10 Best AI Code Assistant for VSCode in 2025

Looking for the best AI code assistant for VSCode? In this article, we explore the top tools that boost your coding workflow directly within Visual Studio Code. From intelligent code completions to in editor chat, we review the best AI code assistant for VSCode options available today. Whether you are an individual developer or part of a team, choosing the best AI code assistant for VSCode can outstandingly boost productivity, reduce bugs, and speed up development time. We also cover integration tips, feature comparisons, and use cases to help you find the right AI code assistant VSCode plugin as well as AI code assistant tools that fits your needs.
Cursor – The AI Code Editor: Boosting Developer Productivity with AI
In the fast-paced world of software development, tools that enhance productivity without compromising flexibility are becoming essential. Cursor, branded as “The AI Code Editor,” is one such tool aiming to redefine the developer experience through artificial intelligence. Built on a familiar code editing foundation, Cursor integrates intelligent features designed to assist developers with everything from autocompletion to debugging.
Key Features of Cursor
Cursor brings a set of robust capabilities that elevate it beyond traditional editors:
- AI-Driven Autocompletion: Leveraging powerful language models, Cursor offers contextual code suggestions, making it faster and easier to write accurate code.
- Advanced Request Modes: Users can choose between slow but thorough or fast, streamlined AI interactions depending on their needs.
- Integrated Debugging Assistance: The AI doesn’t just suggest code. It helps understand and fix it, saving time and reducing frustration.
- Privacy and Team Controls: Especially valuable for enterprise teams, Cursor includes organizational features like admin dashboards, privacy mode enforcement, and single sign on (SSO) support via SAML or OIDC.
Pricing Plans
Cursor is available in several tiers to cater to different user needs:
- Free: Ideal for hobbyists or those curious to test its capabilities, this plan includes basic features with usage limitations.
- Pro ($20/month): Designed for serious developers, it unlocks unlimited autocompletion and expands access to both slow and fast advanced AI requests.
- Business ($40/user/month): Tailored for teams, this tier adds centralized billing, admin tools, usage analytics, and enforced privacy standards.
A two week free trial of the Pro version is available, giving users a chance to explore its full potential before committing.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Seamless integration of AI in the development workflow.
- Time saving features like smart code generation and issue explanation.
- Support for teams with scalable administrative tools.
- Frequent updates and improvements driven by user feedback.
Cons:
- Heavier reliance on AI may not suit developers who prefer full manual control.
- Advanced AI requests are limited unless on higher tier plans.
- May require adaptation time for those unfamiliar with AI assisted coding.
Windsurf: The AI-Native IDE Empowering Developers and Enterprises
Windsurf, previously known as Codeium, is reinventing how developers interact with their code through a deeply integrated AI-powered development environment. More than just a coding assistant, Windsurf is built to anticipate developer needs, support deep focus, and manage complex projects with intelligent automation.
What Makes Windsurf Stand Out?
Windsurf is designed to less friction in the development procedure. The platform integrates advanced AI capabilities directly into its editor, turning the coding experience into a collaborative workflow between human and machine.
Some of the standout components include:
- Windsurf Editor: A fully AI native IDE tailored to improve developer flow. It adapts to the context of your work, helping maintain momentum through intelligent suggestions and in editor automation.
- Cascade: This is intelligent factor that does more than autofill. It thinks ahead, fixes bugs proactively, and helps plan code structure before you ask.
- Windsurf Tab: Goes beyond basic suggestions by using clipboard history and command behavior to deliver highly relevant code completions.
- In-Editor App Building: Developers can build, test, and iterate on projects without leaving the interface, promoting seamless workflow from prototype to deployment.
- Memory and Terminal Integration: Windsurf “remembers” your coding context, offering relevant help based on past actions, and incorporates terminal commands directly into the development space.
Core Features at a Glance
- AI generated code completions that adapt to your workflow
- Intelligent error detection and proactive fixing
- Built-in linting and memory for persistent coding context
- Cascade agent for high level task support
- Integrated terminal and command prediction
- Support for MCP (multi-command processing)
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Deep AI integration that supports both high level planning and low level coding.
- Improves developer speed and confidence, especially on large codebases.
