If you’re using Visual Studio Code and looking for free GitHub Copilot alternatives in 2025, you’re not alone. Plenty of developers and vibe coders want the benefits of AI code suggestions without paying for a subscription.
Whether you’re coding in Python, JavaScript, or something else, there are several tools that can give you a smart coding experience without the price tag.
In this article, you’ll find the best free GitHub Copilot alternatives that work right inside VS Code. Some of these tools are open source. Others offer generous free plans that are more than enough for personal or even team projects.
By the end, you’ll know which AI coding assistant fits your style, your stack, and your budget. Let’s dive in.
Comparison of Free GitHub Copilot Alternatives
Below is a side-by-side comparison of best GitHub Copilot alternatives.
The results show that Bito surpasses all other AI coding assistants in terms of deep codebase understanding and context-aware accuracy in suggestions. Even GitHub Copilot lacks many features that are available in Bito.
Features Comparison
| Bito | Tabnine | Amazon CodeWhisperer | Codeium | Cody | FauxPilot | Tabby | CodeGeeX | AskCodi | Blackbox AI | |
| Code Completions | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AI Chat | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Command Line Interface | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Understands Your Local Code out of the Box | Paid Feature | Paid Feature | No | Yes | No | Training Required | Training Required | No | No | No |
| Personalized AI Model | Yes | Yes | No | Paid Feature (Enterprise Plan) | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Code Privacy | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Accessibility Comparison
| Bito | Tabnine | Amazon CodeWhisperer | Codeium | Cody | FauxPilot | Tabby | CodeGeeX | AskCodi | Blackbox AI | |
| Open Source | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Offline Access | No | Yes | No | Paid Feature (Enterprise Plan) | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Self-Hosting | No | Yes | No | Paid Feature (Enterprise Plan) | Paid Feature (Enterprise Plan) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Coding Use Cases Comparison
| Bito | Tabnine | Amazon CodeWhisperer | Codeium | Cody | FauxPilot | Tabby | CodeGeeX | AskCodi | Blackbox AI | |
| Translate Code | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Fix Code | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Code Navigation | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Detect Code Smells | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Generate Unit Tests | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Project/Repository Level Tasks Comparison
| Bito | Tabnine | Amazon CodeWhisperer | Codeium | Cody | FauxPilot | Tabby | CodeGeeX | AskCodi | Blackbox AI | |
| Summarize Recent Code Changes | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Generate Release Notes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Reference Tracking | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Documentation Generation | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
1- Bito
Unlike GitHub Copilot, Bito understands your local codebase inside VS Code by using the power of embeddings and a vector database. It offers highly relevant AI code completions as you type or via code comments.
Bito has an AI Chat feature (natural language code generation) where you can ask questions regarding your entire codebase. It also maintains a history of your conversations, thereby generating better context-aware code suggestions.
Additionally, Bito offers several advanced features that are not available in GitHub Copilot and its other alternatives. These include:
- Bito Wingman (an autonomous AI coding agent similar to Devin but more advanced that excels at reasoning and planning to handle complex tasks from code generation to managing Jira tickets and updating files).
- AI Code Review Agent (provides automatic or on-demand pull request reviews using AI).
- Bito CLI (Chat with AI in terminal to automate repetitive tasks like software documentation, test case generation, and much more). Some intelligent AI automation tools created with Bito CLI include an AI Documentation Generator and an AI Test Case Generator.
Bito is the highest rated AI app in the Visual Studio Code marketplace (with a rating of 4.5 out of 5). It has over 850K installs and 100K active monthly users so it seems to be well-liked by developers.
Since Bito is using top AI models from OpenAI (e.g. o3-mini, GPT-4o, GPT-4o mini), Anthropic (Claude Sonnet 3.5), Amazon Novaand DeepSeek-V3 (served from the US and Europe), it is very versatile and enables you to pass large code blocks as input. You can ask it to generate code, improve code performance, explain a concept, etc.
