11 Best AI Tools for Developers to Boost Coding Efficiency
Artificial Intelligence has been a real game changer in many industries, and software development is no exception. AI tools for developers help businesses and individuals to cut costs, automate routine tasks, and provide high-quality code.
With numerous AI coding assistants revolutionizing the development process, finding the perfect tool for specific tasks can be difficult. A deep understanding of modern AI tools for developers, their main benefits, limitations, and capabilities enables IT professionals and business owners to choose the best AI coding software to align with all their goals and needs.
About AI programming tools
AI coding assistant is a software application that leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms to support human coders in key aspects of the software development process. Today, top AI companies, small startups, and individuals with different levels of tech expertise use these cutting-edge technologies. Here are some of the main benefits of AI tools for developers:
- Enhanced Productivity. AI coding software makes coding workflow more efficient. By automating repetitive tasks, like debugging or removing duplicates, these tools save a lot of time and resources. As a result, software developers can focus on other tasks that need human input, such as strategic planning and creative problem-solving. AI tools for developers also can speed up the coding process in crunch time.
- Increased Availability. Due to natural language processing (NLP), modern AI tools for developers can understand and generate human language. Also, many modern coding assistants have user-friendly interfaces and can be accessed through a web browser or desktop application. It means that even individuals with no tech experience can work with this software with the right prompts and understand the tools' limitations. Also, real-time code suggestions and explanations are helpful even for experienced coders who can learn best practices and coding patterns seamlessly.
- Cost-Effectiveness. By automating routine tasks and streamlining various stages of software development, AI coding assistants can help reduce costs. AI tools for developers also help to bring apps to market faster, which is often critical in today's competitive market.
- Proactive Maintenance and Improved Code Quality. AI excels in real-time system analysis and monitoring, which is great for identifying potential issues during the coding process to avoid serious problems later. Predictive analysis and automated testing capabilities enable human coders to provide high-quality code and adhere to the highest standards.
Also, with cyber threats becoming more and more advanced, many AI tools for developers offer real-time audits and capabilities for avoiding potential vulnerabilities in source code.
Criteria for choosing the best AI tools for software developers
Today, AI tools for developers are used in many industries and niches, from AI SaaS development to building simple web pages on WordPress. But how to choose the best AI for coding with such a high number of options?
- User Feedback. When selecting the AI coding software, user feedback plays a vital role in making the right decision. Reviews and testimonials from users can provide valuable insights into how AI tools for developers perform in real-life scenarios, their reliability, and the level of customer support provided by developers.
- Usability. AI code generators should be relatively easy to use. They should have intuitive, user-friendly interfaces and seamlessly integrate within programmers' existing workflows. Also, AI tools for developers have to be compatible with popular integrated development environments (IDEs) and be able to adapt easily to different coding styles and preferences.
- Features. Comprehensive AI tools for developers should provide a wide range of advanced features. The most essential ones are the ability to provide accurate code completion, optimization suggestions, error detection, and support for various programming languages.
- Integration Capabilities. An AI coding tool must be able to seamlessly integrate with other coding tools, as well as popular systems such as IDEs, version control systems, and project management tools.
Best AI tools for developers
Here are the best AI coding tools and assistants that can help organizations and individuals enhance workflow and improve efficiency.
GitHub Copilot
https://github.com/features/copilot
GitHub developed one of the best AI tools for developers available today in collaboration with OpenAI, utilizing the full potential of generative AI and machine learning models. GitHub Copilot is trained on large datasets from various sources and supports multiple programming languages and IDEs, which makes Copilot a perfect tool for multilingual development.
Pros:
- It supports the most popular programming languages, including JavaScript, C++, Python, and Go.
- Fully compatible with widely used code editors, such as JetBrains IDE, Visual Studio Code, and Neovim.
- Supports real-time collaboration and communication between developers on the project.
- Provides AI-powered suggestions based on programming language, frameworks, editors, and plug-ins used on the specific project and code completion.
Cons:
- Sometimes, it can suggest incorrect, irrelevant, or inefficient code.
- Ethical considerations of using human coders' work for training GitHub Copilot.
