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AI code editors and assistants for 2025

From Cursor to Gemini, here are the top AI coding tools in 2025 and what makes each one stand out.

Published and written on Aug 27 2025 by Michael Andreuzza

I’m not really an AI editor first user myself—I mostly stick with plain old VS Code. But out of curiosity, I spent some time looking into what’s out there right now. It turns out the space has grown fast: what used to be simple autocomplete is now full-blown AI assistants that can understand your project, run commands, and even plan features. Here’s a quick tour of the AI code editors in 2025 and what stood out to me.

1. Cursor

Cursor is an AI-native code editor—a fork of VS Code—designed to supercharge developer workflows. It blends familiar editor features with advanced AI tools that let you write, debug, refactor, and explore entire codebases using natural language.

Key features:

  • Natural-language coding: Type instructions like “fix this function” or “update class to use X,” and Cursor handles it using smart autocomplete and code generation.
  • Deep context and code awareness: The AI indexes your entire project so it can answer “Where is this variable defined?” or apply edits project-wide.
  • Powerful key shortcuts:
    • Ctrl+K for inline edits or generation.
    • Ctrl+L to open the AI chat sidebar with normal or interpreter modes (the latter can execute Python code locally).
    • Ctrl+K in the terminal to generate shell commands from plain English.
  • Advanced AI tools:
    • Loops on errors: Automatically detects lint issues and proposes fixes.
    • Agent fast edits: Applies chat-based suggestions back into your code near instantly.
    • Reference symbols with @: Bring up files or symbols from your project via @ in chat.
    • Use images & web: Drag visuals into chat or reach web knowledge directly using @Web.
    • Library docs support: Prompt the AI to reference common libraries or your own docs using @Docs.
  • Familiar foundation & strong privacy: Built on VS Code, meaning it supports themes, extensions, keybindings—with a Privacy Mode that keeps your code local and SOC 2 certified.
  • Advanced features worth exploring:
    • Notepads: Store and reference architecture notes, templates, or team guidelines.
    • Bug finder: Scans branches and suggests fixes—click to apply.
    • AI commit messages: Automatically generate descriptive commit messages, customizable via .cursorrules.
    • Figma integration (via plugins): Convert visual designs into functional code within Cursor.
  • High adoption & real-world use: Deployed by major engineering teams at Amazon, Stripe, OpenAI, and more, Cursor helps generate massive volumes of code daily.
  • Corporate traction: Amazon is actively exploring internal rollout after keen interest from employees; Source: ongoing internal talks.
  • Next-level debugging tool: Bugbot, now available as a paid add-on (~$40/month), flags AI-generated errors early—like accidental database changes.

2. Windsurf

Windsurf is an AI-native IDE from Codeium (now rebranded) that’s built to keep you in flow. It blends coding, natural-language chat, and agentic automation—all in one editor powered by Cascade, its intelligent AI agent.

Key features:

  • Cascade intelligence – Cascade remembers your project context and actions, so it can suggest code, fix lint errors automatically, and even pick up where you left off.
  • Supercomplete & inline AI – Predicts beyond mere completion, offering intent-aware suggestions, refactoring, and code generation right within your editor.
  • Visual previews & direct deployment – See live previews of your UI inside the IDE and reshape elements by clicking, then deploy with a single command—no context switch needed.
  • AI terminal commands – Hit ⌘+I in the terminal to issue natural-language instructions—like “create a zip of this folder”—with automatic execution when enabled.
  • Extensible tools via MCP – Connect custom workflows, Figma, Slack, or Stripe tools through the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for seamless integration.
  • Memories & AI rules – You can define custom rules or let Windsurf automatically remember patterns, making the AI more aligned with your workflow.
  • Turbo mode & continuity – Turbo mode can auto-run commands for you. If you pause work, Windsurf’s Cascade can resume it smoothly when you return.
  • Cross-platform support – Available on macOS, Windows, and Linux, with an onboarding flow that lets you import settings from VS Code or Cursor for a familiar experience.
  • Adoption & culture – Trusted by over a million users and 4,000+ enterprises, with ambitious product leadership that strives to “cannibalize” previous versions every 6–12 months in pursuit of innovation.
  • Powerful AI-backed workflow – Windsurf writes up to 94% of code with AI—letting you focus on architecture and creativity.

3. Trae

Trae (short for “The Real AI Engineer”) is ByteDance’s AI-powered IDE built on a VS Code foundation. It aims to reimagine development by methodically planning tasks with its Builder mode and offering both sidebar and inline chat for seamless interaction.

