# The Best GitHub Copilot Alternatives in 2026 (Free and Paid)

> The best GitHub Copilot alternatives in 2026: AI-native editors, open-source VS Code and JetBrains agents, self-hosted assistants and terminal agents.

Cursor is the best GitHub Copilot alternative if you'll switch editors. Cline is the best free, open-source way to stay in VS Code or JetBrains, Tabnine suits air-gapped or on-prem teams, and Claude Code or Codex CLI fit if you want a terminal agent. Copilot changed too: it has a free tier and has billed in GitHub AI Credits since June 1, 2026.

The best GitHub Copilot alternative for most developers in 2026 is [Cursor](/tools/cursor) if you'll switch editors, and [Cline](/tools/cline) if you won't: it's free, open source, and runs in VS Code and JetBrains with any model. Pick [Tabnine](/tools/tabnine) when code can't leave your network, and [Claude Code](/tools/claude-code) or [Codex CLI](/tools/codex-cli) when you want a terminal agent rather than autocomplete.

*Last reviewed: September 2026.*

Prices change often; each tool page lists current pricing.

## Why developers are looking past Copilot

[GitHub Copilot](/tools/github-copilot) changed more in 2026 than most of its rivals did.

- **Billing.** Since June 1, 2026, every plan bills in GitHub AI Credits. Completions and next-edit suggestions stay unlimited on paid plans, but chat, agents and the CLI consume credits depending on the model, and a new Max plan sits at the top.
- **Access.** On April 20, 2026, GitHub paused Pro, Pro+ and Student sign-ups and removed Opus models from Pro. Individual sign-ups began reopening on June 17, and Business and Enterprise on September 3.
- **Policy.** An August 28, 2026 changelog moves Copilot Chat on github.com and GitHub Mobile, plus the cloud agent, to a single "unified Copilot experience", on by default once it launches no earlier than September 28, and says github.com chat data will be kept for the life of the account instead of 28 days. Business and Enterprise admins are asked to review the new policy before then.
- **Deployment.** "Copilot is not currently available for GitHub Enterprise Server."

> [!TIP]
> Check two things before you leave. Copilot Free still includes 2,000 completions a month plus a credit allowance, and verified students, teachers and maintainers of popular open-source projects may qualify for free access. VS Code's bring-your-own-key support also works without a Copilot plan or GitHub sign-in, including local models through Ollama, though it covers chat and utility tasks, not standard completions.

## The short list

| Tool | Type | Open source? | Free option | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Cursor](/tools/cursor) (SpaceX, Aug 2026) | AI-native editor | No | Hobby plan | The most complete AI editor |
| [Devin Desktop](/tools/windsurf) (ex-Windsurf, Jun 2026) | Editor | No | Free plan | Local and cloud agents |
| [Kiro](/tools/kiro) | IDE, CLI, web | No | 50 credits a month | Spec-driven development |
| [Zed](/tools/zed) | Native editor | Yes (GPL-3.0 and Apache-2.0 files) | Personal plan | Bring your own models and agents |
| [Cline](/tools/cline) | Extension, CLI, desktop | Yes (Apache-2.0; JetBrains plugin closed) | Tool is free | A free agent in your editor |
| [Kilo Code](/tools/kilo-code) | Extension, CLI | Yes (MIT) | Free models, BYOK | Autocomplete plus parallel agents |
| [Augment Code](/tools/augment-code) | Extension, CLI | No | None shown | Large, multi-repo codebases |
| [Tabnine](/tools/tabnine) | IDE plugins | No | None | Air-gapped and on-prem |
| [Tabby](/tools/tabby) | Self-hosted server | Partly (Apache-2.0 outside `ee/`) | Up to 5 users | Self-hosting on a budget |
| [Claude Code](/tools/claude-code) | Terminal, IDE, web | No | No; paid plans | Multi-step agent work |
| [Codex CLI](/tools/codex-cli) | CLI, IDE, desktop, cloud | Yes (Apache-2.0) | ChatGPT Free and Go | An open-source terminal agent |
| [Amp](/tools/amp) (ex-Sourcegraph, Dec 2025) | CLI, web, remote | No | Hobby plan (BYOK) | Remote agents |

[Continue](/tools/continue) and [Cody](/tools/cody) are left off the table: Cursor acquired Continue around June 2026, and Cody has been enterprise-only since July 2025. Both are covered under what changed in 2026.