Multilingual support and integration capabilities make GitHub Copilot one of the best AI tools for developers right now. This coding assistant enhances the coding experience, provides an intuitive learning environment, and supports collaboration.
Pricing:
- Individual plan is $10 a month or $100 a year
- Enterprise plan for organizations is $19 a month per user
Amazon Code Whisperer
This programming tool developed by Amazon Web Services (AWS) can generate code and provide recommendations based on a custom set of rules, conduct automated security scans, and offer an API for seamless integration into programmers' existing workflows. Code Whisperer has been trained on massive datasets of open-source code and supports NLP.
Pros:
- Supports 15 programming languages, among which are JavaScript, Python, Java, PHP, Kotlin, Ruby, and more.
- It can be seamlessly integrated into such IDEs as Amazon SageMaker Studio, JetBrains, Visual Studio Code, JupyterLab, etc.
- Amazon Code Whisperer can automate routine tasks and provide cyber security recommendations based on the latest standards, methodologies, and regulations.
- Offers impressive integration capabilities through API and is compatible with other AWS products.
Cons:
- Most suitable for developers working within the AWS ecosystem.
- Support and functionalities for some less popular programming languages, like Kotlin, are often limited.
Amazon Code Whisperer is an excellent AI tool for developers working in the AWS cloud environment and within the AWS ecosystem. With the rising popularity of cloud services and Amazon products, this programming assistant will only become more relevant.
Pricing:
- Free plan with limited capabilities and 50 code scans a month
- A professional plan with 500 scans and advanced features is $19 a month for a person
Tabnine
Tabnine is one of the AI code assistants that both industry professionals and people can use with little to no coding experience. This programming AI assistant is based on large language models (LLMs) and trained on large open-source code datasets. This tool mainly focuses on AI-powered code completion and identifying mistakes in real-time.
Pros:
- Supports several popular programming languages, including JavaScript, Python, and Java.
- It can be easily integrated into many popular code editors, such as Android Studio, Visual Studio Code, Eclipse, and IntelliJ.
- Developers can train Tabnine on custom proprietary data to receive tailored suggestions. Programmers can even connect it to their code repositories, like GitHub or Bitbucket.
- Tabnine never stores or shares developers' code, only using open-source datasets.
Cons:
- Limited performance with some programming languages or frameworks with complex and dynamic syntax.
- When AI completions are running on local hardware and not in the cloud, Tabnine may consume a lot of CPU resources.
- AI tools can take time to adapt to a developer's coding style and provide tailored suggestions.
Tabnine is known for its user-friendly interface and seamless integration within the most popular IDEs. Combined with NLP capabilities, these make Tabine one of the best AI tools for both beginners and experienced coders.
Pricing:
- A basic individual plan is free
- Pro plan supports up to 100 users, $12 per month for each one
- An enterprise plan with an unlimited number of users is $39 a month per user
OpenAI Codex
https://openai.com/blog/openai-codex
This AI code assistant is developed by the company behind ChatGPT, so it is no surprise that OpenAI Codex excels in working with natural language prompts. This AI for coding can generate lines of code based on user inquiries, add comments to existing code, translate comments into code, and quickly find useful APIs and libraries for specific projects.
Pros:
- NLP and machine learning capabilities powered by ChatGPT allow Codex to process user queries accurately and provide meaningful responses.
- Ability to translate code from one programming language to another.
- Human coders can use OpenAI Codex to add comments to code, transform comments to code, and find useful libraries and APIs based on the project requirements.
Cons:
- The AI tool mainly specializes in Python, with limited support for other programming languages, including JavaScript, Ruby, and Swift.
- Limited training data may lead to incorrect and inefficient code.
- Codex can only generate code based on user queries and doesn't have access to the broader context of the project.
OpenAI Codex may have limited capabilities compared to other AI tools for developers, but its impressive NLP capabilities and user-friendly interface make it an invaluable assistant for generating high-quality code based on natural language prompts.
