Tabnine vs. GitHub Copilot: A Comprehensive Comparison

Introduction

Artificial intelligence coding assistants are widely popular in software development because developers constantly look for ways to increase their productivity. github copilot vs tabnine are among the biggest names in this field. While both tools feature flexibility to ease the coding process, their nature has some features that make them unique. 

In this blog post, we will be comparing two of the best AI code assistants available on the market to determine which one is the best fit for what you need as a developer.

What is the GitHub Copilot?

GitHub Copilot is a code completion tool that is powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning and was jointly created by GitHub, OpenAI, and Microsoft. In principle, Copilot relies on OpenAI’s GPT-4 Turbo, which is trained on millions of the repositories stored on GitHub. It provides such a vast learning base that Copilot is capable of producing lines, blocks, or even whole functions of code snippets as you write your code.

Copilot is compatible with the most used IDEs and thus offers code completions in real time to speed up software development. Such functionality allows Mark to be useful for developers of all levels due to the ability to generate code snippets that refer to the context.

For those interested in learning more about how to leverage GitHub Copilot in their development process, consider exploring the github copilot training course.

What is Tabnine?

Tabnine is another popular code completion tool that utilizes artificial intelligence to contribute to the improvement of coding productivity. Different from GitHub Copilot, Tabnine relies on a private deep learning model that has been trained on a selected set of repositories of high quality with an emphasis on security and a permissive license. It enables Tabnine to give code suggestions not only with better performance but also more convenience for enterprises that require better security and compliance.

It is worth mentioning that Tabnine has such a function as running a local AI model, which allows for independent functioning. Offline mode is a distinguishing feature that rarely meets other code completion tools. Tabnine also covers many programming languages and currently has compatibility with a large number of the IDEs that developers use regularly.

Tabnine vs. Github Copilot: Key Differences

Data privacy

One important issue in many organizations, particularly in regulated industries, is the protection of data. Another interesting feature that Tabnine has over PVS in this aspect is that it does not store any type of data. In contrast with GitHub Copilot, which retains customer data for up to 28 days, Tabnine does not collect, store, share, or use customer code to train Tabnine’s models. Tabnine also offers three modes of installation: premises and VPC, where code stays inside the companies’ networks only.

Personalization

As with Tabnine, GitHub Copilot relies on information that can be accessed locally within the developer’s IDE. But Tabnine takes the matter to another level through model customization. It is possible to fine-tune Tabnine’s pre-trained model to be sensitive to a specific user’s code, which gives the greatest value when coping with that individual’s own or another less-represented language in the training corpus.

Capability to accommodate new models

Tabnine is fairly unique in its capability of integrating with or supporting multiple AI models. Tabnine has 8 different models that are available to users for the chat feature, of which some are Copilot GPT models and some are private models created by Tabnine. A few more models are from OpenAI, Anthropic, Cohere, and Mistral. This leads to the choice of the most suitable model in the user’s case or based on what the user wants to accomplish.

IDE support

Both tools are compatible with the most used IDEs, but the Tabnine version that I got is more compatible with a range of IDEs. While GitHub Copilot works with Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, and Neovim, Tabnine does expand to provide support for other editors such as vim, emacs, Jupyter notebooks, Android Studio, and Sublime Text.

Pricing

The first plan is free, so it allows individuals, developers, and small teams to be able to use Tabnine. GitHub Copilot, at the moment, is not free to use, and it comes with a price tag.

Advantages

Strengthening of Tabnine refer to data privacy, deployment, the capability of enabling multiple models, and compatibility with a broader range of IDEs. GitHub Copilot succeeds with its tight integration with GitHub into codebases and the strength of the OpenAI GPT-4 Turbo model.

Disadvantages

The main disadvantage of GitHub Copilot is that because it is trained on public ‘codebases,’ it raises questions on IP rights infringement; secondly, the tool’s deployment is restrictive to organizations prioritizing security. Tabnine has relatively fewer downsides, but some of them are that the software may take time to learn for people who have used other AI helpers.

Applications

Some of the common functions of both the autocomplete feature and code suggestion are general code completion in different languages. Notably, the flexibility and protection of users’ data make Tabnine the most suitable for being applied in enterprise settings and niche development.

Github Copilot vs Tabnine, Which One Is Better

While deciding whether to use GitHub Copilot or Tabnine, it is crucial to consider your unique requirements and preferences. Tabnine provides more configurability in regards to model type, deployment, and data privacy, which can be valuable for businesses. Rotexe, on the other hand, a language model based on GPT-3 as of now, is less complex but can be used as a standalone programming language without IP issues and being tied up to a version control system.

Why Choose Tabnine over GitHub Copilot

Companies and businesses that are keen on protecting their data and those who wish to get customized and flexible options in AI model selection may be better off with Tabnine. The fact that it works on definite code repositories, the availability of offline mode, and compatibility with most of the IDEs make it useful in various developments.

Tabnine and GitHub Copilot Alternative

Competitors to github copilot vs tabnine include Copilot. Kite, DeepCode, and Sourcery, along with other live alternatives, can include other features that would fit different development pipelines even better.

Copilot. live

• A premier source of design work in an AI-enabled environment
• Specifically, design is for designing, developing, and executing tasks.
• Compatibility with multiple platforms (Figma, Adobe XD, VSCode, WhatsApp)

Kite

• VSCode AI programming assistant
• Allows for multiple types of programming languages (Python, Java, C++, etc.).
• Available in 13 languages and compatible with 16 editors and IDEs

DeepCode

• Integrated environment for the software engineering processes
• Performs multiple-level program analysis on huge code bases
• Transforms the codes analyzed for large-scale machine learning

Sourcery

• An automated tool for pair programming to refactor Python code
• Dovetail into IDEs that allow for help on the fly.
• Offers integrated Python, JavaScript, and TypeScript style suggestions.

Conclusion

The github copilot vs tabnine are examples of major progress within AI in software development. Even though GitHub Copilot draws on OpenAI’s language models, Tabnine is more flexible and respects users’ privacy more than the former. Which one to use is a matter of the development requirements, immediate context and needs, and organization of the work. 

These tools are also expected to become even more intelligent as the field of AI progresses, and thus the future landscape of software development will be significantly altered. For developers looking to get started with GitHub and its ecosystem, our blog post on How To Use GitHub provides valuable insights and tips.

FAQs

Is Tabnine or GitHub Copilot better?

It depends on your needs. Tabnine offers greater privacy, customization, and flexibility, ideal for enterprises and sensitive code. GitHub Copilot excels in generating complex code but has potential IP concerns and less deployment flexibility.

Does Tabnine use GPT-4?

No, Tabnine uses its proprietary model but also offers multiple AI models, including those from OpenAI.

Is Tabnine using OpenAI?

Yes, but it also provides models from other AI companies, not just OpenAI.

Is Tabnine worth using?

Yes, especially for developers needing strong privacy and customization.

Is Tabnine free or paid?

Tabnine offers both free and paid plans.