## Pick by reason

### You want an AI-native editor

**Pick Cursor.** Owned by SpaceX since August 2026, it's a VS Code fork with Tab completion, an Agents Window that runs parallel agents locally, in worktrees, in the cloud or over SSH (since Cursor 3.0 in April 2026), and plans that bundle frontier, Composer and Grok models. Devin Desktop, called Windsurf until June 2026, suits you if you want local and cloud Devin agents in one view. Kiro adds specs and property-based tests, and AWS says it includes what Amazon Q Developer users rely on: agentic coding, inline chat, terminal integration and MCP support. Zed is the native Rust editor that hosts other vendors' agents. See [GitHub Copilot vs Cursor](/guides/comparisons/github-copilot-vs-cursor) and [Cursor vs Windsurf](/guides/comparisons/cursor-vs-windsurf).

### You want to stay in VS Code or JetBrains

**Pick Cline** for agent work: free, Apache-2.0, any provider or local model, Plan and Act modes, checkpoints, and a plugin on the JetBrains Marketplace. Kilo Code (MIT) is the alternative with more agent types, parallel worktrees and inline autocomplete. Augment Code is agent-first with a Context Engine for large codebases, but it ended completions and Next Edit for non-Enterprise plans on March 31, 2026. Tabnine keeps completions, chat and agents together for enterprises. The trade-offs are laid out in [Cline vs Kilo Code vs Roo Code](/guides/comparisons/cline-vs-kilo-code-vs-roo-code).

> [!NOTE]
> If autocomplete is most of what you use Copilot for, remember that Cline focuses on agent work. For completions as you type, look at Cursor's Tab, Zed's edit predictions, Kilo Code's inline autocomplete, Tabnine or Tabby. JetBrains' own AI Free tier also includes unlimited completion from its Mellum model.

### You need self-hosted or air-gapped

**Pick Tabnine.** It deploys as SaaS, in your VPC, on-premises or fully air-gapped, promises zero code retention and no training on your code, and offers unlimited usage when you bring your own LLM endpoint. Tabby is the free self-hosted alternative for up to five users: you run the server and plug in runtimes such as Ollama, vLLM or llama.cpp, though its last stable release was in January 2026. Cody Enterprise, the only Cody still offered since July 2025, runs on self-hosted Sourcegraph with your own LLM keys. Cursor's Self-Hosted Machines are partial: only execution moves to your infrastructure.

### You want a terminal agent instead

If your Copilot use has drifted from autocomplete to delegating whole tasks, a terminal agent fits better. **Pick Claude Code** if you'll pay for a Claude plan: it plans, edits files, runs commands and iterates against tests in the terminal, VS Code, JetBrains or on the web. Codex CLI is the open-source alternative included in ChatGPT Free and Go. Amp, independent of Sourcegraph since December 2025, adds remote agents that keep running. Copilot has its own CLI too, included even in Copilot Free, so wanting a terminal agent alone isn't a reason to leave. The [best Claude Code alternatives](/guides/comparisons/best-claude-code-alternatives-2026) covers this field in depth.

### You want it free

These are genuinely free, each with a catch:

- **Cline and Kilo Code:** the tools are free; you pay your model provider or run a local model.
- **Zed Personal:** 2,000 accepted edit predictions, plus unlimited use with your own API keys or external agents.
- **Tabby Community:** free for up to five users, on hardware you run.
- **Codex:** included in ChatGPT's Free plan.
- **Free tiers with quotas:** Cursor Hobby (limited agent requests), Kiro Free (50 credits a month), Devin Desktop's Free plan, Amp Hobby (your own keys) and Copilot Free itself.

Nothing hosted is free and unlimited. The closest is an open-source tool on a local model, such as Cline or Kilo Code with Ollama or LM Studio, or Zed with a local model, where your hardware sets the limit.

## The alternatives, one at a time

### Cursor

Cursor is an AI-native VS Code fork, owned by SpaceX since August 14, 2026. Cursor 3.0 (April 2026) put agents first, and since March 2026 self-hosted cloud agents have run their tools on your infrastructure, expanded in September 2026 as Self-Hosted Machines. Plans bundle frontier, Composer and Grok models; your own API keys work for chat only, while Tab keeps using Cursor's models. With Privacy Mode on, Cursor guarantees code data isn't used for training by it or its model providers. Cursor also bought Continue around June 2026.

