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Published Oct 10, 2023 ⦁ 5 min read

ChatGPT Alternatives for Developers: 5 AI Tools to Augment Your Coding

Artificial intelligence has exploded in popularity thanks to ChatGPT, the conversational AI system from Anthropic. ChatGPT demonstrates how advanced natural language processing can enable AI assistants to understand prompts and generate human-like responses, including complex text, code, and more. This has significant implications for software developers who can leverage AI tools to automate mundane coding tasks, get relevant suggestions, and enhance productivity.

While revolutionary, ChatGPT does have limitations around bias, safety, and commercial usage. This creates demand for alternative AI coding assistants designed specifically for developers. Criteria like autocompletion, contextual reasoning, explainability, and behavior constraints are key when evaluating ChatGPT competitors for productive and ethical AI assistance.

This article explores 5 leading AI tools that developers can use in place of or alongside ChatGPT:

  • Anthropic's Claude and Codex
  • GitHub Copilot
  • Tabnine
  • DeepTabNine

These assistants utilize state-of-the-art deep learning to analyze context and provide intelligent recommendations as you code. They boost efficiency, improve code quality, and open creative possibilities with AI-powered generation.

Anthropic

Founded by former researchers from OpenAI and Google Brain, Anthropic focuses on developing AI aligned with human values to be helpful, harmless, and honest. Their goal is to create AI systems that avoid unintended negative consequences.

Anthropic has two products in private beta:

Claude - An AI assistant tailored for software developers and engineers.

Codex - A conversational AI proficient in natural language and programming for coding tasks.

Both tools are expected to publicly launch in 2023. They apply Constitutional AI principles with a Bill of Rights that constrains potentially dangerous AI behaviors. This makes them ideal for developers prioritizing safety.

Key Features

  • Intelligent autocompletion and generation from natural language prompts
  • Explains reasoning behind any suggested code
  • Detects bugs, vulnerabilities, and other code issues
  • Customizable settings and behavior constraints
  • Currently free during beta testing

Ideal For

  • Mitigating risks of uncontrolled AI systems
  • Testing natural conversational interactions
  • Increasing productivity with relevant code suggestions
  • Learning how AI makes coding decisions
  • Early adopters of cutting-edge AI

GitHub Copilot

Developed by GitHub and OpenAI, Copilot integrates into GitHub Codespaces, Visual Studio Code, and other popular developer tools. It suggests autocompletions in dozens of languages based on context.

Copilot is in Technical Preview with waitlist access. It's trained on billions of public GitHub lines of code to generate recommendations as you type. The GitHub integration provides convenience.

Key Features

  • Code suggestions powered by OpenAI Codex algorithm
  • Supports Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Ruby, etc
  • Provides fast feedback ranking suggestions
  • Continually learns from your style to improve over time
  • Available as VS Code and JetBrains extensions

Ideal For

  • Increasing coding speed and productivity
  • Quickly exploring APIs, libraries, and code
  • Generating boilerplate code
  • Experimenting with AI to enhance workflows
  • GitHub ecosystem users

Tabnine

Founded in 2017, Tabnine was one of the first AI coding assistants. They offer free plans and paid tiers for individuals or teams.

Tabnine supports autocompletion for most languages and frameworks. It's trained on over 2 million GitHub repositories to provide intelligent recommendations.

The cloud-based tool syncs across devices and works anywhere with the app or extension.

Key Features

  • Autocompletions powered by deep learning
  • Ultra-fast sub-millisecond response times
  • Continuously updates based on typing context
  • Cloud-sync works across operating systems
  • IDE integrations available

Ideal For

  • Increasing speed across multiple languages
  • Developers who want a free standalone tool
  • Quick setup with cloud access anywhere
  • Trying AI coding assistance easily
  • Existing Tabnine users upgrading to paid

DeepTabNine

DeepTabNine is a commercial Tabnine version for professional developers. It uses advanced deep learning and optimizations for the fastest possible autocompletion speeds.

DeepTabNine requires paid plans for individuals or teams. In return, it indexes over 10 million GitHub files to provide highly relevant recommendations.

Key Features

  • Ultra-fast autocompletions optimized for speed
  • Microsecond latency between typing and suggestions
  • Cloud-sync keeps settings consistent everywhere
  • Real-time assistance with minimal lag
  • Integrates with all major IDEs and notebooks

Ideal For

  • Developers prioritizing maximum speed
  • Teams with many developers
  • Coders with high productivity needs
  • Accessing AI help from any environment
  • Most advanced coding recommendations

Conclusion

There are many promising AI alternatives beyond ChatGPT for coding assistance. Anthropic prioritizes ethical AI with Claude. GitHub Copilot provides seamless integration for its ecosystem. Tabnine is a good starting point with a free tier. And DeepTabNine focuses on speed optimizations.

Consider factors like capabilities, integrations, speed, safety, and cost when evaluating tools. The right solution can boost productivity, creativity, and learning as AI becomes integral to coding. We encourage developers to <a href="https://devhunt.org" target="_blank">explore DevHunt</a> to discover new AI coding tools aligned with their needs and preferences.

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