Tools Overview
There are several AI tools useful for programming. They differ in how they integrate into your workflow, what models they use, and how much context they can handle.
Categories
Chat-based tools
You interact via a conversation interface. Good for explaining code, generating snippets, debugging, and thinking through designs.
- Claude (claude.ai) — strong at reasoning, large context window, good at following complex instructions
- ChatGPT (chat.openai.com) — GPT-4o, broad general knowledge, large plugin ecosystem
- Gemini (gemini.google.com) — integrates with Google Workspace
IDE-integrated tools
These work directly inside your editor and see your open files and cursor position.
- GitHub Copilot — available in VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim; inline completions and a chat panel
- Cursor — an IDE built around AI; deeper context awareness than Copilot
- Supermaven — fast, focused on autocomplete speed
CLI tools
These run in your terminal alongside your code and can read files, run commands, and interact with your codebase.
- Claude Code — Anthropic's CLI, full codebase access, agentic task execution
- GitHub Copilot CLI — explains and suggests shell commands
API-based
For building your own integrations or automating tasks in CI.
- Anthropic API — access to Claude programmatically
- OpenAI API — access to GPT models programmatically
Choosing a tool
| Need | Recommended |
|---|---|
| Quick question or code snippet | Claude / ChatGPT |
| Inline autocomplete while coding | Copilot or Cursor |
| Multi-file tasks, refactoring, agentic workflows | Claude Code |
| Automating code review in CI | Anthropic API / OpenAI API |
| Working entirely inside VS Code | Copilot or Cursor |
Using multiple tools
Most developers use more than one tool. A common setup:
- Cursor or Copilot for moment-to-moment completions while typing
- Claude or ChatGPT for longer reasoning tasks and design discussions
- Claude Code for larger agentic tasks (refactoring a module, writing a feature end-to-end)