Best AI Extensions 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best AI extension for VS Code?▾

GitHub Copilot is the most widely used AI code extension - deep VS Code integration, GitHub ecosystem benefits, and strong code completion quality. Codeium is the best free alternative with comparable completion quality. Tabnine offers on-device processing for privacy-sensitive codebases. Continue.dev is an open-source option that supports local models via Ollama for developers who want full privacy.

How does GitHub Copilot differ from GitHub Copilot Chat?▾

GitHub Copilot provides inline code completions as you type - ghost text suggestions that autocomplete based on context. Copilot Chat is a sidebar conversation interface where you ask questions about your code, request explanations, debug errors, and give natural language instructions. Copilot (inline) is passive; Copilot Chat is interactive. Both are included in the Copilot subscription.

Can I use AI code assistants with local models for privacy?▾

Yes. Continue.dev connects to local models (Llama, Mistral, CodeLlama) running via Ollama or LM Studio - keeping all code on your machine with no external API calls. Ollama runs locally on Mac, Linux, and Windows. Code quality from smaller local models is lower than cloud models, but sufficient for many completion tasks while maintaining full code privacy.

What is the best AI extension for VS Code?▾

GitHub Copilot is the most established, offering strong code completion and chat with deep integration, while Codeium provides a capable free alternative, and others like Continue (open-source) and various assistants compete on features and price. Cursor takes a different approach as a full AI-native editor rather than an extension. The best choice depends on your languages, budget, and whether you want completion, chat, or both. Most offer free tiers or trials, so test one on your actual code, since practical helpfulness on your specific stack matters more than the brand name when choosing an AI coding extension.

Are AI VS Code extensions free?▾

Several offer free tiers. Codeium provides free individual use, GitHub Copilot is free for verified students, teachers, and popular open-source maintainers with paid plans otherwise (commonly around ten to twenty dollars monthly), and open-source options like Continue can be used with your own model access. Free tiers are usually enough to judge whether an assistant genuinely helps your workflow. Start with a free option, and upgrade only if you need the strongest model, higher limits, or specific paid features. The range of free and low-cost options makes AI coding assistance accessible to most developers.

Do AI coding extensions send my code to the cloud?▾

Most do, since they send code context to their models to generate suggestions, though the exact data handling depends on the tool and plan. Business and enterprise tiers from major providers typically exclude your code from training and offer stricter retention terms, while free consumer tiers may be looser. Some open-source extensions let you use local or self-hosted models so code stays on your machine. For proprietary or sensitive code, review the extension's data policy, prefer plans with a no-training guarantee, or use a local-model option. Understand where your code goes before enabling an AI extension on sensitive projects.