2 Best Codeium Alternatives in 2025
Last updated: February 2026 • 7 min read
Codeium is a popular tool for developers wanting free ai code completion. While it offers a free tier (Free for individuals), its paid plans start at Free. Whether you're looking for a cheaper option, better features, or an open-source solution, we've compiled the 2 best Codeium alternatives to help you find the right fit.
📋 Quick Summary
- Total alternatives: 2
- Free alternatives: 2 (GitHub Copilot, Cursor)
- Best overall: GitHub Copilot
- Best free: GitHub Copilot
Why Look for Codeium Alternatives?
People commonly look for Codeium alternatives for several reasons:
- Cost: While Codeium has a free tier, its paid plans starting at Free can add up quickly for growing teams.
- Feature gaps: Less accurate than Copilot and newer product are common complaints.
- Simplicity: Some users find Codeium overly complex for their needs and prefer simpler solutions.
- Data ownership: Organizations wanting data sovereignty prefer open-source, self-hosted alternatives.
- Better fit: Different tools excel at different use cases — you may find a tool that's specifically built for your workflow.
📊 Quick Comparison Table
| Tool | Free Tier | Starting Price | Rating | Open Source | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codeium | ✓ Free for individuals | Free | ⭐ 4.2 | No | Developers wanting free AI code completion |
| GitHub Copilot | ✓ Free for OSS/students | $10/mo | ⭐ 4.4 | No | Developers wanting AI code assistance |
| Cursor | ✓ 2,000 completions/mo | $20/mo | ⭐ 4.5 | No | Developers wanting AI-native coding |
Detailed Reviews of Each Alternative
GitHub Copilot
AI pair programmer that helps you write code faster.
GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered coding assistant that suggests code completions, writes functions, and helps debug code directly in your editor. Powered by OpenAI Codex, it works with popular IDEs like VS Code, JetBrains, and Neovim, and has become an essential productivity tool for developers.
Pros
- ✓ Great code suggestions
- ✓ Wide IDE support
- ✓ Improving rapidly
- ✓ Free for OSS
Cons
- ✗ Subscription required
- ✗ Can suggest wrong code
- ✗ Privacy concerns
- ✗ Resource usage
Cursor
AI-first code editor built for pair programming with AI.
Cursor is an AI-powered code editor built as a fork of VS Code. It integrates AI deeply into the coding experience with features like AI-powered autocomplete, chat, code generation, and refactoring. Cursor has quickly become popular among developers looking for more intelligent coding tools.
Pros
- ✓ Powerful AI features
- ✓ VS Code familiar
- ✓ Codebase-aware
- ✓ Fast iterations
Cons
- ✗ Subscription model
- ✗ Resource heavy
- ✗ Newer product
- ✗ VS Code fork concerns
🏆 Our Recommendations
Best Overall Alternative:
GitHub Copilot — Developers wanting AI code assistance
Best Free Alternative:
GitHub Copilot — Free for OSS/students
❓ FAQ
What is the best free alternative to Codeium?
The best free alternative to Codeium is GitHub Copilot, which offers Free for OSS/students.
Is there an open-source alternative to Codeium?
There are no widely-used open-source alternatives to Codeium at this time, but several affordable options exist.
What is the cheapest alternative to Codeium?
The cheapest alternatives are the free options: GitHub Copilot, Cursor. For paid alternatives, prices start from as low as $10/mo.
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