5 Best GitHub Copilot Alternatives for Developers (2025)

Best GitHub Copilot Alternatives in 2025

GitHub Copilot is the most popular AI coding assistant, but it is not the only option. Several alternatives offer unique advantages — some are free, some are more powerful, and some work in different IDEs.

Top Copilot Alternatives

1. Cursor — Best AI IDE

Price: Free / $20/mo Pro

Cursor is not just a Copilot alternative — it is a different category. Instead of adding AI to an existing editor, Cursor rebuilt VS Code with AI at its core. Cmd+K inline editing and Composer multi-file editing are game-changers.

Advantage over Copilot: Much better at editing existing code and multi-file changes.

2. Claude Code — Best for Complex Tasks

Price: $20/mo (Claude Pro)

Claude Code is a CLI tool that autonomously reads, writes, and tests code across entire codebases. It handles complex refactoring, feature implementation, and debugging that Copilot cannot.

Advantage over Copilot: Agentic coding — it can plan and execute multi-step tasks autonomously.

See: Claude Code vs Cursor vs Copilot

3. Windsurf (Codeium) — Best Free Tier

Price: Free / $15/mo Pro

Windsurf offers the most generous free plan among AI coding tools. Its Cascade feature handles multi-step coding tasks similar to Cursor’s Composer.

Advantage over Copilot: Better free tier, Cascade flows for complex tasks.

4. Amazon Q Developer — Best for AWS

Price: Free / $19/user/mo

Deep integration with AWS services. If you build on AWS, Amazon Q understands your infrastructure, generates CloudFormation templates, and optimizes Lambda functions.

Advantage over Copilot: AWS-specific intelligence and infrastructure-aware coding.

5. Tabnine — Best for Privacy

Price: Free / $12/mo

Tabnine can run entirely on-premises with no code leaving your network. Available for all major IDEs.

Advantage over Copilot: On-premises deployment option for enterprise security requirements.

Which Should You Choose?

Pro tip: The most productive setup is Cursor for daily editing + Claude Code for complex tasks. See our full coding tool rankings.