Here are some more usage examples of Bito.
Bito is one of the best free VSCode Copilot alternative.
2- Tabnine
The working of Tabnine is similar to that of Copilot. But, some of its advantages include personalized AI models, self-hosting, offline access, and code privacy. It’s free plan offers a basic AI code completion tool.
Tabnine is a powerful AI code generator that suggests code line by line. And to get better suggestions from Tabnine, you must give it some context using natural language prompts and your own code.
Tabnine also includes an AI chat that helps you plan features, troubleshoot bugs, and improve your code without switching windows. It works across multiple languages and supports all major IDEs, not just VS Code.
What makes it especially appealing for teams and companies is the flexibility it offers — you can run it in your own cloud or completely offline to keep your code private. Unlike some AI tools, Tabnine doesn’t train its models on your code and doesn’t store what you type. That level of control and privacy is rare, especially in a free tier.
It might not feel as advanced out of the box as Copilot, but with the right setup and context, it becomes a smart and reliable assistant.
If you’re looking for a free Copilot for VSCode, give Tabnine a try.
3- Amazon CodeWhisperer
Amazon CodeWhisperer is an AI code writing assistant that gives you real-time code suggestions that can go beyond simple autocompletes. It often writes entire functions or blocks of code, sometimes reaching up to fifteen lines. This makes it especially useful when you want to speed through repetitive coding tasks.
It shines when working with AWS services like EC2, Lambda, and S3. The tool understands these APIs well and can suggest accurate, ready-to-use code. This makes it a smart choice for developers building directly on the AWS platform.
One standout feature is its ability to scan your code for security issues. It checks for vulnerabilities using best practices from the OWASP guidelines. All you need is an AWS Builder ID to get started, and you can use it right inside editors like VS Code.
4- Codeium
Codeium is an AI coding assistant built on its own infrastructure and models. It supports over seventy programming languages, making it a flexible tool for developers across different stacks. The experience feels fast and responsive inside editors like VS Code.
Beyond simple code suggestions, Codeium helps you find files and code using natural language. You can describe what you are looking for and it brings up relevant results. This search feature can save a lot of time in large codebases.
It also offers an AI chat that can help explain code or generate new ideas. There’s a browser-based playground if you want to try it without installing anything. No account is needed, so you can start testing it right away.
5- Cody
Cody is an open-source coding assistant made by Sourcegraph. It combines large language models with Sourcegraph’s Code Graph to give helpful coding support. This setup allows Cody to understand code with deeper context than most tools.
You can ask Cody technical questions through its built-in chat. It responds right inside your editor, which keeps your workflow uninterrupted. It also suggests code as you type, making everyday tasks faster and easier.
What sets Cody apart is how well it handles large and complex codebases. You can ask detailed questions about your own code and get clear answers. This makes it especially useful for teams working on big projects.
6- FauxPilot
FauxPilot is an open-source alternative to GitHub Copilot. You can host it on your server or use it offline on a computer.
Unlike GitHub Copilot which uses OpenAI Codex, FauxPilot is powered by SalesForce CodeGen models which are very competitive with OpenAI Codex.
By default, FauxPilot doesn’t provide an extension for VS Code. But, another developer has created the FauxPilot extension for VS Code and also made it open source.
I would only recommend using this if you are comfortable working with Docker because the installation steps of FauxPilot might be a bit complex.
If you are on Windows, use this repository to install FauxPilot.
7- Tabby
Tabby is an open source Copilot alternative that you can host yourself. It suggests full functions and longer code blocks as you write. It reads your code and comments to understand what you are building.
One of Tabby’s strengths is that it can be trained on your own project. If you have a decent GPU like an RTX 3080, you can fine-tune it locally. You control the training through a simple YAML setup.
If you want to try it before installing anything, Tabby also runs in the browser. You don’t need to sign up to test it. Just open the playground and start typing.
