What is the difference between Cursor and GitHub Copilot?

Copilot is an extension that adds completions and chat to your existing editor, while Cursor is a full VS Code fork built around AI with deeper codebase indexing and an agent mode. Cursor tends to lead on multi-file edits; Copilot is more lightweight and integrates with GitHub workflows.

Which AI coding tools can I self-host or run offline?

Continue and Tabby are open source and can run fully local against your own models (e.g. via Ollama), and Cody supports enterprise self-hosting. Most cloud assistants like Copilot and Cursor send context to remote servers, though they offer privacy and zero-retention modes.

What does 'codebase context' mean?

It is how much of your repository the assistant can reason about beyond the open file — through indexing, retrieval, or an agent that reads files. Stronger context awareness produces edits that respect your existing patterns and imports across the project.

Are these prices per user?

Yes — prices are per-developer monthly list estimates for the paid individual tier and clearly labelled. Team and enterprise tiers add seats, admin controls, and usage pooling, so confirm in each vendor's pricing page.

AI Coding Assistant Comparison

Compare AI coding assistants at a glance

Choosing an AI coding tool means weighing IDE support, the model backend, how much codebase context it can use, price, and whether it offers an offline or self-hosted privacy mode. This table puts the major assistants side by side — Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Continue, Cody, Windsurf, Codeium, and more — so you can pick the right pair-programmer for your stack and policy constraints.

How to read the table

IDE is which editors the tool supports — VS Code, JetBrains, its own fork, or multiple.
Model backend is which LLMs power it; tools that let you bring your own model are the most flexible.
Context is a 1–5 rating of codebase-wide awareness, from single-file completions to full-repo agents.
Privacy mode flags whether you can run it offline or self-host for code that cannot leave your network.
$/mo is a per-developer list estimate for the paid individual tier.

Filter by privacy requirement and budget, search by tool name, and click a column header to sort.

Tips for picking a tool

For agentic multi-file refactors, Cursor and Windsurf lead with deep indexing and autonomous edit modes.
For a lightweight completion layer in your existing editor, GitHub Copilot and Codeium are fast and inexpensive.
For strict privacy or air-gapped environments, Continue and Tabby run fully local against your own models — no code leaves your machine.
Match the model backend to your needs: tools that let you point at Claude, GPT, or a local model give you control over quality, cost, and data residency.