At a Glance
- GitHub Copilot and Tabnine are AI tools for code writing and auto-completion.
- Tabnine offers a private model trained on your code and mid-line code completion. These features allow Tabnine a huge advantage over GitHub Copilot, making Tabnine a better AI coding assistant.
- You can use Tabnine with GitHub Copilot together. You can choose Tabnine for popup completions (CTRL+Space) and keep GitHub Copilot for in-line suggestions while typing.
AI pair programmers GitHub Copilot and Tabnine help you write code faster and more efficiently and provide valuable suggestions and insights to improve your code quality.
This article provides a detailed Comparative Analysis of Tabnine and Copilot so you can have an honest appraisal and choose the better AI assistant for code auto-completion.
Features | Tabnine | GitHub Copilot |
AI Code Completions | Tabnine suggests whole-line and full-function code completions. | GitHub Copilot suggests code and entire functions in real time, which helps you write better code. |
Natural Language to Code | Supports describing the desired code in natural language. | Generates code based on natural language prompts. |
IDE Integrations | Many IDE integrations are available, including VSCode, PyCharm, Intelli J IDEA, PyCharm, Sublime Text, and Visual Studio. | Available as an extension for select IDEs, including Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, Neovim, and JetBrains suite of IDEs (e.g., IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm). |
Language Support | JavaScript, Python, TypeScript, Java, C#, PHP, Ruby, Go, Rust, and Bash. | Supports dozens of languages and frameworks, including Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, C#, PHP, Ruby, Go, Rust, and Bash. |
Training Data | Trained on open-source code with permissive licenses. | Trained on publicly available code and text. |
Privacy and Security | Code always remains private. | Code suggestions based on public code and privacy concerns. |
Context and Codebase Awareness | Provides accurate code completions based on context. | Limited context and may not utilize helpful functions. |
Testing and Code Quality | Does not provide code testing. | Code suggestions may require careful testing and review. |
Learning and Improvement | Uses a multi-model approach for continuous improvement. | Continuously learns and integrates new code examples. |
Ease of Integration | Seamlessly integrates into the coding workflow. | Integration may require setting up and configuration. |
Pricing | 1. Starter; Free 2. Pro; $12/month/user 3. Enterprise; Unlimited users, Custom Pricing. |
1. Free; $0 2. Team; $3.67/month/user 3. Enterprise; $19.25/user/month. |
Tabnine – Best Full-Function Code Generator
Tabnine is an AI-powered code assistant that aims to enhance software development productivity by directly providing whole-line and full-function high-quality code completions in the code editor.
It offers a range of features that utilize generative AI technology to predict and suggest the next lines of code based on context and syntax.
Tabnine is well-suited for developers who value accurate code completions and want to enhance their coding speed and efficiency.
It can be particularly useful for developers working on complex codebases or requiring extensive code exploration.
Tabnine’s language support and integration with various IDEs make it a versatile choice for developers across different programming languages and development environments.
Tabnine’s Key Features
Feature | Description |
Whole-Line Completions | Complete an entire line of code generation with a single keystroke. |
Full-Function Completions | Generate entire functions without leaving the editor. |
Natural Language to Code | Describe coding intentions in natural language and get accurate code suggestions. |
Code-Native Models | Language-specific AI models trained on code for faster and more accurate completions. |
IDE Integrations | Seamless integration with popular IDEs for a smooth coding experience. |
Private & Secured | Your code remains private, and Tabnine models are trained on open-source code with licenses. |
Cloud or Local Deployment | Tabnine can be deployed on a developer’s laptop, local server, or cloud. |
Wide Language Coverage | Supports popular languages like JavaScript, Python, TypeScript, and niche languages. |
Advanced Code-Native Models | AI models trained from the ground up on code for improved accuracy and relevance. |
Private Repo Models | Train private AI models based on your specific code repositories and patterns. |
Privacy & Compliance | Ensures privacy and compliance with strict data usage and storage policies. |
Tabnine PROS
- Whole-line and full-function code completions for faster coding
- The natural language-to-code feature simplifies expressing coding intentions
- Code-native models for improved accuracy and relevance of completions.
- Wide language coverage, supporting popular and niche programming languages.
- Integration with popular IDEs for a seamless coding experience.
Tabnine CONS
- Requires significant memory usage, which may impact performance on resource-constrained systems.
- Some users may find the AI suggestions to be too aggressive or intrusive.
- Limited customization options for AI models, with reliance on pre-trained models.
- Some users may experience occasional inaccuracies or incorrect suggestions in completions.
- As an AI-powered tool, it may not always provide the exact code solutions developers desire.
GitHub Copilot – Best AI Pair Programmer
GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered code completion tool developed by OpenAI and GitHub.
It uses the OpenAI Codex model to provide real-time suggestions for code and even entire functions directly within the code editor.
Trained on billions of lines of code from various programming languages, GitHub Copilot enhances developer productivity and reduces the time spent on repetitive coding tasks.
It is designed for developers who seek a more advanced code-generation capability and prefer a context-aware coding experience.
GitHub Copilot shines when working on projects hosted on GitHub, leveraging the vast codebase available on GitHub repositories to suggest relevant code snippets based on Natural Language Prompts and functions.
GitHub Copilot’s Key Features
Feature | Description |
Natural Language Integration | GitHub Copilot understands natural language prompts and comments, allowing developers to describe their coding logic and receive relevant code suggestions. |
Context-Aware Suggestions | It suggests considering the project’s codebase and style conventions, ensuring the generated code aligns with the context. |
Whole-Line and Function-Level Suggestions | GitHub Copilot goes beyond single-line completions and suggests code snippets for complete lines and functions. |
Integration with Popular IDEs | It is an extension for popular code editors and IDEs such as Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, Neovim, and JetBrains IDEs. |
Continuous Learning and Improvement | GitHub Copilot learns from user interactions and feedback, continuously improving its code suggestions to provide more accurate and relevant results. |
Copilot PROS
- Time-Saving
- Contextual Code Suggestions
- Language and Framework Support
- Integration with Popular IDEs
- Continuous Learning and Improvement
Copilot CONS
- Lack of Code Testing
- Limited Context and Codebase Awareness
- Potential for Deprecated Code Suggestions
- Reliance on Publicly Available Code
- Language and Non-English Performance Disparities
Conclusion
When comparing Tabnine and GitHub Copilot, it is evident that both tools offer valuable assistance to software developers. However, GitHub Copilot stands out by offering the ability to generate code based on natural language prompts.
Additionally, the vast code available on GitHub enhances the suggestions provided by Copilot. AI-powered code assistant GitHub Copilot does offer developers a wider range of suggestions and streamlines their coding process.
Using GitHub offers unbreachable built-in security while using Tabnine. You can write full-line code in your editor.