8- CodeGeeX
CodeGeeX is an open-source code generation model trained on more than twenty programming languages. It includes support for Python, JavaScript, Java, C++, Go, and many others. The model uses thirteen billion parameters to generate strong and reliable results.
You can use CodeGeeX for more than just code suggestions. It also handles code translation between languages, explanations of how code works, and short summaries. This makes it a helpful tool for learning or refactoring.
If you’re interested in how it works under the hood, there is a research paper available. It breaks down the training process and model design. Developers who want to go deeper will find the details useful.
9- AskCodi
AskCodi is a free alternative to GitHub Copilot for VS Code. It uses OpenAI Codex to perform many tasks of an AI code assistant.
For example, it can be used for code suggestions, software documentation, code explanation, testing, etc. You can also use its chat feature to start a conversation with your AI pair programmer.
AskCodi prioritizes code privacy. It doesn’t save the code you pass to it or the code that it generates.
10- Blackbox AI
Blackbox AI is an AI programming assistant packed with features like code autocomplete, code search, and repo search. It is created to speed up software development by increasing the productivity of developers.
The code autocomplete feature provides suggestions in over 20 programming languages based on the developer’s input. The repo search allows developers to search through millions of open-source repo files directly within their integrated development environment (IDE). The code search feature helps developers find code snippets for their projects by entering a question or query.
These features are also available in Jupyter Lab and Jupyter Notebooks.
11- Replit Ghostwriter
Replit Ghostwriter is an AI-powered coding assistant integrated directly into Replit’s browser-based IDE. It offers features such as code generation, context-aware suggestions, and real-time debugging assistance. Ghostwriter also includes a chat interface, allowing users to interact with the AI for explanations and coding help.
Designed with beginners in mind, Ghostwriter provides explanations alongside code suggestions, making it a valuable tool for learning and education. Its proactive debugging feature identifies potential bugs and suggests fixes as you code. The tool continuously improves through user feedback, enhancing its accuracy over time.
While Ghostwriter is not available as a plugin for Visual Studio Code, it serves as a strong alternative to GitHub Copilot within the Replit environment. Its seamless integration and educational focus make it particularly suitable for students and self-learners seeking an all-in-one coding platform.
12- Refact.ai
Refact.ai is an AI coding assistant designed to integrate with various development environments, offering features like code completion, refactoring, and documentation generation. It aims to enhance developer productivity by providing intelligent code suggestions and automating routine tasks.
The tool supports multiple programming languages and adapts to the developer’s coding style over time. Its capabilities include understanding code context, generating relevant code snippets, and assisting with code maintenance.
Although specific integration details with Visual Studio Code are not provided, Refact.ai presents itself as a versatile alternative to GitHub Copilot. Its focus on adaptability and productivity makes it a valuable tool for developers seeking AI-assisted coding solutions.
13- Zed AI
Zed is a free and open-source text and source code editor developed by Zed Industries, the creators of Atom. Built with performance in mind, Zed offers features like syntax highlighting, Git integration, and support for extensions. It is designed to provide a fast and efficient coding experience.
The editor supports the Language Server Protocol (LSP) and Model Context Protocol (MCP), enabling advanced code analysis and tooling capabilities. Zed is available for Linux and macOS, with a closed beta for Windows users.
While Zed does not currently offer a plugin for Visual Studio Code, its open-source nature and performance-oriented design make it a noteworthy alternative to GitHub Copilot. Developers seeking a lightweight and extensible code editor may find Zed to be a suitable choice.
14- Cursor AI
Cursor AI is an AI-powered integrated development environment (IDE) built as a fork of Visual Studio Code. It enhances the coding experience by providing intelligent code completion, context-aware suggestions, and natural language editing capabilities. Cursor AI aims to streamline development workflows and improve productivity.
The tool allows developers to describe code changes in plain English, which the AI then implements. It also offers features like smart refactoring and the ability to query the entire codebase using natural language. Cursor AI supports multi-file editing, enabling efficient modifications across complex projects.
