Best AI Coding Assistants (September 2026)

1

Continue

Top pickFree plan

continue.dev

Best for Developers wanting customizable, model-agnostic AI coding help

Continue is an open-source AI coding assistant that integrates into IDEs such as VS Code and JetBrains. It provides inline code completion, chat-based code explanation, and refactoring suggestions, with support for connecting to various large language models, including local and hosted options. Developers can customize prompts, context sources, and model providers to fit specific workflows. Because it is open-source and model-agnostic, it appeals to developers and engineering teams wanting control over which AI models power their coding assistant, rather than being locked into a single vendor's offering.

• Inline code completion
• IDE chat assistant
• Configurable LLM providers

2

Qodo

qodo.ai

Best for Development teams focused on code quality·Free trial

Qodo, formerly CodiumAI, is an AI coding assistant focused on code quality and integrity. It generates unit tests, suggests code reviews, and analyzes pull requests to catch bugs and edge cases before merging. The tool integrates with popular IDEs and Git platforms, offering contextual suggestions based on the codebase. Qodo is aimed at software development teams seeking to automate testing and review processes, particularly those working in fast-paced environments where maintaining code reliability alongside rapid iteration is a priority.

• Automated test generation
• AI-assisted code review
• PR analysis integration

3

Windsurf

windsurf.com

Best for Developers wanting an AI-native code editor·Free trial

Windsurf is an AI-powered code editor built on an agentic assistant called Cascade, which can read a codebase, make multi-file edits, run commands, and iterate on tasks with developer oversight. It offers autocomplete, chat-based code generation, and context-aware suggestions across a project rather than a single file. Windsurf is aimed at individual developers and engineering teams looking for an integrated environment that combines traditional editing with AI-driven assistance for writing, refactoring, and debugging code.

• Agentic multi-file editing
• Context-aware autocomplete
• Chat-based code generation

4

GitLab Duo

gitlab.com

Best for Development teams using GitLab for DevSecOps·Free trial

GitLab Duo is a set of AI-powered capabilities built into the GitLab DevSecOps platform, offering code suggestions, code explanation, chat-based assistance, and support for tasks like merge request summaries and vulnerability analysis. It integrates directly into the GitLab workflow, spanning planning, coding, code review, and security stages. GitLab Duo suits development teams already using GitLab for source control and CI/CD who want AI assistance embedded within existing pipelines and review processes, rather than as a separate standalone editor tool.

• Code suggestions
• Chat-based assistance
• Merge request summaries

5

Amazon Q Developer

Free plan

aws.amazon.com

Best for Development teams building on AWS

Amazon Q Developer is an AI-powered coding assistant from AWS that provides code suggestions, chat-based assistance, and code review within IDEs such as Visual Studio Code and JetBrains. It supports tasks including code generation, debugging, unit test creation, and code transformation, with particular emphasis on AWS service integration and workflows. The tool also offers features for upgrading legacy application code and answering questions about AWS resources. It is aimed at developers and teams already building on AWS who want assistance across the software development lifecycle.

• Inline code suggestions
• AWS-aware chat assistant
• Code transformation and upgrades

6

Codeium

Free plan

codeium.com

Best for Individual developers and engineering teams

Codeium is an AI-powered coding assistant that provides code autocompletion, an in-editor chat interface, and code search across a wide range of programming languages and IDEs, including VS Code, JetBrains, and Vim. It integrates into existing development workflows to help write, explain, and refactor code. Codeium is aimed at individual developers as well as engineering teams looking to speed up routine coding tasks without switching context away from their editor.

• Code autocompletion
• In-editor AI chat
• Multi-IDE support

7

GitHub Copilot

github.com

Best for Software development teams and individual programmers·Free trial

GitHub Copilot is an AI coding assistant developed by GitHub in partnership with OpenAI. It integrates into editors such as Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, and JetBrains IDEs to suggest code completions, whole functions, and tests based on context and comments. It supports multiple programming languages and offers a chat interface for explaining code, debugging, and answering development questions. The tool is aimed at individual developers and engineering teams looking to speed up routine coding tasks, and it includes business and enterprise tiers with additional administrative and policy controls.

• Inline code suggestions
• AI chat for debugging
• Multi-language IDE integration

8

JetBrains AI Assistant

jetbrains.com

Best for Developers using JetBrains IDEs·Free trial

JetBrains AI Assistant is an AI-powered coding tool integrated into JetBrains IDEs such as IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, and WebStorm. It provides code completion, code generation, refactoring suggestions, and explanations directly within the development environment. The assistant can also help with writing commit messages, generating documentation, and answering coding questions through an in-IDE chat interface. It is designed for developers already working within the JetBrains ecosystem who want AI assistance without switching tools, supporting multiple programming languages depending on the host IDE.

• In-IDE code completion
• AI chat assistant
• Code refactoring suggestions