Pricing:
- The Codex platform is free
- API for integration costs are calculated based on token consumption
Codiga
This is one of the AI tools for developers that mainly focuses on code review, not code generation. Using the power of AI and machine learning algorithms, Codiga can quickly analyze and inspect software development projects for potential flaws, security vulnerabilities, and outdated dependencies and libraries. Programmers can introduce a coding assistant at any stage of development and set custom rules for analysis.
Pros:
- It can be integrated into popular IDEs and frameworks like JetBrains, Visual Studio Code, and GitLab.
- Supports the most widely used programming languages, including JavaScript, Python, and Java.
- Able to auto-fix certain errors in real-time and generate detailed reports on a project.
Cons:
- Codiga can produce code snippets but not whole lines of code.
- Limited performance with PHP programming language.
- There is no web version.
- The user interface can be challenging for beginners.
Codiga is one of the best programming AI tools for code analysis and review. It enables developers to write better, efficient, and secure code. Customization capabilities and machine learning algorithms allow Codiga to constantly become better.
Pricing:
- The basic plan is free
- A team plan with advanced features is $12 per user a month
Sourcegraph
Sourcegraph is an AI programming tool that can assist software developers in writing, editing, and reviewing code. The most prominent feature of this platform is Cody, an AI-powered chatbot able to interpret natural language prompts. Using Sourcegraph, programmers can quickly search any area of their projects for variables, functions, and dependencies, which allows them to better understand architecture.
Pros:
- Supports multiple programming languages such as JavaScript, Python, TypeScript, and Java.
- It can be integrated within all of the most popular IDEs.
- Provides invaluable capabilities for navigating, understanding, and debugging code for programmers working on complex projects with vast datasets.
- With Cody, even users with little tech experience can receive answers to their queries, understand certain aspects of the coding process, and receive recommendations for new frameworks and libraries.
Cons:
- The user interface can be too complex for beginners.
- A limited number of supported programming languages.
Sourcegraph offers unmatched capabilities for working with large datasets and complex software development projects. With the introduction of AI-powered chatbot Cody, even more users can benefit from this tool's impressive functionality.
Pricing:
- Free plan with limited features
- Pro plan is $9 per month
- Enterprise plan with custom costs
Replit
This AI programming tool offers a user-friendly online platform for writing code and deploying projects to production environments. With web browser-based IDE, Replit also offers unmatched capabilities for real-time collaboration and exchange of knowledge between developers.
Pros:
- Supports more than 20 languages, including Java, Kotlin, Rust, and Elixir.
- AI-powered assistant Ghostwriter can provide auto-completion suggestions based on the project's details and coding style, identify and fix issues proactively, and add relevant comments to code for better comprehension and efficient collaboration.
- Ghostwriter is trained on large open-source code datasets and becomes better through machine learning algorithms.
- IDE-integrated chat that allows users to search questions and receive meaningful responses.
Cons:
- Replit is a web application that requires an internet connection to work.
- Limited functionality. The AI tool is unable to open multiple documents at once or mark files.
- It may consume a lot of CPU resources.
Replit provides developers with a great programming environment, allowing them to write more accurate and efficient code. AI-powered Ghostwriter tool offers proactive debugging and tailored suggestions, enhancing user experience even more.
Pricing:
- Free plan with limited capabilities
- Pro plan Replit Core is $220 a year
- Enterprise plan with custom pricing.
Sourcery
This AI-powered tool is known for generating high-quality code and providing code refactoring assistance. Sourcery conducts real-time automated audits to identify accidental errors, bugs, and bad programming practices. Also, this tool can automate numerous routine tasks, such as writing tests and duplicate code removal.
Pros:
- It can seamlessly integrate into many popular IDEs, including Visual Studio Code, Vim, and Sublime.
- Human coders can set custom rules and standards for debugging and refactoring to ensure consistency and high quality.
- Real-time code reviews and feedback.
Cons:
- For a long time, Sourcery only supported Python, but recently, developers added JavaScript and TypeScript. The development team is actively working on adding more programming languages, but they are still unavailable.
- Complex user interface and lack of detailed guides for new users.
