How to Choose an AI Coding Assistant

Choose an AI coding assistant by checking six things in order: where it runs (your editor or terminal), what code it can read, what the vendor says about data handling, how usage is metered, what admins can control, and which models you can pick. This page is our editorial checklist. It ranks nothing, and we did not test any tool.

What counts as an AI coding assistant?

An AI coding assistant is software that uses AI models to suggest, explain or change code inside a project you already work on. GitHub describes Copilot as "an AI assistant that helps you write, understand, and ship software" (GitHub Docs). Anthropic describes Claude Code as "an agentic coding tool that reads your codebase, edits files, runs commands" (Claude Code docs). Cursor describes itself as "a coding agent for building ambitious software" (Cursor docs).

These differ from AI app builders, which generate a whole application from a plain-language description. If that is your goal, read AI app builder vs AI coding assistant first.

How this checklist works

Each criterion below has two parts. "What the sources say" lists facts we read on official vendor pages on 2026-10-03, with the page named in the sentence. "What to consider" is our own assessment of how to use those facts. We did not run any tool, and we assign no scores or weights. Vendor pages change, so treat every fact as dated and re-check before you buy.

The tools named below come from our launch directory: Cursor, GitHub Copilot and Claude Code. They show how a vendor answers each question. They are not a shortlist or a ranking.

1. Editor and IDE support

What the sources say

• The GitHub Copilot install page lists Copilot extensions for Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, Eclipse, Vim/Neovim, Azure Data Studio and Xcode (GitHub Docs, accessed 2026-10-03).
• The Claude Code overview says it runs in the terminal, in VS Code, in JetBrains IDEs, in a desktop app and in the browser. It says each surface connects to the same underlying engine, and that the JetBrains plugin requires the Claude Code CLI to be installed separately (Claude Code docs, 2026-10-03).
• The Cursor docs page we read does not list supported editors or platforms, so we state nothing about them here.

What to consider

Start from the editor you will not give up. An extension fits a team that standardizes on one IDE. A standalone editor means switching your daily environment. A terminal tool fits people who already work from the command line. Check that the exact IDE and operating system you use are named in the vendor's docs, not only in a marketing screenshot.

2. Repository access and context

What the sources say

• The Claude Code overview says it "understands your entire codebase and can work across multiple files and tools to get things done." The data usage page says Claude Code runs locally and sends prompts and model outputs over the network. For cloud sessions, it says the repository is cloned into an isolated virtual machine (Claude Code docs, 2026-10-03).
• GitHub documents "content exclusion" for Copilot. It says affected files will not produce inline suggestions, will not inform suggestions in other files, and will not inform Copilot's responses (GitHub Docs, content exclusion page, 2026-10-03).

What to consider

Context decides how useful answers are, and it also decides what leaves your machine. Ask three questions. Does the tool read the whole repository, only open files, or only what you attach? Can you exclude secrets, generated files and customer data? Does it run in your environment or in a vendor-hosted one? A tool that reads more helps with cross-file changes, and it also sends more to a model provider. Match the setting to the sensitivity of the code.

3. Data handling and code retention statements

This criterion carries the most legal weight. We do not judge whether any vendor's practice is acceptable. We show where the statements are and what to check.

What the sources say

• Cursor says that if you enable Privacy Mode, "Customer Data will not be used for training by Cursor." It says that with Privacy Mode off it "may use and store codebase data, prompts, editor actions, code snippets, and other code data and actions to improve our AI features and train our models." It also notes that model providers may run risk classifiers, and that data may be stored for investigation if a prompt triggers abuse detectors (Cursor data use page, 2026-10-03). The Cursor pricing page lists "Team-wide privacy mode" under the Teams plan (2026-10-03).
• Anthropic says consumer users on Free, Pro and Max plans can choose whether their data is used to improve future models, including when they use Claude Code. For Team, Enterprise and API plans, it says it does not train generative models on code or prompts sent to Claude Code under commercial terms, unless the customer opts in to a program such as the Development Partner Program. It lists a 30-day standard retention period for commercial users, and zero data retention for qualified Claude for Enterprise accounts (Claude Code data usage page, 2026-10-03).
• GitHub documents content exclusion for the Copilot Business and Copilot Enterprise plans. It also states limits: Copilot "may use semantic information from an excluded file if the information is provided by the IDE indirectly," and exclusion is "currently not supported in Edit and Agent modes of Copilot Chat in Visual Studio Code and other editors" (GitHub Docs, 2026-10-03).