- Ideal for both individual developers and enterprise teams.
- Helps maintain flow by reducing context switching and repetitive tasks.
Cons:
- May have a learning curve for developers unfamiliar with AI native environments.
- Full feature access may require tighter integration into existing workflows.
- Less traditional than classic IDEs, which may slow adoption in some teams.
Trae: A Privacy-First AI IDE Designed for Developer Collaboration
Trae positions itself as a modern AI powered integrated development environment (IDE) built to boost collaboration and productivity without compromising on data security. Tailored for both individual developers and teams, Trae blends intelligent assistance with privacy focused design to create a smooth and secure development experience.
What Is Trae?
Trae isn’t just about writing code faster. it’s about creating a more connected, context aware development process. By integrating AI agents and offering deep tooling support, Trae helps teams work more efficiently while maintaining control over their data. With a special focus on privacy, Trae ensures that code and related data stay local and protected.
Core Features of Trae
- Smart Autocompletion: Offers intelligent, real time code suggestions that adjust based on the current project context.
- AI Agents: Interactive agents assist with generating, refactoring, and reviewing code, enhancing the quality and consistency of output.
- Context Awareness: Understands the broader codebase, not just the current file, enabling more accurate recommendations and refactors.
- Tooling Integration: Works seamlessly with developer tools, version control systems, and deployment workflows.
- Privacy-First Architecture: Emphasizes local data storage and secure access, making it a suitable choice for teams with strict security requirements.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- AI features designed to enhance both individual productivity and team collaboration.
- Strong emphasis on privacy and local first data handling.
- Supports integration into existing development toolchains.
- Useful for code review, debugging, and project-wide understanding.
Cons:
- May lack some enterprise level administration tools found in larger platforms.
- AI capabilities depend on local context; benefits are best seen in well-organized codebases.
- Could require some adaptation for teams switching from traditional IDEs.
DeepWiki: Conversational Documentation for GitHub Repositories
DeepWiki, developed by Cognition and powered by Devin, reimagines software documentation by merging AI intelligence with a conversational interface. Rather than relying on static READMEs or scattered code comments, DeepWiki offers dynamic, interactive documentation that understands your codebase and talks back.
What Is DeepWiki?
Fundamentally, DeepWiki is an AI-powered tool that creates and updates intelligent GitHub repository documentation. Unlike traditional documentation tools, it creates a living, searchable knowledge base that developers can interact with in natural language. Whether you’re onboarding to a new project or diving into a complex legacy repo, DeepWiki serves as an always on expert for your code.
Core Features of DeepWiki
- AI-Powered Documentation: Automatically generates clear, structured documentation by analyzing code across entire repositories.
- Conversational Interface: Ask questions about a codebase and get precise, contextual answers. Just like having a teammate who deeply understands the project.
- Devin-Powered Understanding: Built on the same intelligence as Devin, DeepWiki comprehends structure, logic, and interdependencies within codebases.
- Continuous Updates: Documentation remains up to date as your code evolves, reducing the need for manual updates.
- Universal Coverage: Designed to work with any GitHub repo, from open source libraries to large scale enterprise projects.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Transforms documentation into an interactive, living resource.
- Saves time during onboarding, debugging, and feature exploration.
- Keeps pace with code changes automatically.
- Ideal for both individual developers and large teams managing multiple repos.
Cons:
- Requires initial setup and permissions for GitHub access.
- May be less useful for projects that already have exhaustive, well-maintained manual documentation.
- Full value comes from integration into daily workflows may need user habit changes.
Warp: The AI-Enhanced Terminal for Modern Developers
Warp is a reimagined terminal built for the modern development environment. Unlike traditional terminals that rely on legacy design and minimal UI features, Warp introduces a fast, intelligent interface powered by AI and built with collaboration and productivity in mind.
What Is Warp?
Warp is more than just a terminal emulator. It’s an intelligent developer tool that streamlines how you interact with the command line. Designed for engineers, teams, and enterprise environments, Warp blends a modern user experience with built in AI capabilities and team knowledge sharing tools. Whether you’re writing shell scripts, debugging services, or collaborating with teammates, Warp aims to be the command line companion that helps you move faster and smarter.
