AI is revolutionizing the tech industry in every conceivable way. Some of these shifts continue major digital trends of the past 25 years, supercharging automation and creating virtual assistants and next-level chatbots. Others are entirely new, reshaping how software is developed. AI agents for coding are one such change, removing the need to even know how to code to create functional prototypes.

There has been a rush of AI agents for coding hitting the market in the wake of this powerful new technology. To help you decide which AI coding tool is best for your particular needs, we’ve put together a comparison of ten of the leading AI agents to help you write code.

Top 10 AI Agents for Coding: Quick Summary Table

IBM watsonx Code Assistant

IBM watsonX Code Assistant is IBM’s code assistant for tasks such as COBOL modernization, Java generation, and test automation. It also allows you to optimize and update Java processes, ensuring that they’re as efficient and effective as possible. It even ensures your Java services are as secure as possible, continuously updating your products with the latest security best practices.

IBM watsonx Code Assistant is like a mixture of an AI coding assistant, container, and microservice environment. It’s impressively powerful, but it’s not the best for smaller teams, making it a better choice for larger organizations.

Cursor

Cursor is a developer-oriented AI code editor and assistant built on top of Microsoft Visual Studio Code. Cursor is ideal for developers of all experience levels, as it’s fast and simple to set up and is designed to help you get started writing code by its very nature. Combine this with a slick and intuitive GUI, and it’s accessible enough for novice programmers but powerful enough for seasoned developers.

Its resources reflect this wide range of usefulness. For absolute beginners, Cursor’s AI assistant can explain functions and explain lines of code. It can also assess your code to make sure that it is as efficient as it can be via inline code refactoring. Cursor is a truly impressive piece of AI-driven software that deserves a place in every developer’s toolbox.

Windsurf

Windsurf, formerly Codeium, is a newer AI agent for coding. Instead of a code assistant, Windsurf focuses on building autonomous agents that are capable of creating features or even completing tickets with little human intervention required. While innovative and forward-looking, Windsurf also provides all of the features you’d expect from an AI code assistant.

Windsurf’s ability to integrate with your organization’s knowledge base allows you to query local files and execute code changes using natural language. Better still, Windsurf’s made serious breakthroughs in traditional AI features like optimizing code. The Riptide tool can evaluate millions of lines of code in a matter of seconds, performing 3x as fast as similar AI agents for coding.

Claude

Claude 3.7 Sonnet, created by Anthropic, is a large language model that excels at coding tasks. It powers Anthropic’s Claude applications, like its CLI Claude Code. Its main strength lies in understanding natural language queries, allowing developers to implement code using a conversational approach rather than writing bare code.

Claude 3.7 Sonnet is truly impressive when it comes to understanding natural language and is capable of handling a variety of coding-related queries like explaining, debugging, or optimizing code. Claude 3.7 Sonnet’s main disadvantage is that it may not provide as detailed code suggestions as specialized coding assistants. Claude 3.7 Sonnet is ideal for developers looking to interact with code in natural language.

GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot is one of the most popular AI coding assistants. It integrates directly into code editors like Visual Studio Code, offering real-time code suggestions and completions based on the context. GitHub Copilot is best for developers looking for a bridge between their IDE and GitHub.

One of GitHub Copilot’s main advantages is its deep integration with GitHub. By comparing your code to not only your own codebase but also any other repository that’s available for analysis, GitHub Copilot offers next-level autocomplete and code optimization, making your coding process as efficient as possible. It also provides support for a wide range of languages. GitHub Copilot’s main drawback is that it’s sometimes less accurate or useful for less popular languages.

TabNine

TabNine is an AI code completion tool that supports multiple programming languages and integrates with various code editors. Its main strength is speed and efficiency in completing code. It may not be as good at providing deep contextual understanding as some of the other AI agents for coding out there, too.

TabNine is a good pick for developers looking for a straightforward, efficient code completion tool that offers support for multiple languages.

Google Gemini

Gemini 3.5 Pro is a versatile model powering the Google Gemini AI assistant. It can provide suggestions, assistance with debugging, and tips for optimizing code. Its flexibility makes it suitable for various development tasks. Gemini 3.5 Pro can even assess charts and diagrams, allowing users to troubleshoot and query graphics and flowcharts using natural language.

Gemini 3.5 Pro is also particularly adept at processing language, with an impressive ability to store and recall conversations, adding invaluable context to your coding assignments. All this makes Gemini 3.5 Pro especially good for developers looking for a tool to compare code iterations or the ability to interact with code, charts, and graphics using natural language.

Devin

Devin is more than just an AI assistant for coding. Its goal is to become the first fully autonomous AI software engineer. Not only can it write and alter code, it can even break down a programming task into subtasks, which it can then complete. To achieve this end, Devin even includes an internal suite of tools with an integrated IDE and web browser. Users looking for a comprehensive AI agent for coding that’s fully agentic would do well to consider Devin for your stack.

Replit AI

Replit AI is part of the Replit ecosystem, which allows users to create everything from apps to websites with a cloud-based IDE. Replit AI Agent takes this one step further, allowing users to describe an app or website in plain language, which the AI agent then produces. This makes Replit especially good for rapid prototyping and collaboration.

Zencoder

Zencoder is an AI-powered coding assistant that integrates seamlessly with popular IDEs like Visual Studio Code and JetBrains, as well as with over 20 popular development tools like Jira, GitHub, and GitLab. One of Zencoder’s main focuses is Zen Agents, which are customizable AI agents that can be customized for specific frameworks, codebases, and workflows. They can then perform tasks like code generation, unit testing, documentation, and even code refactoring. There’s even an open-source marketplace where users share their agents.

Zencoder also features a Coding Agent, which analyzes code repositories, generates clean and efficient code, and iteratively refines and repairs code as needed. A self-repair mode even allows tools to repair themselves as they go, making it ideal for enterprises looking to keep their tools as secure and efficient as possible.

Final Thoughts on AI Agents for Coding

AI agents for coding almost seem like science fiction. They’re the next step in being able to create something from nothing with only a few words. They promise to revolutionize not just the world of tech but the business world as a whole. It’s going to be interesting to see what changes these tools will make in the near future.

Making the most of AI agents for coding means picking the right tool for the job. For those who are already using the IBM ecosystem, watsonx Code Assistant is a strong choice. If you’re looking for rapid code suggestions, you might prefer Cursor or TabNine. If you’re looking for close collaboration with GitHub, Copilot offers a seamless experience. If you’re looking for a fully autonomous AI agent, try Devin. If creating fully functional tools using natural language, Replit AI and Zencoder are a good pick.