What to consider

Compare statements on the same four points for every tool. Is my code used for training? For which plan or setting? How long is it retained? What are the stated exceptions? The answer often depends on the plan and on a setting, so a free or individual plan may have different defaults than a team plan. Read the exceptions as carefully as the headline. Then compare the vendor's page with your own policy and, for regulated work, with your legal team's view. This checklist does not replace that review.

4. Plan usage limits

What the sources say

• Cursor's pricing page says "Every plan includes a set amount of model usage," and that on-demand usage lets you continue after the included amount is used, billed in arrears. The Cursor models page says that "different models have different API costs," so your model choice affects how quickly included usage is consumed (Cursor, 2026-10-03).
• GitHub describes Copilot Pro as designed for individuals who want "a monthly allowance of AI credits," and describes Copilot Pro+ and Copilot Max as plans with higher allowances (GitHub Docs, plans page, 2026-10-03).
• Anthropic's admin setup page lists spend limits and rate limits for Teams and Enterprise plans (Claude Code docs, 2026-10-03).

What to consider

"Included" means different things across vendors. Find out the unit (requests, credits or tokens), whether it resets monthly, what happens at the limit (stop, slow down or bill overage), and whether heavier models draw it down faster. We do not copy prices here because they change. Check the current pricing page and estimate your own expected use before committing a team.

5. Team and admin controls

What the sources say

• Cursor lists "Centralized team billing and administration," "SAML/OIDC SSO" and "Team-wide privacy mode" under Teams. It lists "SCIM seat management" and "Repository, model, and MCP access controls" under Enterprise (Cursor pricing page, 2026-10-03).
• GitHub says Copilot Business "offers centralized management and Copilot policy control for organization members." It says organization owners and repository administrators can configure content exclusion (GitHub Docs, 2026-10-03).
• Anthropic says Claude Code enforces organization policy through managed settings that take precedence over local developer configuration. These settings control which tools, commands, servers and network destinations Claude can reach (Claude Code docs, admin setup page, 2026-10-03).

What to consider

For a team, the questions are these. Can an admin enforce the data setting so members cannot change it? Is there single sign-on? Can you restrict which tools or external servers the assistant can use? Is there an audit or usage report? Several of these controls appear only on higher plans, so match the plan to the control you need, not only to the headline feature.

6. Model choice

What the sources say

• GitHub says "The models available to you depend on your Copilot plan and where you're using Copilot" (GitHub Docs, supported models page, 2026-10-03).
• Cursor says it supports models from several providers, and that "All Auto modes bill at the list price of the model each request is routed to" (Cursor models page, 2026-10-03).
• Claude Code lets you switch models during a session, at startup or in settings. Administrators can restrict which models appear in the picker (Claude Code docs, model configuration and admin setup pages, 2026-10-03).

What to consider

Model choice matters for cost and for data handling, because each model may run under a different provider's terms. Check whether you can pin a model, whether the vendor can change the default, and whether the model list differs by plan. Also check whether switching models changes the data statements in section 3.

Limits of this checklist

• It covers six criteria. It does not measure code quality, speed or correctness, because we have not tested any tool.
• It relies on vendor statements. Those describe policy and intent, not independent verification.
• It is not legal advice. It does not say whether any tool meets your regulatory obligations.
• Vendors change plans and terms often. The dates above show when we read each page.

When this checklist is not the right tool

• If you want a finished app from a description and do not plan to maintain the code, read our guide to which of the two you need and browse the coding and app builder category.
• If your decision turns only on output quality for your language or framework, no documentation check will answer it. Run a short trial on your own code under the vendor's data terms.
• If your organization already mandates a tool, use this list to prepare questions for that vendor, not to choose between vendors.