Key features:

  • Builder mode with breakdowns – Trae thinks before acting: it parses requests, breaks them into manageable steps, previews changes, and applies them only when you confirm.
  • Access to powerful models at no cost – Use GPT-4o, Claude-3.5/Claude-3.7 Sonnet (and more) for free—an edge that makes Trae stand out among AI IDEs.
  • Seamless VS Code compatibility – You can import settings, plugins, and shortcuts from VS Code or Cursor for a smoother setup.
  • Multimodal input and integrated preview – Upload screenshots, mockups, or terminal logs; preview websites and UI changes directly inside the editor.
  • Chat-powered coding – Use natural language prompts like @Agent or #Context for project exploration, explanatory Q&A, or generating code and tests.
  • MCP & GitHub integration – Supports Model Context Protocol (MCP) tools like Figma, and provides GitHub support for cloning, commit messaging, and branch management.
  • Completely free during early access – All core features are available at no cost during its beta period, making Trae an attractive option for early adopters.

What to be aware of:

  • Telemetry controversy – Even with telemetry switched off, Trae still sends data such as system details, usage patterns, file paths, and activity data. Reports show up to 500 network calls and 26MB transferred in just 7 minutes.
  • Resource usage – Trae uses significantly more RAM compared to Cursor or standard VS Code.
  • Privacy concerns – Reports suggest ByteDance has suppressed discussions about tracking in its Discord communities, raising red flags around transparency.

4. VS Code with GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot turns VS Code into an AI-powered development studio. It offers real-time, context-aware code suggestions and in-editor chat features to help refactor, explain, and generate tests—including deeply integrated support for your GitHub repos.

Key features:

  • Smart code suggestions and chat: Offers autocomplete, code generation, and Copilot Chat within VS Code, using your code context and natural language prompts.
  • Agents panel for task management: Assign tasks like bug fixes or feature creation directly in GitHub, and Copilot’s AI handles them in the background, notifying you when it’s done. (Available in Pro and Pro+.)
  • Access to top LLMs: Use models like GPT-4.1, Claude 3.7/4 Sonnet, and Gemini 2.5 Pro depending on your plan.
  • Generous free tier: Copilot Free gives you 2,000 completions and 50 chats or agent calls per month—enough to explore core functionality.
  • Copilot Pro perks: For $10/month (or $100/year), you get unlimited completions and chats, GPT-4.1, up to 300 monthly premium requests, and code review tools.
  • Copilot Pro+ advantage: At $39/month (or $390/year), unlock access to the newest models (Claude Opus 4, GPT-4.5), and up to 1,500 premium requests. Plus, get early previews of the new coding agent.
  • Business & Enterprise plans: Starting at $19/user/month, they add org-level controls like policy enforcement and GitHub.com AI integration. Enterprise tiers include deeper onboarding and custom private model access.
  • Research-backed productivity gains: Studies show developers work 50–60% faster with Copilot, and it cuts documentation and repetitive tasks by nearly half.
  • AI coding agent (Pro+ & Enterprise): This agent can clone your repo, run tests, fix bugs, and draft pull requests—all autonomously, then alert you when complete.

5. Zed

Zed is a next-generation, high-performance code editor written in Rust. It’s built for collaboration with AI and humans, offering real-time multiplayer editing and seamless integration with large language models—all while staying incredibly fast and lightweight

Key features:

  • Blazing-fast performance – Written from scratch in Rust with GPU rendering, Zed launches and responds in milliseconds.
  • Open source and cross-platform – Licensed under GPLv3, Zed runs on macOS and Linux, with Windows support arriving soon.
  • Agentic AI support – Use the AI-powered Agent Panel for code generation, refactoring, or debugging. You can interact using natural language, review changes in editable diffs, and let the model search your code on-the-fly.
  • Edit prediction – Powered by Zeta (an open-source model), Zed anticipates your next move, making coding smoother and faster.
  • Real-time collaboration – Built-in multiplayer editing includes screen sharing, synchronized cursors, shared terminal, and chat—with changes syncing via CRDTs.
  • Advanced editing tools – Features like multi-buffer editing (editing snippets from multiple files at once), syntax-aware code actions, multi-cursor, Vim mode, and a powerful command palette keep heavy workflows efficient.
  • Rich language support & tooling – Supports LSP-backed languages like Rust, TypeScript, and Python, Git operations, debugging via DAP, remote development, and customizable extensions.
  • Privacy-first AI design – Your AI interactions stay private unless you explicitly share feedback. Zed also asks for confirmation before executing critical actions like shell commands.
  • Hosted or DIY AI models – Use Zed’s hosted AI or bring your own by connecting through Ollama or providing API keys from providers like Claude or OpenAI.