**Verdict:** the most complete Copilot replacement if you'll switch editors.

### Devin Desktop (formerly Windsurf)

Windsurf became Devin Desktop on June 2, 2026, "the same IDE, same editor", now led by an Agent Command Center for local and cloud agents. Cascade became Devin Local, with subagents and sandboxing. Models include Cognition's SWE-1.7 family plus Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and xAI models. The Windsurf JetBrains plugin is in maintenance mode, while the VS Code plugin (formerly Codeium) still gets updates.

**Verdict:** the strongest choice for teams that want Devin's cloud agents alongside a local editor.

### Kiro

AWS is sending Amazon Q Developer users to Kiro: support for the Q Developer IDE plugins ends on April 30, 2027, and AWS says Kiro includes everything developers rely on in Q Developer: agentic coding, inline chat, terminal integration and MCP support. Kiro's core idea is spec-driven development: prompts become requirements, design and tasks, checked by property-based testing, across an IDE, a CLI and the web. The Free plan includes 50 credits a month. It is proprietary.

**Verdict:** the pick for AWS shops and teams that want structure over free-form prompting.

### Zed

Zed reached 1.0 on April 29, 2026: a native Rust editor for Mac, Windows and Linux with AI built in. Edit predictions default to Zeta, Zed's open-source model, and Copilot itself can serve as a prediction provider. It accepts your own API keys, local models via Ollama, LM Studio or llama.cpp, existing subscriptions including Copilot and Claude, and ACP agents such as Claude Agent, Codex and Gemini CLI. The editor is free; AI has Personal, Pro and Business plans.

**Verdict:** the best choice for an editor where you bring your own models and agents rather than one vendor's.

### Cline

Cline (Apache-2.0) runs in VS Code, JetBrains, a CLI, a macOS and Windows desktop app, and an SDK. Plan and Act modes, checkpoints, and approval for every edit and command make it a careful agent. v4.0.0 (June 2026) added a marketplace for skills, MCP servers and plugins and turned command auto-approval off by default. The tool is free; inference is your own key, at cost through Cline, or the optional ClinePass. The JetBrains plugin isn't open source.

**Verdict:** the best free, open-source Copilot alternative for agent work in VS Code.

### Kilo Code

Kilo Code (MIT) was rebuilt on the OpenCode server for v7, GA since April 2, 2026, and its legacy Roo-derived extension reached end of life on July 31, 2026. It adds Code, Plan, Ask and Debug agents, an Agent Manager for parallel agents in worktrees, inline autocomplete and an MCP marketplace. Kilo Gateway offers 500+ models at provider rates with no markup, alongside free models, your own keys and local models.

**Verdict:** the pick if you want Copilot-style autocomplete and parallel agents in one open-source extension.

### Augment Code

Augment is now agent-first: completions and Next Edit ended for non-Enterprise plans on March 31, 2026, as it shifted focus to agents, the Auggie CLI, Cosmos automations and Intent for multi-agent work. Its Context Engine indexes large and multi-repo codebases, and team plans pool usage with no per-seat fee. Paid plans exclude AI training on your data. BYOK, local models and self-hosting aren't documented, and no free plan is shown.

**Verdict:** worth a look for big codebases where context is the bottleneck, but not as an autocomplete replacement.

### Tabnine

Tabnine is the enterprise-deployment specialist: SaaS, VPC, on-premises or fully air-gapped, with "zero code retention" and no training on your code. It supports VS Code, JetBrains, Eclipse and Visual Studio. The Code Assistant plan covers completions and chat, and the Agentic plan adds agents, a CLI agent and a Context Engine. Usage is unlimited with your own LLM. There is no free plan, and the classic VS Code listing is now labelled legacy.

**Verdict:** the default answer when code can't leave your network.

### Tabby

Tabby is a self-hosted server with VS Code, JetBrains, Vim and Eclipse clients that can use Ollama, vLLM, llama.cpp, LM Studio or hosted APIs. It covers completion, chat and an answer engine, and TabbyML's agent work now lives in a sibling project, Pochi. Content outside `ee/` is Apache-2.0. Development has slowed: the last stable release was v0.32.0 in January 2026, and the VS Code extension was last updated in April 2025.