As a fork of Visual Studio Code, Cursor AI maintains compatibility with existing extensions and settings, providing a familiar environment for developers. Its advanced AI capabilities position it as a strong alternative to GitHub Copilot for those seeking an integrated and intelligent coding assistant.
15- Google Gemini Code Assist
Google Gemini Code Assist is an AI-powered coding assistant that integrates with IDEs like Visual Studio Code, JetBrains IDEs, and Android Studio. It offers features such as code completion, generation, and a conversational assistant that provides context-aware coding help. Gemini Code Assist supports multiple programming languages and adapts to the developer’s coding style over time.
The tool allows developers to initiate smart actions and commands within the IDE, enhancing productivity and streamlining workflows. It also provides source citations and complies with intellectual property standards, ensuring responsible AI usage.
With a free tier available for individual users, Gemini Code Assist presents a compelling alternative to GitHub Copilot. Its integration with popular IDEs and comprehensive feature set make it suitable for developers seeking an AI assistant that enhances coding efficiency.
16- Zencoder
Zencoder is an AI-powered coding assistant designed to integrate seamlessly into various development environments, including Visual Studio Code and JetBrains IDEs. It offers features like context-aware code suggestions, intelligent code generation, and automated debugging assistance. Zencoder aims to enhance developer productivity by automating routine coding tasks.
The tool supports over 70 programming languages and provides real-time support through a smart, code-aware chat assistant. Its capabilities include fixing bugs, optimizing workflows, and generating detailed docstrings to improve code documentation.
Zencoder’s comprehensive feature set and integration with popular IDEs position it as a strong alternative to GitHub Copilot. Developers seeking an AI assistant that offers advanced coding support and enhances development workflows may find Zencoder to be a valuable tool.
17- Visual Studio IntelliCode
Visual Studio IntelliCode is an AI-assisted coding feature integrated into Microsoft’s Visual Studio IDE. It enhances the coding experience by providing intelligent code suggestions based on the developer’s coding patterns and community best practices. IntelliCode aims to improve code quality and consistency across development teams.
The tool allows developers to train custom models on their codebases, enabling personalized suggestions aligned with specific project styles. It also facilitates team collaboration by syncing knowledge across developers, promoting consistent coding standards.
While IntelliCode is not available as a plugin for Visual Studio Code, its integration into the Visual Studio IDE makes it a viable alternative to GitHub Copilot for developers working within that environment. Its focus on intelligent code suggestions and team collaboration enhances the overall development process.
18- Windsurf
Windsurf, formerly known as Codeium, is a standalone AI-powered integrated development environment (IDE) designed to enhance developer productivity through intelligent code suggestions and automation. It is not available as a plugin for Visual Studio Code or any other IDE. Instead, Windsurf offers its own dedicated editor, built from the ground up to integrate AI capabilities natively.
At the core of Windsurf is “Cascade,” an AI agent that understands the entire codebase context, enabling it to provide relevant suggestions and automate complex tasks. Features like “Supercomplete” go beyond basic autocomplete by predicting the developer’s next actions, while the integrated chat allows for real-time code generation, refactoring, and debugging assistance. Windsurf also offers inline citations and context pinning to enhance code understanding and navigation.
As a free alternative to GitHub Copilot, Windsurf provides unlimited code completions and a suite of AI-driven tools that streamline the development workflow. Its deep integration of AI features within its own IDE makes it a compelling choice for developers seeking an efficient and intelligent coding assistant outside of the Visual Studio Code ecosystem.
Evaluation of AI coding tools
To effectively assess AI coding assistants, follow this structured approach:
- Assess language and framework support: Ensure the tool supports the programming languages and frameworks relevant to your projects. Compatibility with your tech stack is crucial for seamless integration.
- Verify IDE compatibility: Confirm that the assistant integrates smoothly with your development environment, such as Visual Studio Code. A tool that aligns with your IDE enhances productivity.
