AI for Programming: A Comprehensive Comparison Guide for Developers

The landscape of AI programming tools has changed dramatically in recent months. Between traditional code assistants and autonomous agents, choosing the right tool has become more challenging. This guide helps you understand the leading systems for AI-assisted programming and recognize their respective strengths.

Assistants vs. Agents: A Fundamental Difference

Before examining individual tools, an important distinction must be made: some AI assistants support you with specific tasks like autocomplete or code explanation. In contrast, agents can independently perform multiple steps, modify files, run tests, and work across multiple files. This distinction heavily influences which system suits your needs.

The Major Players in Detail

GitHub Copilot: The Established Standard

GitHub Copilot is a solid solution for individual developers. The tool uses OpenAI models and is available as a plugin for VS Code, Visual Studio, and JetBrains IDEs. The Copilot Chat feature allows you to ask questions in natural language to generate code snippets, explain existing code, or write unit tests.

Copilot is especially effective for repetitive tasks: automatic completion of code blocks, boilerplate code generation, and intelligent suggestions during code reviews.

Who should use it: Developers who prefer a familiar environment and seek incremental improvements to their existing workflows.

Pricing model: The free plan allows about 2,000 code completions and 50 chat requests per month. The individual plan costs €10/month, Business €19/month, and Enterprise €39/month. Students and open-source maintainers get free access.

Google Gemini: The Cloud-Integrated Approach

Gemini Code Assist leverages Google’s Gemini models to provide context-aware code suggestions. It generates complete functions, creates unit tests, and debugs code directly in the IDE. The additional Gemini CLI is an open-source alternative that you can use via the terminal—it reads files, executes shell commands, and fixes errors on the spot.

Standard and Enterprise versions offer an extended agent mode that coordinates changes across multiple files and integrates seamlessly with Google Cloud services. This is especially advantageous for companies already invested in the Google Cloud ecosystem.

Ideal for: Developers who need an AI that works with full codebases and orchestrates cloud services simultaneously.

Pricing: The free plan offers about 6,000 code requests and 240 chat requests daily. Standard allows 1,500 requests per user daily, Enterprise 2,000 daily. Billing is typically via Google Cloud subscriptions.

Replit: Rapid Prototyping in the Browser

Replit offers a complete cloud IDE with an integrated AI assistant. The Replit Agent can generate full-stack applications from text descriptions. The system performs advanced reasoning, uses automated tests for optimization, and allows creating custom agents.

This solution is especially suitable for quick development and browser-based collaboration—no need for complex local setups.

Best for: Beginners and small teams looking to rapidly implement prototypes.

Cost: Free with limitations on public projects. Core plan: €20/month (annual billing), Teams: €35/user/month, Enterprise custom.

JetBrains: IDE-Native Integration

The JetBrains AI Assistant is deeply integrated into the IntelliJ-based IDE family. It offers block-wise code suggestions, predictions for next changes, converts natural language into code, and generates unit tests. A flexible chat interface allows choosing between OpenAI, Anthropic, and Gemini models or running custom models via Ollama.

Especially suitable for: JetBrains users seeking deep IDE integration and precise control over refactorings. Particularly strong with Kotlin and Java.

Pricing: AI Pro €100/year, AI Ultimate €300/year, AI Enterprise €720/year. Credits cost about €1 each.

OpenAI Codex: The Power of GPT

Codex is an AI agent integrated directly into ChatGPT. It can read and modify files, run tests, and suggest pull requests. The GPT-5 models introduced mid-2025 significantly improved frontend generation and debugging, reaching 74.9% accuracy on the SWE-Bench benchmark.

The system can generate complete applications, responsive websites, or even games from a single prompt—with high accuracy for modern web technologies.

Who benefits: Users aiming to handle complex tasks like feature implementation, refactoring large projects, and writing tests. Ideal for exploration and prototyping.

Pricing: ChatGPT Plus €20/month, Pro €200/month, Business €30/user/month.

Anthropic Claude: The Command-Line-Oriented Agent

Claude Code operates via terminal and can plan functions, write code, debug errors, search codebases, and execute shell commands. Inputs like “Find the error in logging.py” or “Write a test” cause Claude to analyze files, run tests, and suggest changes.

The Skills system allows chaining commands and integrating third-party tools. The CLI version runs locally or on self-hosted infrastructure.

Ideal for: Terminal-savvy developers who want to perform multi-step tasks across codebases. Especially strong in debugging and refactoring.

Cost: Available for Claude Pro (€20/month) and Claude Max (~€100–200/month). Enterprise implementations require custom pricing.

Windsurf: The AI-Native IDE

Windsurf is an IDE built from the ground up for AI. Its Cascade system maintains context across all files and offers live generative support. Features include generative autocomplete, live change previews, automatic linter corrections, and a Supercomplete function that predicts your next action.

Natural language commands enable rapid implementation, test execution, and code refactoring at the project level.

Best suited for: Developers seeking an AI-first environment that manages entire projects. The real-time preview makes it ideal for modern web and mobile development.

Pricing: Free with 25 credits/month; Pro €15/month (500 Credits); Teams €30/user/month. Enterprise custom.

Cursor: The VS Code Fork with Superpowers

Cursor is based on VS Code but with AI at its core. The Agent mode accepts high-level goals, generates and edits files, runs code, and iterates until success. Multi-line edits, intelligent rewrites, and targeted command execution are possible. You can switch between OpenAI, Anthropic, and Gemini models.

Suitable for: VS Code users looking for an AI-enhanced editor. Excellent for multi-file refactoring and complex implementation tasks.

Pricing: Free with limitations; Pro €20/month, Pro+ €60/month, Ultra €200/month, Teams €40/user/month. Enterprise custom.

Mistral Vibe CLI: Open-Source Agent

Vibe CLI is powered by the Devstral 2 model and offers project-based context scanning. Using @-references (files) and !-commands, you can work precisely. Multi-file orchestration enables architectural considerations; persistent history supports iterations.

Who should use it: Terminal-experienced programmers seeking a fast, open-source agent for exploring and editing projects.

Cost: Free during the Devstral 2 preview. Afterwards: €0.40–2.00 per million tokens (Devstral 2) or €0.10–0.30 per million tokens (Devstral Small).

Google Antigravity: The Experimental Future

Antigravity is an experimental IDE built entirely around Gemini models. Google’s answer to Cursor and Windsurf: not just an assistant, but an IDE where an agent can plan, think through, write, test, and optimize your code across the entire project.

What makes Antigravity unique: it can “see” your app. Upload a screenshot of an error, and it repairs the code. It can click buttons and test your website in the editor—visual programming support.

Ideal for: Web developers seeking visual debugging tools.

Price: Currently completely free.

Making the Right Choice

The selection depends heavily on your profile:

• Students and budget-conscious developers: Start with GitHub Copilot (free for students) or Google Gemini (free tier).
• Beginners without setup desire: Replit Agent creates apps entirely for you.
• Editor enthusiasts: Cursor or Windsurf feel like the future.
• Web developers: Google Antigravity offers visual correction tools.
• Terminal pros: Claude Code or Codex CLI provide full control.

Critical Considerations

AI programming tools are powerful but still require human oversight. Review generated code carefully, write tests, and maintain your conceptual understanding. The best AI is a tool, not a substitute for critical thinking.