OpenAI's conversational AI assistant for writing, brainstorming, coding, analysis, and everyday questions. The free tier includes GPT-class models, file uploads, and image generation with daily limits.
Top match
You’ll get solid coding help from ChatGPT, especially for everyday questions and debugging, and its free tier covers a lot with daily limits on messages and images. If you find yourself hitting those caps or tackling more complex projects, upgrading gives you access to the most capable model for heavier lifting. It’s a flexible, friendly option that works well whether you’re just starting out or need a reliable second pair of eyes on your code.
Specialized coding help tools
A general assistant can do this, but these are built specifically for it — often with better results.
AI pair programmer that completes code, answers questions, and works agentically inside VS Code, JetBrains, and GitHub. Free tier includes monthly completions and chat requests.
FreemiumFree planAPIOpen-source terminal-based AI pair programmer that edits code across 100+ languages with full git integration, free to use.
FreeFree AI coding assistant for VS Code, JetBrains, and CLI with code completion, chat, and agentic refactoring; free tier includes monthly limits.
Free
Also worth a look
Anthropic's AI assistant known for thoughtful long-form writing, coding, and analysis of large documents. Free tier available; paid plans unlock higher limits and the most capable models.
FreemiumFree planAPIGeneral-purposeGoogle's AI assistant built into Search, Gmail, and Docs, with a standalone chat app for writing, research, and image generation. Generous free tier with a Google account.
FreemiumFree planAPIGeneral-purpose
Building agents or automating tasks?
ChatGPT is great for chatting about code — but for building and shipping with an agent, ChatGPT’s dedicated coding tool is Codex.
OpenAI's agentic coding tool built into ChatGPT -- available via CLI, IDE extension, and web. Included across ChatGPT plans, including Free, with usage limits by plan.