Top AI Coding Assistant Tools for Developers and Programmers

AI is the new black.

There's a reason why we say something like that. Artificial Intelligence, mainly Generative AI has been a revelation of its kind. Right from written content to generative images to AI-driven videos, we are seeing it all in action over the last few months. But, one exciting use case that has taken the internet, particularly the developer's community by storm is the ability of AI to code as per our needs. AI-powered assistants can not only code but code well when it comes to picking up the nuances related to various coding languages. This has transformed the field of software development, opening up a world of possibilities and innovation. In this article, we will explore the top AI coding assistant tools available today, each offering unique features and benefits. Read along!

GitHub Copilot X
CodeGPT
Codey and Studio Bot by Google
Replit Ghostwriter
Amazon CodeWhisperer
GPT Engineer
ChatGPT 4
Google Bard

GitHub Copilot X

GitHub Copilot X stands out as one of the most highly recommended AI coding assistant tools for developers. Powered by the GPT-4 model, Copilot X offers a wide range of features including code completion, code explanation, debugging, and more. It integrates seamlessly with popular IDEs such as VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, and Neovim, making it accessible to developers across different platforms.

With Copilot X, you can expect contextual suggestions, personalized answers from documentation, and even automated updates for code merges. It supports multiple programming languages, including C, C++, C#, Go, Java, JavaScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, Scala, and TypeScript. According to Microsoft's research, developers using Copilot X reported increased productivity and satisfaction, with 74% of developers feeling more focused on satisfying work and 88% experiencing a boost in productivity.

Please note that Copilot X is currently not available to everyone, but individual users or businesses with access to GitHub Copilot can join the waitlist. The future pricing for Copilot X is yet to be determined, but the existing Copilot subscription costs $19 per month.

Pricing

GitHub Copilot X offers 3 pricing plans as below:

CodeGPT

CodeGPT is a third-party extension specifically designed for Visual Studio Code (VS Code) users. Developed by Daniel San, CodeGPT integrates the powerful ChatGPT models, including GPT-4, into the VS Code environment. This AI coding assistant allows you to generate code, explain functions, find solutions to problems, write unit tests, and more.

With support for 16 programming languages and the ability to add API keys from various AI services, such as Cohere, Anthropic, AI21 Labs, and HuggingFace, CodeGPT offers a versatile coding experience. Whether you need assistance in Python, Java, JavaScript, or any other supported language, CodeGPT has you covered.

Pricing

CodeGPT offers 3 pricing plans as below:

Codey and Studio Bot by Google

Google has also entered the AI coding assistant arena with Codey and Studio Bot. Codey is an AI assistant available on Google Colab, offering in-line code suggestions, code generation, autocomplete, debugging, and more. Currently, Codey is only accessible to users in the United States, and it supports Python as the primary programming language.

Studio Bot, on the other hand, is designed specifically for Android developers using Android Studio. It assists with code generation, test case creation, and API updates, aiming to improve productivity and compliance. Studio Bot is currently available to US developers, with plans to expand to other countries in the future.

Pricing

Codey and Studio bots are both free to use and are currently available to only US developers.

Replit Ghostwriter

Replit Ghostwriter offers AI-powered coding assistance backed by Replit's in-house large language model. With its support for code completion, generation, transformation, enhancement, explanation, chat, and debugging, Ghostwriter is a comprehensive tool for developers. It supports a wide range of programming languages, including Bash, C, C#, C++, CSS, Go, JavaScript, Java, PHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, and more.

To access Replit Ghostwriter, you will need to subscribe to the Pro plan, which costs $20 per month. Along with AI coding assistance, the Pro plan provides a fast workspace, high resource limits, unlimited private Repls, SSH access, and more. Ghostwriter also offers the added benefit of running your code in an online IDE simultaneously, making it an excellent choice for developers looking to streamline their coding experience.

Pricing

Replit Ghostwriter offers 3 development plans as below:

Amazon CodeWhisperer

Amazon CodeWhisperer is a coding-specific large language model (LLM) developed by Amazon. Trained on billions of lines of code, CodeWhisperer excels in generating in-line code suggestions similar to GitHub Copilot X. It can automatically generate complete functions based on existing code and even identify code resembling open-source training code, allowing for proper attribution.

