I'm surprised continue.dev isn't getting a mention here. I've tried copilot, cody, and cursor, and ultimately came back to continue.dev. I can use my own models, api key, etc. The same VSCode setup I'm used to, custom context providers, doc indexing, etc. It's proven to be extremely useful for me - though I use it less for autocomplete, and more for interactive back-and-forth sessions to arrive at a block of code.
I was hoping to hear their thoughts on how Copilot and Cursor compare to Aider, but this is the whole Aider section:
Aider Chat is an exciting CLI alternative:
- Mature and open-source
- Command-line based
- Requires a deeper mental model but offers powerful capabilities
- Perfect for those who prefer terminal-based workflows
I don't use the autocomplete very often. I do use the chat window to do rubber ducking about potential changes. I ask it about features of the libraries I'm using, the built-in features of the language, ways to restructure the code, various suggested improvements to the algorithms and so forth. After a short discussion about various options, I'll ask you to generate code which I use either as a reference or verbatim. For me rubber ducking and discussions are much more valuable than generating little bits of code using autocomplete.
The next interaction mode I want is to have the AI as a pair programming partner, making comments as I type code, including suggestions and pointing out potential errors, and allowing me to ask questions. That is, similar to the rubber ducking, except that I'd like it to interject comments at the right moments automatically.
Cursor can index your entire codebase and help you implement changes across multiple files. No idea what sort of limits this feature has, but for me it's worked well enough for things like rewriting list pages with a new table component.
I'm surprised continue.dev isn't getting a mention here. I've tried copilot, cody, and cursor, and ultimately came back to continue.dev. I can use my own models, api key, etc. The same VSCode setup I'm used to, custom context providers, doc indexing, etc. It's proven to be extremely useful for me - though I use it less for autocomplete, and more for interactive back-and-forth sessions to arrive at a block of code.
Cline and Continue
Also: Codeium.
Very poor quality and short comparison. Not worth a read.
I was hoping to hear their thoughts on how Copilot and Cursor compare to Aider, but this is the whole Aider section:
I don't use the autocomplete very often. I do use the chat window to do rubber ducking about potential changes. I ask it about features of the libraries I'm using, the built-in features of the language, ways to restructure the code, various suggested improvements to the algorithms and so forth. After a short discussion about various options, I'll ask you to generate code which I use either as a reference or verbatim. For me rubber ducking and discussions are much more valuable than generating little bits of code using autocomplete.
The next interaction mode I want is to have the AI as a pair programming partner, making comments as I type code, including suggestions and pointing out potential errors, and allowing me to ask questions. That is, similar to the rubber ducking, except that I'd like it to interject comments at the right moments automatically.
Copilot was the first mover, but other tools (built on worse models!) can do just as well.
Until one product becomes clearly better, the code AI ecosystem might just churn and churn and churn.
Wondering why Phind is not more commonly considered, integration with VS Code is stellar, and the quality is pretty good.
Is there any code assistant that can parse entire big codebases and help me implement a “story”?
Cursor can index your entire codebase and help you implement changes across multiple files. No idea what sort of limits this feature has, but for me it's worked well enough for things like rewriting list pages with a new table component.