the best GitHub Copilot alternative for each job, ranked

full-guide.md

quick answer: the best GitHub Copilot alternative is Claude Code (#1 of 13 coding agents, 9.0/10), the strongest agent for multi-file work, with extensions for VS Code and JetBrains so you don't have to leave home. want a full ai editor instead? Cursor (#2, 8.5). want open source and any model, or to keep using the Copilot sub you already pay for? OpenCode (#3, 8.5).

GitHub Copilot is #4 on our coding agents board with 8.0/10, so it's not a bad tool. people tend to go looking for a Copilot alternative for three reasons:

• the credits. chat, agent mode, the CLI and the cloud agent all spend GitHub ai credits (1 credit = $0.01), and GitHub's own page says a long agent session on a frontier model across many files costs more. completions and next edit suggestions are still unlimited on paid plans. it's the agent work that eats the pot.
• the agent. Copilot is great at riding along in your editor. the tools above it on our board are better at taking a whole feature and getting on with it.
• training on your code. on Free, Pro and Pro+, GitHub may use your prompts, outputs and code snippets to train its models unless you opt out in settings. Business and Enterprise data isn't used for training.

here's what to use instead, in the order our board ranks them.

the ranking

ranks and scores come straight from our board, and nobody pays to move up it.

why each one ranks where it does

Claude Code (#1): the step up for agent work

if the reason you're leaving is that Copilot's agent runs out of road on big changes, this is the answer. hand it a feature that touches a dozen files and it plans, edits, runs your tests and keeps going. it has native extensions for VS Code and JetBrains IDEs, so you keep your editor. it needs a paid Claude plan (Pro $20/mo and up), and you hit rolling usage windows rather than a credit meter. details: Claude Code pricing.

Cursor (#2): when you'd rather the editor was built around the ai

Tab, agent and cloud agents in one editor. the catch is the models: Plus at $8 a month is Grok models only, and on Premium the third-party models are billed by usage. if you're a VS Code person this is the smallest jump. head-to-head: GitHub Copilot vs Cursor.

OpenCode (#3): keep your Copilot sub, change the agent

the cheeky one. OpenCode is an MIT-licensed agent for the terminal, a desktop app or your IDE, and you can log in with your GitHub Copilot subscription and use its models (some need Copilot Pro+). or bring any of 75+ providers, local models included, or start on the free models it ships with. if you like Copilot's model list but not its agent, this is your move. more in OpenCode vs Claude Code.

Cline (#5): pay for the model and nothing else

open-source coding agent for VS Code and the CLI. no subscription: you pay for inference at cost through Cline, or bring your own key. your bill is exactly as big as your habits.

OpenAI Codex (#6): already paying for ChatGPT?

Codex comes with every ChatGPT plan, free included with limited usage. it runs in an app, the CLI, an IDE extension and the cloud. if ChatGPT's already on your card, it's sitting there waiting. details: Codex pricing.

Google Antigravity (#7): the $0 one

Google's agent-first IDE, desktop app and CLI. the individual plan is $0 with unlimited Tab and Command requests and basic weekly agent limits. higher limits come with a Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription.

Devin Desktop (#8): if completions are all you used

Cognition's ai editor (the one that used to be Windsurf). the free plan has unlimited Tab completions and inline edits with a light agent quota, which covers a lot of what people actually used Copilot for. more in Cursor vs Windsurf.

Kiro (#9): specs first

AWS's spec-first agent IDE, CLI and web agent, running on credits. the free plan gets 50 credits/mo (perpetual), then it's Pro $20/mo. for people who want a plan agreed before the agent touches anything.

JetBrains Air (#12): for the JetBrains crowd

an agent hub inside JetBrains IDEs that runs Claude agent, Codex, Copilot, Junie and ACP agents side by side. you bring your own agent subscriptions or keys. it's still early access, hence the rank, but if you're on IntelliJ or PyCharm it's worth knowing about.

the GitHub Copilot alternative for VS Code

staying in VS Code? you've got the most choice. Claude Code has a native VS Code extension. Cline lives there too, bring your own key. OpenCode has an IDE extension and takes your Copilot login. or swap VS Code for Cursor, which feels the most familiar.

the GitHub Copilot alternative for JetBrains

Claude Code has a JetBrains plugin. JetBrains Air runs several agents inside the IDE, Claude and Codex included. for Visual Studio, Xcode or Eclipse users, honestly, Copilot is still the one that's actually in there: its plans page lists VS Code, Visual Studio, Xcode, JetBrains IDEs, Neovim, Eclipse, zed and more.

the free GitHub Copilot alternative

• Google Antigravity: $0 individual plan with basic weekly agent limits.
• OpenCode: free and open source, ships with free models, or point it at a local model.
• Devin Desktop: unlimited Tab completions on the free plan.
• Cline: free, but you pay for the model unless you run a local one.
• OpenAI Codex: in ChatGPT Free, with limited usage.

who should pick which

• want a stronger agent for big changes: Claude Code
• want a whole ai editor: Cursor
• want to keep your Copilot sub but swap the agent: OpenCode
• want no subscription at all: Cline with your own key
• already paying for ChatGPT: Codex
• spending nothing: Antigravity, or OpenCode with its free models
• only ever used the autocomplete: Devin Desktop's free plan
• live in JetBrains: Claude Code's plugin, or JetBrains Air

more: GitHub Copilot pricing, Cursor alternatives, Claude Code alternatives.

faq

what is the best GitHub Copilot alternative?

Claude Code, #1 on our coding agents board at 9.0/10. it's the strongest agent for multi-file work and it has extensions for VS Code and JetBrains. if you want a full ai editor instead, Cursor is #2.

is there a free GitHub Copilot alternative?

yes. Google Antigravity has a $0 individual plan, OpenCode is free and ships with free models, Devin Desktop's free plan has unlimited Tab completions, and Cline is free if you bring your own model.

can i use my GitHub Copilot subscription in another tool?

yes. OpenCode lets you log in with GitHub Copilot and use its models. some models need Copilot Pro+.

does GitHub Copilot train on my code?

on Free, Pro and Pro+, GitHub may use your prompts, outputs and code snippets to train its models unless you opt out in your Copilot settings. Business and Enterprise data isn't used for training.

do Copilot completions use ai credits?

not on paid plans. GitHub says code completions and next edit suggestions are unlimited on every paid plan. chat, agents and the CLI use credits.

sources

checked 2026-10-20

• GitHub Copilot plans (ai credits, completions, editors, training on individual plans): https://github.com/features/copilot/plans
• Claude pricing (Claude Code in paid plans): https://claude.com/pricing
• Claude Code product page (VS Code and JetBrains extensions): https://claude.com/product/claude-code
• OpenCode homepage and providers docs (Copilot login, 75+ providers, free models): https://opencode.ai/ and https://opencode.ai/docs/providers/
• Cursor pricing: https://cursor.com/pricing
• Cline pricing: https://cline.bot/pricing
• Codex pricing: https://developers.openai.com/codex/pricing
• Antigravity pricing: https://antigravity.google/pricing/
• Devin pricing: https://devin.ai/pricing and Devin Desktop FAQ (the new name for Windsurf): https://devin.ai/desktop
• Kiro pricing: https://kiro.dev/pricing/
• JetBrains Air: https://www.jetbrains.com/air/ides/
• ranks, scores, verdicts and plans: numptr data/tools.json (coding agents board)

more guides

comparing prices? every plan, limit and free tier is on the ai coding agent price sheet, checked at the source.