Best AI Development Tools: A Guide For Engineering Teams
Imagine the world without AI assistance at all. Life would be put on hold. A terrifying picture, isn’t it? And we’re not talking about Siri, Alexa, and other virtual assistants. We are talking about complex business processes that would stop without the vast amount of data, processed and trained to streamline various operations across industries.
Hopefully, we’re safe from that. Recent industrial reports show that the global AI market is estimated at USD 638.23 billion in 2024. Obviously, it alters all industries – we’ve already talked about generative AI in FinTech. So is for software engineering. We are catching the way software technologies help developers achieve higher results in a shorter time.
Now, let’s see what the best and most essential AI tools for software processes and programmers in 2024 so far – from software development to QA and DevOps
Mobilunity Shares Its Expertise In Using AI development Tools
We can’t discuss how AI is used without sharing our expertise and insights.
So we conducted a quick survey among our engineers from dedicated development teams.
And they have a few things to say about AI tools for coding and other procedures
Tool usage and popularity among Mobilunity’s IT experts
As always, there are the most favorable instruments that engineers use daily.
GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT are the most frequently mentioned AI instruments for code generation, debugging, and refactoring.
WebStorm, VS Code, and IntelliJ IDEA are common IDEs as developers choose them for robust refactoring and productivity features, mentioning compatibility with these IDEs as one of the decisive factors.
AI benefits in the development workflow
It’s impossible to argue that AI brings a lot of advantages to the table.
- Time savings. AI tools are considered great time savers for mundane or basic tasks, allowing developers to avoid time-consuming research.
- Enhanced ideation and troubleshooting. AI is quite capable of brainstorming solutions, comparing ideas, and guiding problem-solving processes.
- Improving collaboration. With code improvement suggestions, smart development instruments act as technical consultants for programmers, improving code quality and team efficiency.
Challenges and limitations
Even the smartest applications have their bottlenecks. Our experts also faced some of them.
- Accuracy of outputs. Developers often get low-quality or outdated suggestions from AI tools, especially for comprehensive tasks or fresh topics.
- Refactoring needs. Since current instruments don’t always provide trustworthy suggestions, programmers need to apply advanced pattern-based refactoring.
- Extreme “hallucinations”. AI-generated responses often contain non-existent or incorrect functions and facts. Instruments strongly need to focus on advanced accuracy and grounding in real codebases.
Features expected by our experts in the future
- AI explainability. Developers seek explainable AI features to grasp AI-suggested code changes more clearly, which would promote their trustworthiness in recommendations.
- Better integration for code reviews. Engineers greatly expect improved AI technology for code review and more contextual feedback, which would keep in line with QA automation trends.
Recommendations for effective AI tool adoption
Our engineers also give some recommendations on mindful AI use.
Selective AI reliance. Mobilunity developers advise against over-reliance on AI, offering a balanced approach—using AI as an asset instead of substitution.
Parallel tool use. We suggest you experiment with various AI means at the same time to improve results, as different instruments stand out in specific niches.
Keeping all said above in mind, let’s go on to the most important part of the article now.
AI Assistant Tools To Watch For
So here is our extensive checklist that helps our engineering teams keep the software development lifecycle in order. They include diverse AI capabilities for any purpose and use case. Some of them offer a free plan, so it would be a perfect fit for those, who want to research the power of artificial intelligence.
| Category | Name | Key Features | Proprietor | Open-source | Pricing |
| Coding Assistants | GitHub Copilot | Context-aware code completion; Multi-language support | GitHub, Inc. (owned by Microsoft) | No | Individuals – $10/user/month: Businesses – $19/user/month, Enterprise – $39 |
| Coding Assistants | Tabnine | Real-time code completion; Multi-language support | Tabnine, Inc. | No | Freemium available; Pro plan – $12/ month;Enterprise – $39/month |
| Coding Assistants | Cody.AI | Code completion; Explanations; Debugging help | Cody AI, Inc. | No | Costs include $29/month, $99/month, and $249/month plans. |
| Coding Assistants | Mutable AI | Multi-file AI edits;Context-aware editing;Code generation | Mutable AI | No | Starts from $2 (free for open-source), $15, and a custom quote for Enterprise |
| Coding Assistants | Pieces for Developers | Code snippet organization; Search;IDE integration | Pieces for Developers | Yes | Freemium; custom quotes for enterprise pilots |
| Testing & Debugging | Codium AI | Test generation; Code behavior analysis | Codium AI | No | Starts at $19/user/month |
| Testing & Debugging | DeepCode | Vulnerability detection;Static code analysis;Performance optimization | DeepCode | No | Freemium; advanced features start from $12/user/month. |
| Testing & Debugging | Bugsnag | Real-time error monitoring; Performance tracking;User behavior analysis | Bugsnag, Inc. | No | Freemium; $20/month for Select for smaller teams, Preferred – $33/month for larger teams, and quote requests for Enterprises |