Warp Pricing Plans
Warp offers multiple tiers depending on your needs:
- Free: Great for individual developers who want an improved terminal with modern UI features.
- Pro $15/user/month (annually): Unlocks AI assistance for code, debugging, and shell usage.
- Turbo $40/user/month (annually): Geared toward daily AI power users with faster, deeper integrations.
- Enterprise – Custom Pricing: Adds security, compliance, and administrative features for organizations.
Warp Core Features
- AI Command Suggestions: Get real-time assistance for writing, fixing, and explaining terminal commands.
- Modern UI/UX: Includes blocks, keyboard shortcuts, and a sleek interface that improves usability over standard terminals.
- Command History Search: Easily find past commands with context, rather than sifting through long logs.
- Collaboration Tools: Share terminal output and commands with teammates via links and snippets.
- Team Knowledge Integration: Save and share reusable commands or scripts across your organization.
- Security and Compliance (Enterprise): Enhanced access controls, audit logs, and SSO for business environments.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Significantly better UX than traditional terminals.
- AI helps reduce time spent on shell syntax errors or command research.
- Excellent for collaborative environments and teams.
- Works well for both experienced engineers and those newer to the CLI.
Cons:
- Some features (like advanced AI and team tools) are gated behind paid tiers.
- May take time to transition from a classic terminal for long time users.
- Heavier footprint compared to minimalist terminal emulators.
Cursor Directory: The Community Hub for Cursor Users
Cursor Directory serves as an extension of the Cursor AI code editor experience, offering a centralized space where users can learn, share, and grow together. Built with the Cursor community in mind, it goes beyond just support. It’s a full featured ecosystem that helps developers get more out of their AI powered coding tools.
What Is Cursor Directory?
Cursor Directory is a resource rich platform designed to enhance how developers use the Cursor AI editor. Whether you’re looking to customize your environment, stay updated with Cursor news, or connect with like minded professionals, this directory functions as a one stop hub. It empowers users to go deeper with custom rules, access real time tools, and build a more personalized development workflow.
Cursor Directory Core Features
- Custom Rule Generation: Users can explore and create custom rules to tailor how Cursor behaves, making the editor work even smarter for specific use cases.
- MCP Server Access: Browse and connect with MCP (multi command protocol) servers for extended AI functionality and integrations.
- News & Updates: Stay informed about the latest developments in the Cursor ecosystem with curated news posts and announcements.
- Learning Resources: Tutorials, guides, and documentation help users unlock more of Cursor’s potential.
- Community Connection: Follow contributors, join discussions, and share use cases or tips.
- Job Discovery: A dedicated space to find or post roles in AI assisted development and Cursor related work.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Strengthens the Cursor experience with curated tools and knowledge sharing.
- Promotes customization through community-built rules and MCP integrations.
- Keeps users engaged and informed with ongoing updates.
- Helps developers and teams connect around shared interests and expertise.
Cons:
- Most valuable to existing Cursor users limited use outside the Cursor ecosystem.
- Community driven content may vary in quality or depth.
- Still growing; some features may be limited as the platform matures.
Continue: An Open-Source AI Copilot Built for Customizable Coding Workflows
Continue is redefining the AI development experience inside IDEs by offering an open source, highly flexible assistant tailored to your coding style and environment. As a lightweight yet powerful extension for Visual Studio Code, Continue integrates intelligent autocomplete and chat functionality that adapts to your workflow not the other way around.
What Is Continue?
Continue is an open source AI tool that brings ChatGPT like assistance directly into your IDE, specifically built for Visual Studio Code. Continue prioritizes control, transparency, and customization in contrast to many proprietary AI assistants.
Developers can choose their models, define their data sources, and fine tune interactions creating an AI assistant that evolves with their coding needs.
Whether you’re looking for smarter code suggestions, context aware chats, or seamless integration with custom data and tools, Continue offers the scaffolding to build your ideal development assistant.
Core Features of Continue
- Deep IDE Integration: Works directly within VS Code to offer in-line code suggestions and a sidebar for AI chat assistance.
- Model Flexibility: Supports integration with various LLMs you’re not locked into a single provider.
