C
What is Codeium?
Codeium (Windsurf's underlying assistant brand) offers free AI autocomplete and chat across a wide range of editors and IDEs, positioning itself as a no-cost alternative to paid in-editor coding assistants for individual developers.
Key features
- Free-tier autocomplete with generous usage limits
- Chat assistant for explaining and refactoring code in-editor
- Support for dozens of programming languages
- Plugins for VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, and more
- Enterprise plans with self-hosted deployment options
How to get started
- Install the Codeium extension in your editor of choice
- Sign in with a free account
- Start typing to see inline completions
- Open the chat panel for questions about your code
Use cases
- Individual developers wanting free AI code completion
- Teams evaluating AI tooling before committing to a paid plan
- Organizations needing self-hosted AI coding assistance
- Support across a wide range of less common languages and editors
Codeium vs. alternatives
| Tool | How it compares |
|---|---|
| Codeium | Free AI autocomplete and chat for most editors. |
| GitHub Copilot | more mature ecosystem, paid by default |
| Cursor | full AI-first editor instead of a plugin |
FAQ
Is Codeium free to use?
Codeium's plans: Free tier, paid Teams/Enterprise plans. Pricing and free-tier limits change over time, so check the official site above for the latest details.
What is Codeium used for?
Free AI autocomplete and chat for most editors.
Who is Codeium best for?
Codeium is a good fit for individual developers wanting free AI code completion, or teams evaluating AI tooling before committing to a paid plan.
What are the alternatives to Codeium?
Commonly compared alternatives include GitHub Copilot and Cursor, see the comparison above for how they differ.
Related tools
G
CLast reviewed: 2026-08 · Reviewed by AIKetra editors · How we evaluate tools