| Version Control & Code Management | Git enhanced with AI | Merge conflict prediction;Workflow optimization | Git community | Yes | Free |
| Version Control & Code Management | Bitbucket | Git repository hosting;Code review; CI/CD | Atlassian Corporation Plc | No | Freemium; Standard – $3/user/month; Premium – $6/user/month |
| Version Control & Code Management | WhatTheDiff | Code comparison; Highlights differences;Provides insights | Open source community | Yes | Freemium; Pro – $19/month |
| Mobile App Development | AppBrain | User behavior analysis;App feature optimization | AppBrain GmbH | No | Requires a quote |
| Mobile App Development | Firebase Predictions | User action prediction; Personalized content delivery | Google LLC | No | Free |
| Contextual and visual content generation | Auto-GPT | Complex task automation;Content generation;Problem-solving | Open source community | Yes | starts with $0.03 per 1,000 tokens for prompts and $0.06 per 1,000 tokens for results. |
| Visual content generation | DALL-E | Image generation based on text prompt | OpenAI | No | Freemium, coming at $20/month as a part of the ChatGPT Plus subscription plan. |
| Visual content generation | Midjourney | Image generation based on text prompts | Midjourney, Inc. | No | starts at $10/month for Basic, $30/month for Standard, $60/month for Pro, and $120/month for Mega |
| Security & Code Optimization | Amazon CodeWhisperer | Code generation; Vulnerability detection;AWS API integration | Amazon Web Services (AWS) | No | Free for individuals; $19/ user/month for the Professional tier. |
| Security & Code Optimization | Snyk | Security analysis, Vulnerability detection, Remediation advice | Snyk, Inc. | Yes | Freemium; paid plans for advanced features start at $25/month. |
| Code Documentation | Mintlify Writer | Automated code documentation; Integration with IDEs;Multiple languages support | Mintlify, Inc. | No | Freemium; with $150/month for a Pro plan, and custom quotes for Enterprise size. |
Now, let’s get a closer and deeper look at these utilities.
Engineering Assistants As AI developer Tools
Each of these agencies is widely considered as the best AI tool for web development. These AI coding tools enhance productivity for both individual developers and developers working in integrated development environments.
GitHub Copilot
This AI-powered code completion tool introduces context-aware code suggestions, supports multiple programming languages, and blends with GitHub environments. GitHub Copilot is one of GitHub’s ecosystem elements, so it receives strong community support and takes its place among the most performing coding tools.
Pricing: Individuals – $10/user/month: businesses – $19/user/month, Enterprise – $19.
Tabnine
The creators of this AI-enabled code suggestion instrument integrated development into its functionality. The instrument provides real-time code suggestions, supports multiple programming languages, and is tailored to different coding styles. This open-source platform has already gained enthusiastic community support with rich documentation.
Pricing: Freemium available; Pro plan – $12/user/ month; Enterprise – $39.
Cody.AI
The AI-powered assistant is aimed at software developers, offering code completion and explanations, which streamlines the development process but also suggests debugging help. While easily incorporated with popular IDEs, its AI features include natural language explanations for code and code snippet rendering. The instrument is already actively supported by the community and accumulates documentation.
Pricing: Costs include $29/month, $99/month, and $249/month plans.
Mutable AI
The AI coding assistant introduces multi-file edits for faster development. Besides code generation, it offers intelligent code suggestions and context-aware editing. The tool has already been recognized as a robust agent among the community that collaborates on its documentation.
Pricing: The basic model starts from $2 (free for open-source), the Premium version is $15, and Enterprise needs a custom quote.
Pieces for Developers
The technology in this software schedules and searches code snippets. In addition to customizable code snippets and wide search functionality, it allows integration with popular IDEs. Due to its focus on developer productivity and partially open-source nature, Pieces for Developers is gaining increasing traction from software engineers.
Pricing: Freemium model, with custom quotes for enterprise pilots.
Best AI Tools For Testing And Debugging
These solutions use AI to level up testing and debugging by automating test generation, recognizing code vulnerabilities, and offering real-time information on system performance.
1. Codium AI
The instrument is designed to enhance developer productivity during test generation and code behavior analysis. In addition to building test cases and exploring code coverage, the utility also spots probable issues. Its seamless integration with popular IDEs and support of multiple programming languages contribute to its recognition among dev community.
Pricing: Starts at $19/user/month
2. DeepCode
The tool uses machine learning and focuses on code vulnerability identification. Beyond security vulnerability detection and static code analysis, DeepCode also suggests performance optimization. Effective vulnerability detection and performance documentation make it a practical means for security-oriented developers.
Pricing: Freemium; advanced features start from $12/user/month.
