Copilot, Tabnine, or self-hosted TabbyML - what is better for you?

Introduction to AI Code Assistants

AI Code Assistants are tools and services that use artificial intelligence (AI) to help developers write, debug, test, and deploy code more efficiently and effectively.

AI Assistants for developers can be used to:

• Generate code
• Complete code
• Refactor code
• Find and fix bugs
• Optimize code performance
• Generate documentation and tests
• Learn new programming languages and frameworks
• Translate code between languages
• Troubleshoot problems

Some popular AI Assistants for developers include:

• GitHub Copilot
• Tabnine
• TabbyML
• CodeWhisperer
• Kite
• DeepCode
• ...

AI code assistants offer a number of benefits to developers, including:

• Increased productivity: AI code assistants can automate many repetitive tasks, such as writing boilerplate code, generating documentation, and refactoring code. This can free up developers to focus on more creative and strategic work.
• Improved code quality: AI code assistants can help developers to write better code by suggesting best practices, identifying potential bugs, and recommending optimizations. This can lead to more reliable, efficient, and maintainable code.
• Reduced learning curve: AI code assistants can help new developers to learn new programming languages and frameworks more quickly by providing interactive tutorials and code examples. They can also help experienced developers to learn new technologies and stay up-to-date on the latest trends.
• Improved collaboration: AI code assistants can help developers to collaborate more effectively by providing a shared platform for code review and discussion. They can also help to bridge the gap between developers with different levels of experience and expertise.

In addition to these benefits, AI code assistants can also help developers to:

• Ship products faster: By automating tasks and improving code quality, AI code assistants can help developers to ship products faster without sacrificing quality.
• Reduce costs: By increasing productivity and reducing the number of bugs, AI code assistants can help developers to reduce the cost of developing and maintaining software.
• Make software development more accessible: AI code assistants can help people with less experience to learn how to code and contribute to software projects. This can help to make software development more inclusive and accessible to a wider range of people.

Overall, AI code assistants are a powerful tool that can help developers to be more productive, write better code, and ship products faster. As AI technology continues to develop, we can expect to see AI code assistants become even more powerful and widely used.

Compare AI Assistants

In the article, I will quickly compare 3 AI code assistant tools that I have used. Those are GitHub Copilot (I'll abbreviate it as Copilot), Tabnine and TabbyML. From there, I can make it easy for you to choose the right AI code assistant.

Short Introduction

GitHub Copilot

Copilot is an AI code assistant developed by GitHub (owned by Microsoft). GitHub's partnership with OpenAI, a leading AI research company, has allowed it to develop Copilot, which is one of the most advanced AI code assistants available.

Tabnine

Tabnine is built by Tabnine Ltd. Tabnine Ltd. is headquartered in Israel and has offices in the United States and Europe.

TabbyML

TabbyML is an open-source, on-premises AI code assistant. It is a self-hosted alternative to GitHub Copilot, and it is designed to give developers complete control over their data and privacy.

TabbyML is developed by TabbyML Inc., a company founded in 2021 by ex-Google engineers. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and it is backed by a number of leading investors, including Sequoia Capital India and Foundation Capital.

Comparison

Features

Here is a more comprehensive comparison of features between Copilot, Tabnine, and TabbyML:

Feature	Copilot	Tabnine	TabbyML
Type	Cloud-based	Cloud-based	Self-hosted
Programming languages	9+	25+	Python, Java, JavaScript, TypeScript (more languages coming soon)
Features	Code generation, code completion, code suggestions, documentation generation, error detection, code refactoring, translation	Code generation, code completion, code suggestions, documentation generation, error detection, code refactoring, code search	Code generation, code completion, code suggestions, code refactoring, code search
Integrations	Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, Neovim, JetBrains IDEs, GitHub Codespaces	Visual Studio Code, JetBrains IDEs, Sublime Text, Eclipse, NetBeans, Neovim	Visual Studio Code, JetBrains IDEs
Customization	Limited	More customizable than Copilot	Most customizable

Other notable features:

• Copilot can generate code in a variety of formats, including functions, classes, methods, and tests. It can also translate code from one programming language to another.
• Tabnine can learn from the developer's coding habits and preferences, which makes it more accurate and helpful over time.
• TabbyML is still under development, but it has the potential to be more customizable than Copilot and Tabnine, as developers can host and train their own models.