6. Qodo (formerly Codium)

Qodo is an agentic code integrity platform built around AI agents that guide code quality from generation to testing and review. It adapts to your codebase using context-aware workflows to help developers write better software—securely and confidently.

Key features:

  • Multi-agent workflows: Qodo includes tools like Qodo Gen for coding and testing, Qodo Merge for AI-powered pull request reviews, and Qodo Command, a CLI for automating agents in any IDE or CI workflow.
  • Deep code context awareness: It uses continuous indexing and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) to understand your repository structure, conventions, and history for more accurate suggestions.
  • Mode-driven AI agents: Within Qodo Gen, agents run in modes like “Ask” (quick context) or “Plan” (high-level system reasoning), tailored to your development needs.
  • Custom workflows & tools: Define repeatable workflows (like auto test generation or document creation) and integrate Model Context Protocol (MCP) tools (e.g., Slack, Jira) for seamless automation.
  • Secure and privacy-conscious: Qodo is SOC 2 certified, uses SSL encryption, and only analyzes essential code context. Enterprise plans offer zero data retention, SSO, and self-hosting options.
  • Flexible pricing tiers:
    • Developer (free): Access Qodo Gen, Merge, and CLI with usage credits—great for individuals.
    • Teams (~$30/user/month): Adds advanced collaboration, custom best-practice enforcement, and better support.
    • Enterprise: Includes full platform access, analytics, SSO, air-gapped deployment, and custom model hosting.
  • Industry-leading adoption: Over 370K installs across JetBrains and VS Code marketplaces. Backed by a $40M Series A, and founded in 2022 by industry veterans.

Autonomous code review tools like Qodo’s PR Agent resolve most automated comments—about 74%—but can add complexity to PR workflows. Researchers noted modest quality gains but longer pull request cycles.

7. Amazon Q Developer

Formerly AWS CodeWhisperer, Amazon Q Developer is Amazon’s AI-assisted coding companion, deeply integrated with the AWS ecosystem. It helps with everything from writing code and running security scans to analyzing AWS resources—all through natural-language commands and agentic workflows.

Key features:

  • Workspace-wide context & AWS smarts – Understands your whole project and AWS setup to provide richer code suggestions, resource guidance, architecture tips, and cost insights—all in one place.
  • Agentic actions & automation – Generate, review, and refactor code; upgrade legacy apps; create unit tests or documentation; automate multi-step tasks; and detect vulnerabilities—all with minimal friction.
  • IDE and CLI friendly – Available in VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, Eclipse, AWS Console, CLI, Slack, Teams, GitHub, and GitLab Duo for seamless multitool workflows.
  • Infrastructure as code (IaC) – Generate production-ready CloudFormation, CDK, or Terraform configurations effortlessly using natural language prompts.
  • Automated QA – With a single prompt, Q can scan for bugs, code smells, and exposure risks, then suggest fixes or improvements.
  • Documentation & test generation – Use commands like /doc, /review, or /test to produce doc files, review code, or boost test coverage—all within your editor.
  • Free forever tier – Up to 50 agentic requests and around 1,000 lines of code transformation per month; great for experimenting.
  • Pro tier for professionals – $19/user/month; increases to 1,000 agentic requests and 4,000 code lines per month, with $0.003/extra-line billing. Features IP indemnity, SSO through AWS IAM Identity Center, user analytics, and private model customization.
  • Enterprise-ready compliance – Built for regulated environments: supports SOC, ISO, HIPAA, PCI compliance; respects existing IAM permissions; and ensures no code is used for training.
  • Measurable developer gains – Users report 20–40% productivity boosts, 25% faster feature deployment, and high code suggestion acceptance rates (up to 50%).

8. Tabnine

Tabnine is a privacy-first AI-powered code assistant trusted by over a million developers. It delivers context-aware code completions and AI chat—and it never retains or shares your private code.

