Since ChatGPT kicked everyone into an AI era of sorts, I thought it would be nice to sum up some AI-powered developer tools that are around today (2023) for C# developers.
Introduction
Developer tools that are using AI today, have one of
make a developer more productive by speeding up repetitive tasks
act as a second pair of eyes
helps developers by logically appending to our minds objectively
skips Google, shows instant personalized examples
Don’t worry, it will still take quite some time before an AI can replace our craftsmanship.
In the meanwhile, I’d love to show you some AI tools that are around in 2023, and get your feedback on this trend. Let me know in the comments if you’re using any of these tools, and if you think of this as useful additions or not.
Without further ado, here is my list.
AI Powered Developer Tools
IntelliCode: Developed by Microsoft, IntelliCode is an AI-powered extension for Visual Studio that provides intelligent code completion suggestions. IntelliCode provides AI-assisted code completion suggestions, which can help C# developers write code faster and with fewer errors. It can also detect code smells and suggest refactoring options, making it a valuable tool for code maintenance.
Pricing:
It is available for free in the Visual Studio Marketplace
Where to find it:
here’s the link to the marketplace pageDeepCode
DeepCode uses AI to analyze C# code and identify potential bugs and vulnerabilities. It can also suggest code improvements and highlight areas of the code that could benefit from refactoring.
Pricing:
It offers a free plan as well as paid plans with additional features. More information can be found on the official website.
Where to find it:
DeepCode: Semantic static code analysis for better software — powered by AICodota
Developed by Codota Inc., Codota is an AI-powered autocomplete tool that suggests code snippets based on the context of your code. It can help C# developers write code faster and with fewer errors by offering suggestions based on similar code found in millions of repositories.More information can be found on the official website.
Pricing:
It offers a free plan as well as paid plans with additional features.
Where to find it:
AI Assistant for software developers | TabnineTabNine
While this used to be a separate company, TabNine was acquired by Codota back in 2020. TabNine has similar features to Codota, but one recently announced cool feature that this tool has is generating unit tests using AI, which can really help to create some basic testing stuff for your application.
Pricing:
It offers a free plan as well as paid plans with additional features.
Where to find it:
AI Assistant for software developers | TabnineCodeRush
Developed by DevExpress, CodeRush is a productivity plugin for Visual Studio that uses AI to help you write code faster. It provides a variety of AI-assisted coding tools, including code generation, intelligent navigation, and refactorings. It can help C# developers write code faster and with fewer errors, as well as maintain existing code more easily.
Pricing:
It offers a 30-day free trial and a variety of pricing options for both individuals and teams.
Where to find it:
CodeRush: Free IDE Productivity Extension for Visual Studio | DevExpressGitHub Copilot
Developed by GitHub and OpenAI, GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered code completion tool that uses GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) to suggest code snippets based on the context of the code. It can be integrated into Visual Studio Code and other popular code editors, and can help C# developers write code faster and with fewer errors. GitHub Copilot is available as a technical preview.
Pricing:
it’s still in preview and free.
Where to find it:
Generic info > GitHub Copilot · Your AI pair programmer, Visual Studio plugin > link to the marketplace pageLINQ Me Up:
With OpenAI’s release, a lot of tools are being created to harnass the power of AI. LINQ Me Up helps developers save time by converting SQL into LINQ code. This is useful to learn LINQ or to migrate projects to use the advantages of LINQ (easier to debug, compile-time checks, etc.).
Pricing:
You get free credits at registration. There’s the possibility to buy credits, or a $8 p/month subscription
Where to find it:
LINQ Me Up — Convert SQL queries into C# LINQ code using AI
disclaimer: I (the author) created this product
My take on AI-driven developer tools for C# developers
I’ve personally only recently used Copilot for a couple of quick tests, and started to use IntelliCode recently. Furthermore, I’ve created LINQ Me Up to convert some stuff at my own convenience, making it for others to enjoy the same speed for converting.
I believe that tools like this are good to save time by not having to write things from scratch over and over.
It speeds up the search process and saves time compared to Googling on ways to implement specific code parts.
That doesn’t take away that I still believe that we are at a young and fragile beginning stage of the wonders of AI.
Reviewing, testing and common sense are still needed before pushing code into production.
My take on this: any tool that can help you provide value towards others by letting you focus on value instead of syntax, is a good one.
What are your experiences / what is your stance on using AI tools?
Let me know what your take is on these tools, and what experience you’ve had (if any) with these tools.
In the meanwhile: Code Hard, Ship Harder 🔥
Top comments (2)
I'm giving Tabnine a fair trial at the moment in Visual Studio Code with C# for a couple of ASP.NET projects, however so far I am not convinced it is worth $15/mo.
I have yet to make use of full method completion, as the methods it has suggested are not as efficient as I would write myself. Conversely, the full-line completion does, sometimes, work out positively. It's a big sometimes, as it will also sometimes get it wrong, not try at all (perhaps I type too fast?), or only complete 2/3rds of the line.
If it was $5/mo, I would be sold; $10/mo would be pushing the boundaries at present, but their current pricing model does not entice a veteran coder such as myself.
I'd be interested to see if they lower their prices overtime, and what their competitors are capable of with the same set up.
Thanks for you insights!
I think in the end, as competition increases and AI gets better, either the value of the plugin will increase for the buck, or they will lower their prices to compete..
I agree that the pricing is somewhat high especially if the completions don't always make sense / aren't optimal.