Overall features comparison:

If you are looking for a cloud-based AI code assistant with a wide range of features and integrations, then Copilot is a good choice.

If you are looking for a more affordable AI code assistant with a good balance of features and flexibility, then Tabnine is a good choice.

If you are looking for a self-hosted and customizable AI code assistant with the potential to be the most powerful of the three, then TabbyML is a good choice.

Pricing

Here is a comparison of pricing between Copilot, Tabnine, and TabbyML:

Tool	Pricing
Copilot	Paid subscription starting at $10/month
Tabnine	Paid subscription starting at $6/month
TabbyML	Free and open source

As you can see, TabbyML is the most affordable option, followed by Tabnine. Copilot is the most expensive option, but it also offers the most features.

Here is a breakdown of the pricing plans for each tool:

• Copilot:
  • GitHub Copilot for Individuals
    • Monthly subscription: $10 USD per month
    • Yearly subscription: $100 USD per year
  • GitHub Copilot for Business
    • Monthly subscription: $19 USD per user per month
• Tabnine:
  • Starter plan: $0/month, include basic code completion
  • Pro plan: $12/month per user, includes all features for up to 100 users.
  • Enterprise plan: Custom pricing, available upon request for unlimited users.
• TabbyML:
  • Free plan: Full access to all features, but self-hosted.

If you are on a tight budget, TabbyML is the best option. If you need more features or integrations, Tabnine is a good choice. If you are looking for the best possible experience, Copilot is the best option.

Ultimately, the best way to choose a pricing plan is to consider your individual needs and budget.

Privacy

GitHub Copilot

• Data collection: GitHub Copilot collects data about the code that you write, including the programming languages, frameworks, and libraries that you use. It also collects data about the code that you interact with, such as the code that you copy and paste, and the code that you comment on.
• Data use: GitHub Copilot uses the data that it collects to improve its code suggestions. It also uses the data to develop new features and to improve the overall user experience.
• Data sharing: GitHub Copilot shares the data that it collects with its parent company, Microsoft. Microsoft may use the data for its own purposes, such as developing new products and services.

Tabnine

• Data collection: Tabnine collects data about the code that you write, including the programming languages, frameworks, and libraries that you use. It also collects data about the code that you interact with, such as the code that you copy and paste, and the code that you comment on.
• Data use: Tabnine uses the data that it collects to improve its code suggestions. It also uses the data to develop new features and to improve the overall user experience.
• Data sharing: Tabnine does not share the data that it collects with any third parties.

TabbyML

• Data collection: TabbyML collects data about the code that you write, including the programming languages, frameworks, and libraries that you use. It also collects data about the code that you interact with, such as the code that you copy and paste, and the code that you comment on.
• Data use: TabbyML uses the data that it collects to improve its code suggestions. It also uses the data to develop new features and to improve the overall user experience.
• Data sharing: TabbyML does not share the data that it collects with any third parties.

Overall privacy comparison

• Copilot: Copilot collects the most data about your code, and it shares this data with Microsoft.
• Tabnine: Tabnine collects fewer data about your code than Copilot, and it does not share this data with any third parties.
• TabbyML: TabbyML collects the least amount of data about your code, and it does not share this data with any third parties.

Which AI code assistant is the most private?

TabbyML is the most private AI code assistant, as it collects the least amount of data about your code and does not share this data with any third parties.

If privacy is your top priority, then TabbyML is the best AI code assistant for you.

Summary

In this article, we have compared GitHub Copilot, Tabnine, and TabbyML. We have looked at their features, pricing, and privacy policies. We have also discussed the pros and cons of each tool.

Copilot, Tabnine, and TabbyML are all powerful AI code assistants with their own strengths and weaknesses. The best tool for you will depend on your individual needs and preferences.

If you are looking for a cloud-based AI code assistant with a wide range of features and integrations, and you are not concerned about privacy, then Copilot is a good choice.

If you are looking for a more affordable AI code assistant with a good balance of features and flexibility, and you are concerned about privacy, then Tabnine is a good choice.

If you are looking for a self-hosted and customizable AI code assistant with the potential to be the most powerful and private of the three, then TabbyML is a good choice.

I hope this helps!