2 Free & Open-Source GitHub Copilot Alternatives
GitHub Copilot is a solid tool, but it's a recurring per-seat subscription. Continue.dev and Tabby bring the same in-editor AI-completion experience while letting you choose (and control the cost of) the underlying model — including running one entirely locally for zero ongoing fee.
The best GitHub Copilot alternatives
Continue.dev
Our top pickOpen sourceSelf-hostedAn open-source AI coding assistant that works with any model.
Continue.dev plugs into VS Code and JetBrains IDEs with Copilot-style inline completions and chat, but lets you choose the model behind it — a paid API, a free-tier API, or a fully local model — rather than locking you to one provider's subscription.
- Inline completions and in-editor chat
- Works with any model provider, including local ones
- Custom context — point it at your own docs or codebase
- Free, open-source VS Code/JetBrains extension
Tabby
Open sourceSelf-hostedA self-hosted AI coding assistant for teams that want full data control.
Tabby is built to run entirely on infrastructure you control, including the model itself — a strong fit for teams that don't want code context leaving their own network, which a cloud-based assistant like Copilot inherently requires.
- Self-hosted model, code never leaves your network
- IDE extensions for VS Code and JetBrains
- Can be fine-tuned on your own codebase
- Self-hosted, no per-seat fee
Licensing and pricing models change over time — confirm current terms on each project's own site before making a procurement or compliance decision.
Frequently asked questions
Will the completions be as good as GitHub Copilot's?
It depends entirely on which model you connect. Paired with a strong model, quality is comparable; paired with a smaller local model, expect a noticeable step down in exchange for zero ongoing cost and full privacy.
Which is better for a company with strict code-privacy requirements?
Tabby, since it's built specifically for fully self-hosted, code-never-leaves-the-network deployments. Continue.dev can also be run this way with a local model, but is more flexible toward using external APIs too.
Do these work with the same languages Copilot supports?
Yes — both are largely language-agnostic, with quality depending more on the underlying model's training than the tool itself.
More free alternatives
Not sure which way to go?
A free Growth Audit can help you weigh self-hosting against the tool you already pay for.