- Custom conditions: Consume To provide the assistant with more detailed and pertinent context, continue using your own codebase, documentation, or development notes.
- Autopilot Mode: Enables proactive support like automatic completions and inline fixes based on real time understanding of your code.
- Open-Source Architecture: Gives developers full control to modify, extend, or self host the assistant as needed.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Fully customizable, ideal for teams with unique workflows or infrastructure.
- Open-source model ensures transparency and extensibility.
- Doesn’t require vendor lock in, bring your own models and tools.
- Lightweight and focused, without overwhelming the IDE interface.
Cons:
- Setup may be more technical compared to plug and play proprietary tools.
- Limited to VS Code (as of now), excluding other popular editors.
- The experience depends on the quality of models and context users configure.
Tabnine: Secure, Intelligent Code Completion for Professional Developers
Tabnine is a leading AI powered code assistant designed to accelerate software development while maintaining enterprise level safety, privacy, and compliance. With multi line code completions, in editor chat, and specialized AI agents, Tabnine enhances productivity across the software development lifecycle. From writing and testing code to reviewing and deploying it.
What Is Tabnine?
Tabnine is a developer focused AI tool that integrates seamlessly into all major IDEs to provide smart code completions, chat based assistance, and automation through AI agents. Tabnine stands out for its emphasis on enterprise readiness, code provenance, and security.
The platform allows developers and organizations to choose from top LLMs. Including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Tabnine’s own models, while offering flexibility in deployment options (including fully private setups).
Whether you’re coding solo or managing a team at scale, Tabnine helps you move faster with accurate, license compliant code suggestions.
Tabnine Pricing Overview
- Dev Preview – Free: Basic AI completions, multi line support, and foundational agents. Available to qualified users.
- Dev – $9/month: Adds IDE-native AI chat, Jira integration, local context awareness, and support from business hours.
- Enterprise – $39/user/month: Unlocks advanced agents (code review, testing, Jira-based generation), private/self hosted deployments, proprietary model integration, SSO, governance tools, IP protection, and more.
Tabnine Core Features
- Multi-line and Full-function Code Completion: Smart predictions that help generate functions, blocks, and methods.
- IDE-Integrated AI Chat: Conversational assistant for debugging, explaining code, and automating tasks.
- Personalized Context Awareness: Learns from local code and project structure to improve suggestions.
- AI Agents: Automate test case generation, code reviews, documentation, and Jira ticket implementation.
- Enterprise Security & Compliance: Self hosting, air gapped deployment, model control, IP indemnification, and code attribution.
- Model Flexibility: Use Tabnine’s own LLMs or third party/open source models, or deploy your own.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Highly secure and privacy respecting, ideal for enterprise environments.
- Works with all major IDEs and common version control platforms.
- Full control over models and training data for better alignment with internal standards.
Cons:
- Some of the most powerful features are only available at the Enterprise tier.
- Setup and management of private deployments may require DevOps involvement.
- May not offer as many “out of the box” creative capabilities as more open-ended AI tools.
Trae Plugin (formerly MarsCode): AI-Powered Coding Assistance Across IDEs
The Trae Plugin, previously known as MarsCode Extension, is a powerful, cross-platform IDE plugin that brings AI directly into your development environment. Designed to boost productivity and code quality, this plugin enhances how developers write, debug, and maintain code across over 100 programming languages.
What Is the Trae Plugin?
The Trae Plugin is an AI assistant embedded within popular IDEs like VS Code, JetBrains, and others. It offers an intelligent suite of tools including code completion, error explanation, debugging, and documentation generation all designed to streamline common coding tasks. Whether you’re a solo developer or part of an enterprise team, this plugin simplifies and accelerates development workflows by bringing contextual AI support directly into your workspace.
Core Features of the Trae Plugin
- AI Code Completion: Generates relevant code suggestions as you type, helping you write faster and avoid syntax errors.
- Code Explanation: Select code and get clear, AI generated explanations ideal for learning, onboarding, or reviewing unfamiliar code.
- Debugging Support: Identify and fix issues with AI generated suggestions and guided debugging flows.
- Unit Test Generation: Automatically generate unit tests for your functions, saving time on test scaffolding.
