Best 7 to use in 2026

ZCode is a free desktop app from Z.ai that helps you build software using an AI agent. Instead of just chatting with AI inside an editor, you tell ZCode what you want done, and it plans the work, edits your files, runs terminal commands, checks its own results, and keeps working until the task is finished.

JetBrains AI is a set of AI tools built right into JetBrains IDEs like IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, and WebStorm. It gives you smart code completion, a chat window for asking questions about your project, and coding agents that can write and test code for you.

Qoder is an AI-powered development environment built for real-world software work, not just simple autocomplete or chat help. It understands your entire codebase through what it calls Enhanced Context Engineering, so it can work with large projects and stay aware of architecture, history, and dependencies.

Zed is a code editor built to feel instant, even when you are working on large projects. It is written in Rust and uses its own graphics system, so typing, scrolling, and searching happen with almost no delay.

Kiro is a coding tool built by AWS that helps developers write software with the help of AI agents. Instead of turning a prompt straight into code, Kiro first turns your idea into clear written plans, called specs. These specs include requirements, a design plan, and a list of tasks that need to be done. AI agents then use these plans to write the code, run tests, and check that the result actually matches what you asked for. Kiro is built on Amazon Bedrock and follows AWS security and privacy standards. It works as a desktop app, a command line tool, a web app, and a mobile app, and it is used by solo developers, teams, and large companies.

Trae is an AI powered coding tool made by ByteDance. It works as a smart IDE and a work assistant that can plan tasks, write code, fix bugs, test changes, and even deploy your project. You can chat with it in plain language, and it will break the work into steps and carry them out across many files at once. Trae also offers a broader Work mode for non coding tasks like research, reports, and summaries. It runs on desktop, web, and mobile, so you can start a task on your phone and finish it on your computer. There is a free plan to get started, along with paid plans for people who need more power and speed.

Cursor is a code editor built for working with AI agents. It looks and feels like a familiar editor, but instead of just suggesting a line of code, it can understand your whole project and make changes across many files at once.