Sourcery is considered one of the best AI tools for developers for code refactoring and real-time debugging. With more programming languages on the way, this programming assistant will only become more popular in the professional community.
Pricing:
- Free plan for open-source projects
- An individual plan is $10 per month
- The team plan for a flat fee of $30 a month
AskCodi
Powered by OpenAI Codex, AskCodi improves its capabilities and offers a more advanced set of features. This AI tool for developers leverages machine learning and large language models to translate prompts to code and even translate code from one programming language to another.
Pros:
- Compatible with widely used IDEsSublime, Atom, Visual Studio Code, and more.
- Supports multiple programming languages such as JavaScript, C++, Python, Java, Ruby, etc.
- Due to NLP powered by ChatGPT, AskCodi can quickly answer questions about software development projects, provide helpful suggestions, and generate documentation.
- Provides code snippets in several languages, including English and German.
Cons:
- New users sometimes complain about a bit of a learning curve.
- Slow response time at times.
- AskCodi is trained on the open-source code repositories, which sometimes leads to inaccurate or irrelevant results.
- The free plan comes with severe limitations.
Natural language processing and AI-powered features make AskCodi one of the best AI programming assistants for beginners or users without tech experience. Also, this is a great tool for collaboration, code explanation, and knowledge-sharing purposes.
Pricing:
- Free plan with limited functionalities
- Premium plan for small and medium-sized companies is $9.99 per user monthly
- Ultimate plan with pricing of $29.99 per user
Scribe
Scribe is the leading tool for technical documentation generation available today. User-friendly interface and advanced features allow developers to record their workflow and various procedures in real-time, create guides and tutorials, and visualize data for better comprehension.
Pros:
- Coders can instruct Scribe to structure documents by adding titles, descriptions, additional context, and redacting sensitive information.
- Scribe offers impressive collaboration capabilities; programmers can easily create and share screenshots, documents, and other data.
- Scribe can be integrated with dozens of popular tools, such as IDEs or other AI tools for developers. Also, there is a desktop application and browser extension available.
Cons:
- Occasional reporting errors.
- No mobile app.
- Limited AI integrations.
Scribe is an excellent tool for recording and sharing workflows and procedures, making collaboration simple and efficient. The ability to create walkthroughs, directories, and tutorials also makes Scribe a perfect solution for coders' education.
Pricing:
- Free plan with basic features available
- The individual pro plan is $23 a month
- Team pro plan with five members minimum, $12 per user
- Enterprise plan with custom costs
Snyk
This AI programming assistant is focused not on code writing but on code analysis and security audits. Snyk is powered by DeepCode AI and uses advanced machine learning algorithms, which makes it an unmatched tool for finding security vulnerabilities and potential threats. The usage of several ML algorithms and generative AI allows Snyk to conduct faster and more accurate scans.
Pros:
- Snyk not only identifies issues but also suggests fixes. Developers can review them, determine if they are correct, and only implement them afterward.
- Allows coders to set custom rules and add automated tests.
- Able to find all dependencies within software development projects and identify weak links.
Cons:
- The user interface can often be too complex and confusing for beginners.
- Setting up Snyk can take a lot of time and, if not done properly, can provide many false positives at first.
Impressive AI-powered features and functionalities make this tool incredibly valuable in our age of advanced cyber security threats. With Snyk, developers can focus on other tasks, leaving code security to this programming assistant.
Pricing:
- Free plan for individual users and small teams with limited tests per product
- The team plan for $25 per product a month
- Enterprise plan with custom pricing
Conclusion
AI tools for developers quickly became indispensable in the IT industry. Using the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning, code generators and assistants provide efficient solutions for many daily issues that programmers face.
Using these tools allows software developers to automate routine programming tasks, conduct thorough reviews and audits, save a lot of time and resources, and improve their product's performance and security.
It is important to remember that even if AI tools for developers significantly increase coding potential, they are still far from replacing human developers entirely. There are numerous limitations and ethical considerations surrounding their use.
However, integrating AI coding tools into certain aspects of software development can still significantly boost efficiency, reduce the number of mistakes and errors, and free up more human coders' time for creative tasks and problem-solving.
