AI to offer suggestions and optimizations that are fine-tuned for the languages and frameworks supported by Replit.
What we liked about Replit AI:
- Intelligent code completion and suggestions;
- Code generation based on context and patterns;
- Real-time error highlighting and fixing for proactive debugging;
- Pair programming with Replit AI Chat.
Pricing:
- Free limited version;
- Core plan at $20 per month for individuals;
- Customized pricing for teams.
CodeWP
🌟 Main feature: Tailored for WordPress Development
CodeWP is an AI-powered coding assistant designed specifically for WordPress developers. It integrates well into your WordPress development workflow, providing intelligent code suggestions, snippet creation, and error detection. Unlike other AI coding assistants that work with a wide range of languages and frameworks, CodeWPis is designed exclusively for WordPress development.
Whether you're working on a plugin, theme, or your own WordPress project, CodeWP will be your indispensable partner. It offers a comprehensive knowledge base with modes and presets for popular WordPress plugins, providing access to relevant documentation and best practices. CodeWP's context-aware suggestions will help you write cleaner and better code.
What we liked about CodeWP:
- WordPress-specific code assistance;
- Supports languages relevant to the WordPress ecosystem: PHP, JavaScript, SQL, and CSS;
- Intelligent code suggestions and snippet creation;
- Error detection and highlighting;
- Modes and presets for popular WordPress plugins;
- Integration with VS Code, web app and browser extension.
Pricing:
- A free plan is available;
- Pro plan at $28 per month per user.
Android Studio Bot
🌟 Main feature: AI-powered coding assistant for Android
Android Studio Bot is a dedicated coding AI helper built specifically for the Android ecosystem. With its focus on Java and Kotlin, the two main languages used in Android app development, Studio Bot integrates flawlessly into the Android Studio IDE, providing developers with intelligent code completion and generation capabilities right in the familiar development environment.
One of the distinguishing features of Android Studio Bot is its ability to generate code snippets based on natural language chat messages. Developers can simply describe what they want to accomplish and Android Studio Bot will provide relevant code suggestions and completions.
What we liked about Android Studio Bot:
- Seamless integration with Android Studio IDE;
- Intelligent code completion and generation for Java and Kotlin;
- Code generation from chat messages in natural language;
- Access to Android-specific documentation and examples.
Pricing:
- For free.
Sourcegraph Cody
🌟 Main feature: Deep understanding of the codebase
Sourcegraph Cody assistant takes code review to the next level. With a deep understanding of your codebase, Cody provides intelligent code generation, completion, and suggested improvements. It acts as your personal code review expert, helping you identify bugs, optimize performance, and adhere to best practices.
Unlike other AI coding assistants that mainly focus on code completion, Sourcegraph Cody is different because it specializes in code review and documentation writing. It analyzes your code in the context of your entire project, offering valuable insights and recommendations.
What we liked about Sourcegraph Cody:
- Code generation and completion;
- Debug assistance and suggested improvements;
- Best practice recommendations;
- Writing documentation;
- Deep understanding of the codebase.
Pricing:
- Free limited version;
- Pro plan starts at $9 per user/month.
AskCodi
🌟 Main feature: Natural language queries for code search and answers
AskCodi is a coding assistant that is characterized by its ability to understand and respond to natural language queries. Supporting over 50 programming languages, AskCodi provides instant answers and code snippets to help developers quickly get through coding challenges.
AskCodi also offers several specialized AI tools, such as the Code Fixer, regex explainer, Big-O analyzer and Language Translator. This makes it an ideal tool for both experienced programmers and those just starting to learn a new language.
What we liked about AskCodi:
- Natural language processing for intuitive code search and response;
- Support for over 50 programming languages;
- Integration with popular IDEs like VS Code, PyCharm, and Sublime;
- Comprehensive knowledge base with explanations and examples;
- AskCodi Agents (beta) and various AI tools for special coding tasks.
Pricing:
- A free plan with limited features;
- Paid plans starting at $9.99 per user/month.
SQLAI
🌟 Main feature: Specializes in SQL assistance
SQLAI is another niche coding assistant that focuses on helping developers work with SQL queries. Unlike other AI for coding that supports a lot of programming languages, SQLAI dedicates its expertise to SQL, making it an ideal choice for developers who work extensively with databases.
With SQLAI, you can easily generate SQL queries by describing your requirements in natural language. The AI assistant will understand your intentions and provide accurate and optimized SQL code snippets. It also offers detailed explanations of the generated queries, helping you understand the logic behind them. Additionally, SQLAI can detect and fix errors in your SQL queries, saving you valuable debugging time.
What we liked about SQLAI:
- Conversion of natural language into SQL queries;
- Seamless integration with most popular DB engines: MySQL, PostgreSQL, MS SQL, Oracle PL/SQL and MongoDB;
- Support for almost 20 database management systems;
- Error detection and fixing of SQL queries.
Pricing:
- Starter plan at $5 per month;
- Pro plan at $9 per month.
DeepCode AI
🌟 Key feature: Purpose-built AI for secure development
Snyk, is an innovative security tool that uses the power of AI to detect and fix vulnerabilities in code. It combines multiple AI models, security-specific training data and the expertise of top security researchers.
DeepCode AI, the backbone of Snyk Code, is designed to provide the fastest and most accurate static application security testing (SAST) on the market. With support for 11 programming languages and a vast knowledge base of over 25 million data flow cases, Snyk's DeepCode AI is specifically designed to find and fix vulnerabilities while helping to manage technical debt.