**Verdict:** the budget self-hosting option for small teams. Check its release pace before you commit.

### Claude Code

Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic coding tool: it reads your codebase, plans changes, edits files, runs commands and iterates against test or build feedback. It runs in the terminal, integrates with VS Code and JetBrains, and is on the web, with MCP servers, slash commands, subagents and hooks for extension. It isn't open source and needs a paid Claude plan or API usage; see [Claude plans compared](/guides/getting-started/claude-plans-compared-2026).

**Verdict:** the pick when you want an agent that does multi-step work, not a better autocomplete.

### Codex CLI

OpenAI's Codex CLI is an Apache-2.0 terminal agent included in every ChatGPT plan from Free and Go up, or usable with an API key. The same product spans an IDE extension, the Codex desktop app and Codex Web, and the CLI can run local models through Ollama or LM Studio. Before granting it autonomy, read [Codex CLI sandbox and approval modes](/guides/configuration/codex-sandbox-and-approvals).

**Verdict:** the open-source terminal agent to try first, especially if you already have ChatGPT.

### Amp

Amp, independent of Sourcegraph since December 2025, announced in February 2026 that its VS Code and Cursor extensions would shut down on March 5, so it's now a CLI, web and mobile product. "The Dial" trades cost against capability across low, medium, high and ultra modes instead of making you pick a model. Remote "orbs" keep working after you close your laptop, and the free Hobby plan takes your own keys or a ChatGPT subscription.

**Verdict:** a terminal-first choice for developers who want remote agents; it's no longer an editor assistant.

## What changed in 2026

If a Copilot-alternatives list predates these changes, it may recommend a product that has since been renamed, sold or shut down. Every date below comes from the vendor's own post, docs or repository.

| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| Feb 19, 2026 | Amp announces its editor extensions will shut down on March 5 |
| Feb 25, 2026 | Sourcegraph 7.0 replaces Cody in the browser with Deep Search |
| Mar 31, 2026 | Augment ends completions and Next Edit for non-Enterprise plans |
| Apr 2, 2026 | Kilo Code v7 on the OpenCode server goes GA; Cursor 3.0 ships |
| Apr 20, 2026 | GitHub pauses Copilot Pro, Pro+ and Student sign-ups |
| Apr 29, 2026 | Zed 1.0 and Zed for Business launch |
| Apr 30, 2026 | AWS sets April 30, 2027 as end of support for Amazon Q Developer IDE plugins, pointing to Kiro |
| May 15, 2026 | Roo Code shuts down |
| Jun 1, 2026 | Copilot moves to GitHub AI Credits and adds a Max plan |
| Jun 2, 2026 | Windsurf becomes Devin Desktop |
| ~Jun 15, 2026 | Cursor acquires Continue |
| Jun 26, 2026 | Cline v4.0.0 ships on the Cline SDK |
| Jul 31, 2026 | Kilo's legacy Roo-derived extension reaches end of life |
| Aug 14, 2026 | SpaceX completes its acquisition of Cursor |
| Sep 3, 2026 | Copilot Business and Enterprise sign-ups begin reopening |

The Roo Code README points users to ZooCode, a community fork, and to Cline; the migration options are compared in [Cline vs Kilo Code vs Roo Code](/guides/comparisons/cline-vs-kilo-code-vs-roo-code).

### What happened to Continue

Continue, the open-source assistant for VS Code and JetBrains, joined Cursor in an acquisition around June 15, 2026. Users had until July 15 to export their data, which has since been deleted. Recurring billing is disabled and unused paid credits are being refunded. The Apache-2.0 repository remains on GitHub but is read-only, and the final release (v2.0.0, June 19, 2026) removed telemetry and authentication. Continue doesn't tell users to move to Cursor. If you used it for bring-your-own-model chat and edits, Cline and Kilo Code are the closest open-source successors.

