AI code editors · ranked 02
GitHub Copilot
GitHub's AI pair programmer across VS Code, JetBrains, and its own app.
Best for Adding an agent without leaving the editor you have
GitHub Copilot is GitHub's AI coding assistant. It offers inline suggestions and an agent in VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, a Copilot app, and a CLI. It is the path of least resistance if your work already lives on GitHub and you do not want to switch editors.
Best use cases
- Autocomplete and agent chat inside VS Code or JetBrains
- Teams that already pay GitHub and want one vendor
- A CLI agent next to the editor plugin
Pros
- + Fits the editors people already use
- + Deep tie-in to GitHub repositories, pull requests, and accounts
- + A free tier exists alongside paid plans
Cons
- − The agent experience is split across the editor, the Copilot app, and the CLI
- − Plan names and model access change — check site
Pricing
Free tier and paid plans (Pro and above). Current prices: check site.
Alternatives
AI code editors
8.6
Cursor
AI editor on a VS Code fork, with tab, inline edit, and an agent.
Best for Daily driving an AI editor on a real repo
AI code editors
7.3
Devin Desktop
The Windsurf IDE, renamed, with an agent command center in front.
Best for Running several coding agents from one IDE
AI code editors
7.1
Continue
Open-source autopilot for VS Code and JetBrains. Bring your own model.
Best for Owning the extension and choosing the model
Release notes
GitHub Copilot weekly, October 5
Published October 9, 2026. Local sandboxing for agent file, network, and credential access is generally available in Copilot CLI, the Copilot app, and VS Code sessions using Agent Host. Claude Haiku 5.5 is available on paid Copilot plans. The Copilot app can use separate accounts for the license and the repositories, and Copilot CLI can discover models from a local Ollama instance.
Source