- Documentation Generation: Create clear, formatted documentation based on your code and comments.
- Wide Language & IDE Support: Compatible with over 100 languages and major IDEs, including VS Code and JetBrains products.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Broad IDE and language compatibility.
- Useful mix of features for both junior and senior developers.
- Boosts productivity across writing, testing, and debugging.
- Easy to integrate into existing workflows.
Cons:
- Advanced AI performance may depend on the quality of underlying models used.
- Not all features may be equally robust across every supported language.
- Still maturing in comparison to some long established AI coding tools.
AskCodi: A Versatile AI Coding Assistant for Enhanced Developer Productivity
An AI-powered development assistant called AskCodi was created to speed up, simplify, and improve coding across a variety of languages and workflows.
With intelligent code generation, auto-completions, chat support, and multi model flexibility, AskCodi supports developers at every stage from writing and testing to refactoring and documenting.
What Is AskCodi?
AskCodi is a coding companion that leverages advanced AI models to deliver code suggestions, generate functions, assist with documentation, and answer coding queries. It works through browser extensions, an in-editor autocomplete plugin, and cloud-based Codespaces for a seamless AI-assisted development experience. With support for multiple foundational models including Claude 3.5, Mistral, Llama, and others AskCodi provides flexibility and performance tailored to different coding needs.
Designed for both individual developers and teams, AskCodi blends usability with power, offering a wide range of tools that cater to different stages of the software development lifecycle.
AskCodi Pricing Overview
- Premium – $149.99/year
Includes 500 AI credits monthly, 10 LLM credits, access to 3 Codespaces, all extensions, and unlimited use of Claude 3.5 Haiku. - Ultimate – $349.99/year
Includes 1500 AI credits monthly, 25 LLM credits, access to 5 Codespaces, all extensions, and unlimited use of high-performing models like Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Llama 3.2 90B, and Mistral Nemo.
AskCodi Core Features
- Autocomplete Plugin: Smart code suggestions within supported editors for faster development.
- Multi-Model Support: Offers access to top tier models like Claude 3.5, Mistral, Llama 3.2 giving users flexibility to choose based on use case.
- Code Generation: Generate functions, snippets, and templates from natural language prompts.
- Documentation Assistance: Convert code into readable documentation with minimal effort.
- Codespaces Access: Run projects in isolated, cloud-hosted environments with built-in AI assistance.
- Browser Extensions & Integrations: Expand functionality across various tools and platforms.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Wide model compatibility, offering choice and performance balance.
- Flexible usage through extensions, web app, and Codespaces.
- Supports both code generation and in depth documentation.
- Affordable annual pricing for the features provided.
Cons:
- Limited IDE integrations compared to some competitors.
- Credit-based model may restrict heavy usage, especially at lower tiers.
- Codespace performance and model response times may vary depending on plan and model load.
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Frequently Asked Questions (People Also Ask)
What is the best AI assistant for VS Code?
The best AI assistant for VS Code depends on your specific needs. Popular choices include Continue (open-source and highly customizable), Tabnine (focused on privacy and enterprise use), Cursor (built on a fork of VS Code with deep AI integration), and GitHub Copilot (widely used with tight GitHub integration). Each excels in different areas such as autocomplete, chat, or enterprise compliance.
Is there any AI extension for VS Code?
Yes, there are several AI extensions available for VS Code. Top options include:
- Continue: Open-source, customizable assistant.
- GitHub Copilot: Real time code suggestions and chat.
- AskCodi: Supports autocomplete and chat with multi model support.
- Tabnine: Privacy focused code completion with team features.
You can install these directly from the VS Code Marketplace.
Which AI assistant is best for coding?
The best AI assistant for coding varies by use case:
- For flexibility and openness: Continue
- For security and compliance: Tabnine
- For all-around performance: GitHub Copilot
- For enhanced IDE integration: Cursor
Ultimately, it depends on whether you prioritize privacy, model performance, collaboration, or customization.
What is the AI companion for VS Code?
VS Code supports multiple AI companions, but the most recognized ones include Continue, GitHub Copilot, and AskCodi. These companions offer features like intelligent autocomplete, code explanation, error detection, and even test generation all within your existing coding workflow.