### What happened to Cody

Sourcegraph stopped Cody Free and Pro sign-ups in June 2025 and discontinued both on July 23, 2025, while Cody Enterprise remains "fully supported, actively developed". In February 2026, Sourcegraph 7.0 replaced Cody in the browser with Deep Search for Deep Search customers, leaving the editor extension in place. Cody's public client repo is archived, so its development is no longer public. Amp, once Sourcegraph's agent, became an independent company on December 2, 2025, so it's no longer a Sourcegraph upgrade path.

## Privacy and compliance

Where your code goes matters more than any feature. This is what each vendor's own documentation says:

| Tool | Training and retention | Deployment |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | github.com chat retention extends to account lifetime (Aug 2026 changelog) | Cloud; no GitHub Enterprise Server |
| Cursor | No training with Privacy Mode on | Cloud; self-hosted execution only |
| Devin Desktop (ex-Windsurf) | May train by default; paid plans can opt out | Local editor, cloud agents |
| Tabnine | No training; zero code retention | SaaS, VPC, on-prem, air-gapped |
| Tabby | Your server, your models | Self-hosted |
| Zed | Not retained by default; providers barred from training | Local editor; local models |
| Augment Code | No training on paid plans | Cloud; CMEK and data residency listed |
| Cody Enterprise | Not used to train models | Cloud or self-hosted Sourcegraph |
| Cline, Kilo Code | Depends on the provider you choose | Local extension |

Two caveats. Cognition's security docs say data may be used for training by default and that paid plans can opt out, which matters if you stay on Devin Desktop's free tier. Zed's zero-retention promise has an exception for provider safety retention, 30 days or more for Anthropic's covered models.

## How to choose

Match your reason to a pick:

- **Switching editors:** Cursor. Choose Zed to bring your own agents, or Kiro if you're an AWS shop.
- **Staying in VS Code or JetBrains:** Cline for agents; Kilo Code if you also want autocomplete.
- **Code can't leave your network:** Tabnine, or Tabby for a small team.
- **Delegation, not completion:** Claude Code or Codex CLI.
- **Spending nothing:** Cline or Kilo Code on a local model, or Zed's Personal plan.

Trial two candidates on the same repository for a week, using the tasks you'd normally give Copilot, and keep the one whose suggestions you accept most often. For the wider head-to-head, read [Cursor vs Claude Code vs Copilot vs Windsurf](/guides/prompting/cursor-vs-claude-code-vs-copilot-vs-windsurf-2026).

## Sources and further reading

- [Updates to GitHub Copilot billing and plans](https://github.blog/changelog/2026-06-01-updates-to-github-copilot-billing-and-plans/) — GitHub
- [Plans for GitHub Copilot](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/get-started/plans) — GitHub
- [Upcoming changes to GitHub Copilot policies and billing](https://github.blog/changelog/2026-08-28-upcoming-changes-to-github-copilot-policies-and-billing/) — GitHub
- [Bring your own key in VS Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/blogs/2026/06/18/byok-vscode) — Microsoft
- [Cursor is joining SpaceX](https://cursor.com/blog/joining-spacex) — Cursor
- [Devin Desktop FAQ](https://docs.devin.ai/desktop/devin-desktop-faq) — Cognition
- [Zed 1.0](https://zed.dev/blog/zed-1-0) — Zed Industries
- [Zed AI privacy and security](https://zed.dev/docs/ai/privacy-and-security) — Zed Industries
- [Planned March 31 sunset for Next Edit and Completions](https://www.augmentcode.com/changelog/planned-march-31-sunset-for-next-edit-and-completions) — Augment Code
- [Tabnine pricing and deployment](https://www.tabnine.com/pricing) — Tabnine
- [Tabby pricing](https://www.tabbyml.com/pricing) — TabbyML
- [Continue has joined Cursor](https://continue.dev/) — Continue
- [Changes to Cody Free, Pro, and Enterprise Starter plans](https://sourcegraph.com/blog/changes-to-cody-free-pro-and-enterprise-starter-plans) — Sourcegraph
- [Cline pricing](https://cline.bot/pricing) — Cline
- [The new Kilo for VS Code is live](https://blog.kilo.ai/p/new-kilo-for-vs-code-is-live) — Kilo Code
- [Amazon Q Developer end of support announcement](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/devops/amazon-q-developer-end-of-support-announcement/) — AWS

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_Source: https://agentscamp.com/guides/comparisons/best-github-copilot-alternatives-2026 — Guide on AgentsCamp._