What we liked about DeepCode AI:
- AI-supported recommendations for corrections;
- Simplified creation of custom rules with DeepCode AI Search;
- Seamless integration with popular IDEs;
- Real-time vulnerability scanning;
- Actionable remediation recommendations directly in the developer's workflow.
Price:
- Free account available;
- Paid plans start from 25$ per month per Snyk product.
Amazon CodeGuru
🌟 Key feature: AI-powered code review and application security
Amazon CodeGuru is a powerful AI-driven tool that helps developers improve the quality, security, and performance of their code. CodeGuru consists of two main components: CodeGuru Reviewer and CodeGuru Security.
CodeGuru Reviewer uses machine learning to identify potential defects, bugs and optimization opportunities in your code. It provides intelligent recommendations based on best practices and common coding patterns.
CodeGuru Security, on the other hand, is a static application security testing (SAST) tool that uses machine learning to detect security vulnerabilities and policy violations in your code.
What we liked about CodeGuru:
- Detection of vulnerabilities through in-depth semantic analysis and machine learning techniques;
- Inline code fixes with plug-and-play code blocks to replace vulnerable lines of code;
- Automatic detection of whether vulnerabilities have been addressed across subsequent scans;
- Metrics dashboard that provides a high-level overview;
- Integration with popular CI/CD pipelines, IDEs, and AWS services like AWS CodePipeline and Amazon Inspector.
Price:
- CodeGuru Reviewer: $10 per 100k lines of code reviewed;
- CodeGuru Security is free during the public preview period.
AI coding tools in n8n
After reviewing the 11 best coding AI assistants, we thought to share n8n’s approach to AI for programming.
While AI coding assistants like GitHub Copilot and TabNine are more focused on assisting developers during the coding process by providing code suggestions, completions, and even generating entire code snippets based on context, n8n is a more complex solution for building workflows with a low-code UI (and if the pre-made nodes are not enough, you can always fall back to JS or Python scripting in the Code node) with AI modules included.
There are two modules for coding with AI in n8n:
- A context-aware AI coding assistant: n8n recommends using the Ask AI feature as a starting point to create initial code and then edit it as needed.
- Advanced AI nodes in n8n to create custom AI applications for your business operations powered by the LangChain library.
Ask AI in n8n
Although n8n allows you to automate tasks without programming, many of our users rely on the Code node for creating custom logic. Code usage spans from complex data transformations to working with third-party libraries and can be done both in JavaScript and Python.
That’s why we implemented an AI coding assistant in n8n!
Here’s what you need to know about Ask AI:
The n8n AI assistant integrates smoothly into the workflow editor, specifically within the Code node. This integration allows users to utilize the power of AI-generated code while building automation workflows. This focused functionality ensures that the generated code is optimized for use within n8n workflows, making it easier for users to implement and customize.
To use the AI assistant in n8n, simply go to the Code node and select the "Ask AI" tab. Write your query or prompt, and the AI will generate JavaScript code based on your requirements. The generated code will appear in the Code tab and you can review it and modify if necessary.
Take a look at the documentation page for the Ask AI coding assistant. There you’ll find tips on writing effective prompts and several use-case examples.
💡 Bonus tips:
- Large language models with a long context window, such as GPT-4 Turbo and Claude-3, are familiar with n8n workflow structures. You can pass workflow JSON to these models and ask them to explain or summarize it.
- Finally, many small tasks in JS can be accomplished using expressions in various other nodes besides the Code node. You can ask LLMs to help you with these short snippets. Remember, n8n has several useful libraries pre-installed, such as Luxon for working with date-time data and JMESPath for making JSON queries. So you can let the LLM know which libraries are available to you.
LangChain nodes in n8n
With n8n's LangChain nodes, you can easily incorporate AI-powered features into your workflows. These nodes are customizable, allowing you to choose your preferred agent, Large Language Model (LLM), memory settings, and more.
In addition, with any n8n node, you can easily connect LangChain logic to other data sources and services.
That’s how n8n helps you build LLM apps:
- Advanced chatbots: Create chatbots with access to different data for personalized interactions that surpass basic queries. Use the Chat Trigger node when building AI workflows for chatbots and other chat interfaces.
- Personalized assistants: Create intelligent assistants that integrate with platforms like Google Drive, AWS, and others to increase personalization and context retention.
- Information extraction: Implement information extraction flows converting unstructured text into structured data using OutputParsers, which facilitates downstream processing.
- Document summarization: Developing tools to summarize extensive text into concise summaries while retaining the essence and scope of the content.
Wrap Up
In this article, we’ve reviewed 11 AI coding assistants with their key features and distinctions: GitHub Copilot, Tabnine, Amazon CodeWhisperer, Replit AI, CodeWP, Android Studio Bot, Sourcegraph Cody, AskCodi, SQLAI, DeepCode AI and Amazon CodeGuru.
We’ve also introduced the AI coding tools in n8n, a low-code automation platform:
- Ask AI: context-aware coding assistant that helps create custom JS code.
- Advanced AI integrations: drag-n-drop LangChain.js nodes for creating complete AI-powered workflows.
Remember to set up your own n8n instance in the cloud! The built-in Ask AI feature is not available in the self-hosted versions, but you can still use GPT-4 or Claude-3 for some assistance with JS snippets or workflow insights. Advanced AI nodes are available on the cloud and self-hosted.
Our free and paid plans are aimed at small and large teams. If you are seeking additional security and scalability, consider our enterprise plans!