Key features:

  • AI coding in your flow – Combines code completion and natural-language chat inside your IDE, helping with tasks like generating code, explaining logic, refactoring, creating tests, and documenting.
  • Privacy guaranteed – Tabnine never stores or shares your code and doesn’t train on it. This privacy commitment holds across both cloud-delivered services and on-premises deployments.
  • Flexible deployments – Offers secure SaaS, fully air-gapped on-prem installations, or VPC-hosted deployments—fit for organizations with tight control requirements.
  • Enterprise-grade personalization – Fine-tune AI behavior with custom chat settings, adjustable response lengths, team-wide shared commands, and even private model training on your codebase.
  • IDE everywhere – Compatible with most modern IDEs, including VS Code, JetBrains suite, Eclipse, Vim, IntelliJ, and more, fitting seamlessly into your setup.
  • Scales with your team – Supports workflows like onboarding with a project overview agent, personalized refactoring, and completion generation that stays accurate across large codebases.

9. Sourcegraph Cody

Cody is Sourcegraph’s AI coding assistant that understands your entire codebase. It can help you write code, answer questions, generate tests and documentation, or refactor existing code—all from inside your IDE. It’s designed for developers and teams working with large, complex repositories.

Key features:

  • Deep codebase awareness – powered by Sourcegraph’s search and code graph, Cody delivers context-aware completions and answers.
  • Smart autocomplete and chat – improves over time using open-source models like StarCoder, with accurate context from your repo.
  • Chat that knows your code – ask questions such as “Where’s the CI config?” or “Explain this function,” and get precise answers.
  • Built-in commands – generate unit tests, add documentation, refactor functions, or explain code directly in your editor.
  • Multi-LLM support – choose from models like Claude 3, GPT-4, Gemini, Mixtral, or connect your own via Azure or AWS Bedrock.
  • Enterprise-ready – integrations with VS Code, JetBrains, and Neovim; zero data retention; audit logs; and model privacy controls.
  • Proven time savings – teams report coding up to 2× faster and saving hours each week by using Cody.

10. Codex

Codex is an open-source command-line tool from OpenAI that brings its reasoning models right into your terminal. It acts as a lightweight coding agent that can read, edit, and run code locally, helping you ship features faster and fix bugs without leaving your workflow.

Key features:

  • Easy install with npm install -g @openai/codex (or upgrade anytime with codex --upgrade).
  • Works with multimodal input — you can pass text, screenshots, or diagrams and let the agent generate or edit code.
  • Three approval modes:
    • Suggest – proposes file changes and commands, requires approval.
    • Auto edit – edits files automatically, but still asks before running shell commands.
    • Full auto – runs independently in a sandboxed environment.
  • Runs entirely on your machine, so your code stays private.
  • Warns you if you’re not in a version-controlled folder before entering auto or full-auto mode.
  • Open source and actively maintained on GitHub, with regular updates.

11. Gemini Code Assist & CLI

Gemini Code Assist is Google’s AI‑first coding assistant for IDEs, and Gemini CLI is a companion command‑line agent. Together they bring Gemini’s powerful models into your editor and terminal.

Key features:

  • The IDE plug‑in offers a chat interface aware of your code, providing automatic completions as you write and generating or transforming full functions or files on demand. Free individual plans support up to 6,000 code‑related requests and 240 chat requests per day.
  • AI agents can perform multi‑file edits, access full project context, and use built‑in tools that follow the Model Context Protocol, while still incorporating human approval when needed.
  • Gemini CLI is open source and brings code understanding, file manipulation, command execution and dynamic troubleshooting directly to your terminal. The generous free tier gives individual users up to 60 model requests per minute and 1,000 requests per day, with a 1 million‑token context window.
  • Gemini’s agents can ground prompts with Google Search, be extended with custom tools or settings and run non‑interactively within your scripts – ideal for automating repetitive tasks.

12. Claude Code

Claude Code is Anthropic’s coding agent for the terminal and your IDE. It proposes edits as clear diffs, can read and modify files with your approval, and works in VS Code and JetBrains—or from any IDE that has a terminal by running claude.

Key features:

  • Terminal-first workflow: run claude and review/apply changes as diffs.
  • IDE integrations for VS Code and JetBrains with selection sharing and inline edits.
  • Helps explain code, refactor, write tests, and summarize changes across a project.
  • Approval-first by design: you stay in control of what gets applied or executed.
  • Plans: included with Claude Pro for lighter use; Max 5x ($100/month) for heavier coding; available on Team/Enterprise with premium seats and extra-usage options.

Final Thoughts

As walways, there’s no one-size-fits-all editor. Some, like Cursor and Windsurf, build AI into familiar workflows, while others like Trae or Qodo try to rethink the whole process. Whether you want speed, privacy, or enterprise features, there’s probably an option here that fits. For me, I’m still fine with regular VS Code—but it’s clear these AI tools are only getting better, and they’re worth keeping an eye on.

/Michael Andreuzza

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