- Evaluate code suggestion quality: Test the assistant’s ability to provide accurate and context-aware code suggestions. High-quality suggestions reduce the need for extensive revisions.
- Check for customization options: Determine if the tool allows customization to fit your coding standards and practices. Customizable tools can adapt better to your team’s workflows.
- Consider privacy and security measures: Review the assistant’s data handling policies to ensure they align with your organization’s security requirements. Protecting sensitive code and data is paramount.
- Analyze performance impact: Monitor the tool’s effect on your development environment’s performance. An efficient assistant should not hinder your IDE’s responsiveness.
- Review documentation and support: Access to comprehensive documentation and responsive support can facilitate smoother adoption and troubleshooting.
By systematically evaluating these aspects, you can select an AI coding assistant that aligns with your team’s needs and enhances your development workflow.
Pros and cons of AI code assistants
Pros:
- Enhanced productivity: AI assistants can quickly generate code snippets, reducing development time for standard functionalities.
- Error detection: They assist in identifying potential bugs and suggest fixes, improving code reliability.
- Learning aid: For novice developers, these tools serve as educational resources by providing examples and explanations.
Cons:
- Contextual limitations: AI tools may not fully grasp the specific business logic or context of a project, leading to irrelevant suggestions.
- Overreliance risk: Dependence on AI-generated code can hinder the development of problem-solving skills among developers.
- Security concerns: There’s a risk of introducing vulnerabilities if AI-generated code isn’t thoroughly reviewed.
Limitations of AI code tools
While AI coding assistants offer numerous benefits, they also have inherent limitations. One significant issue is their reliance on training data, which may include outdated or insecure code patterns, leading to the propagation of bad practices.
These tools often struggle with understanding complex project-specific requirements or nuanced business logic, resulting in generic or incorrect code suggestions.
Moreover, AI assistants can inadvertently produce code that violates licensing agreements or includes proprietary code snippets, posing legal risks.
In conclusion, while AI coding tools are valuable assets in a developer’s toolkit, they should complement, not replace, human judgment and expertise.
Conclusion
There are many free alternatives to GitHub Copilot that can be integrated with Visual Studio Code. Each of these AI tools for developers offers unique features and AI code suggestion tool capabilities, catering to different coding needs and preferences. Whether you want a chatbot-like coding assistant, AI code autocompletion, personalized AI models, offline access, code privacy, or specialized support for AWS APIs, there is an alternative AI developer assistant that suits your requirements.
Bito stands out with its chatbot functionality and context-aware answers. It also has a command line interface that can suggest shell commands using natural language prompts. Bito is one of the best free AI coding tools for teams that focuses on secure code generation and data privacy in AI coding. Bito offers AI-assisted debugging that enables improved coding productivity and Faster code writing.
Now it’s time to experiment with different GitHub Copilot competitors in your Visual Studio Code editor, finding the one that best complements your coding style and workflow. Embrace the power of AI in your coding journey and take your development process to new heights.
FAQs
Is there a better alternative to GitHub Copilot?
Yes, depending on your needs, tools like Bito and Codeium can be better for you. They offer fast coding help, strong privacy, and they’re free to use.
Is there any free Copilot?
While GitHub Copilot itself isn’t fully free, there are great free alternatives like Codeium, Tabnine (basic version), and Bito that work really well with VS Code.
Which AI is best for coding?
It really depends on what you want—Bito is great for free and private coding help, Copilot is awesome for deep GitHub integration, and Codeium is super fast for VS Code users.
Is GitHub Copilot better than ChatGPT?
For pure coding help inside an editor, Copilot is usually more practical. But if you want longer explanations or brainstorming, ChatGPT can sometimes be better.
What is FauxPilot?
FauxPilot is an open-source alternative to GitHub Copilot. It lets you run a coding assistant on your own server, giving you more control over your data.
by the Bito team. 