CodeWhisperer offers built-in code security features, scanning and analyzing your code for vulnerabilities and loopholes. It integrates with various IDEs, including VS Code, IntelliJ IDEA, and PyCharm, and supports multiple programming languages such as Python, Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, C#, and more. The best part is that Amazon CodeWhisperer is free to use, providing unlimited code suggestions to developers.

Pricing

Amazon CodeWhisperer offers 2 pricing plans as below:

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Discover how AI code assistant tools enhance coding skills, from idea generation to performance optimization, empowering you with coding superpowers.

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GPT Engineer

GPT Engineer is an open-source project that has gained popularity among developers as one of the most promising AI coding tools. With over 11K stars on GitHub, GPT Engineer is specifically designed to assist in building entire codebases for projects. By providing information about what you want to build and asking clarifying questions, GPT Engineer uses an OpenAI API, preferably GPT-4, to generate code for your project.

Developers have reported high success rates with GPT Engineer, making it a valuable tool for codebase development. As an open-source project, GPT Engineer benefits from continuous updates and contributions from various developers. If you're a coder looking for an AI coding assistant that can help you build your entire codebase, GPT Engineer is worth exploring.

Pricing

GPT Engineer is a completely free AI coding tool.

ChatGPT 4

While ChatGPT is a general-purpose AI chatbot, it is highly proficient in coding tasks as well. Powered by the GPT-4 model, ChatGPT serves as the backbone for many AI coding assistants, including Copilot X and CodeGPT. With a ChatGPT Plus subscription, you gain access to the full capabilities of the GPT-4 model, enabling you to write code with ease.

ChatGPT's performance in HumanEval Python coding tasks has been outstanding, scoring 67% with zero-shot prompting, the highest score achieved by a large language model (LLM) on the HumanEval benchmark. By using expert-level prompts, developers can expect even better answers and assistance from ChatGPT. Whether you're a seasoned developer or a beginner, ChatGPT 4 can be an invaluable AI coding tool.

Pricing

The subscription for ChatGPT Plus is designed to include access exclusively to chat.openai.com. This comprehensive subscription plan is available at a monthly cost of $20. On the other hand, ChatGPT is entirely free to use.

Google Bard

Google Bard is a versatile AI chatbot that excels in coding tasks. Built on the PaLM 2 model, Google Bard supports over 20 programming languages, including C, C++, Python, C#, and JavaScript. It offers an array of features, including code generation, translation between programming languages, and even implicit code execution for accurate output representation.

Google Bard's new technique called Implicit Code Execution allows it to run code in the background, providing accurate output displays. This advancement has improved Bard's accuracy by 30% in computation-based prompts. Additionally, you can export code directly to Google Colab for further testing. Google Bard is a powerful coding AI tool that developers should consider leveraging for their projects.

Pricing

Google Bard is another AI tool for coding that is entirely free to use.

Conclusion

AI coding assistants have become indispensable tools for developers and programmers, offering a wide range of features and benefits. From code completion and debugging to code generation and optimization, these AI-powered tools streamline the development process, enhance productivity, and improve code quality. Whether you choose GitHub Copilot X, CodeGPT, or any other AI coding assistant, incorporating this technology into your workflow can significantly boost your efficiency and expertise as a developer. So why wait? It is time to get started!

FAQs

What are the best AI code assistant tools?

Some of the best AI code assistant tools are:

• GitHub Copilot X
• CodeGPT
• Codey and Studio Bot by Google
• Replit Ghostwriter
• Amazon CodeWhisperer
• GPT Engineer
• ChatGPT 4
• Google Bard

In what ways can AI code assistant tools contribute to the improvement of coding skills?

AI coding assistant tools can enhance coding skills through code reviews, code explanations, debugging, and performance optimization.

What are the coding languages supported by GitHub Copilot X?

There are multiple coding languages supported by GitHub Copilot including C, C++, C#, Go, Java, JavaScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, Scala, and TypeScript.