3. Bugsnag
The tool introduces real-time application monitoring and error recognition solutions. Aside from error tracking, it suggests performance metrics and traces user behavior. Thanks to its overall effectiveness in exposure tracking and software stability improvement, not to forget about extensive documentation and resources for developers, Bugsnag is strengthening its position in the community.
Pricing: Freemium; Select model with $20/month for smaller teams, Preferred – $33/month for larger teams, and quote requests for Enterprises.
Top AI Tools For Software Version Control & Code Management
The following applications optimize workflows of version control and code management with task automation and merge conflict predictions. This efficiency is critical for the collaborative environment of our dedicated teams.
Git enhanced with AI
The technology works with merge conflict prediction and workflow optimization in Git repositories. AI integration of artificial intelligence enables recommendations for fixing merge conflicts and enhancing code quality. Given that the extension is a relatively new tool with an open-source nature as a part of the Git ecosystem, it has a growing popularity and increasing community support on forums.
Pricing: Free
Bitbucket
The platform provides git repository hosting and collaboration opportunities. Aside from continuous integration and deployment pipeline features, the tool also suggests code review. Its popularity among software development teams reflects extensive documentation and a strong focus on privacy.
Pricing: Freemium; standard plan – $3/user/month; premium plan – $6/user/month.
WhatTheDiff
The visual diffing tool for code reviews applies artificial intelligence to spot code differences, being especially handy for AI pair programmers. Featuring code changes comparisons and differences highlighted, it provides valuable insights through automated reports. The open-source nature of the instrument and the easy access to its comprehensive documentation highly contribute to its growing popularity among AI developers.
Pricing: Freemium; Pro model – $19/month.
AI Tools For Mobile App Development
The use of AI is also beneficial for the mobile market, where it can equip engineers with data-driven insights on user behavior, refine app features, and offer personalized interactions.
1.AppBrain for Developers
The mobile market-oriented development platform suggests user behavior analysis and app feature optimization. In addition to highlighting user preferences, this analytics tool provides app performance metrics and spotlights market trends. Its growing community highly encourages documentation buildup, increasing its validity for all involved in the mobile market.
Pricing: Requires a quote.
If you’re seeking skilled experts, you can always hire mobile app developers from Mobilunity.
2.Firebase Predictions
The instrument provides user action predictions and delivers personalized content. It works with prediction models and user segmentation and applies real-time analytics to improve user experience and increase user retention. Given that the Firebase platform is a part of Google, developers always have both extensive documentation and community support.
Pricing: Free.
Generative AI Tools For Task-Solving
Tools like these based on AI models have already transformed interface design and content creation. Just as at other stages, developers and designers can speed up the development process and boost user engagement, by embracing these AI tools.
Auto-GPT
The tool introduces a complex task performer by coordinating multiple GPT agents. Its AI capabilities allow for task automation, creative content generation, and problem-solving. Although the tool is relatively new, its open-source nature encourages its further development and growing support among developers.
Pricing: costs $0.03 per 1,000 tokens for prompts and $0.06 per 1,000 tokens for results
DALL-E/MidJourney
This pair of agencies generate images based on text prompts. By creating pictures from textual descriptions, they add value to UI/UX design and creative content. Due to their ability to build high-quality visualizations, their popularity is blooming, bringing the active and dedicated community and extensive documentation to the table.
Pricing: Midjourney plans include $10/month for Basic, $30/month for Standard, $60/month for Pro, and $120/month for Mega; DALL-E has a freemium model, coming at $20/month as a part of ChatGPT Plus subscription plans.
Powerful AI Security & Code Optimization Tools
While security threats are not disappearing, these best AI tools for developers already protect software systems by recognizing exposures, tuning code performance, and complying with security guidelines.
1.Amazon CodeWhisperer
This assistant introduces code generation and exposure detection which works particularly for AWS APIs. Apart from code suggestion generation, AI technology identifies potential security vulnerabilities and provides seamless integration with AWS services. As a part of the AWS ecosystem, it comes with extensive documentation and support resources from the community.
Pricing: Free for individuals; the Professional tier costs $19/ user/month.
1.Snyk
The tool focuses on security testing and vulnerability management, especially for data-sensitive software applications. Aside from security exposure recognition and correction, it easily incorporates into the most common development workflows. Its open-source nature, combined with its constant focus on vulnerability tracking made it a popular choice for security experts, assisting with constant documentation improvement and community support.
Pricing: Freemium; with paid plans for advanced features starting at $25/month.
Code Documentation For Software Development Projects
Effective code documentation is also an integral part of project management. As it allows developers to describe code functionality, teams frequently use them to maintain code quality, enhance teamwork, and guarantee software viability.
Mintlify Writer
This mechanism assists developers in writing code documentation, automatically generating it based on context. The comprehensive documentation rendering is used in software development, incorporating popular IDEs and supporting multiple programming languages. Above all, real-time collaboration and AI writing assistance make it a helpful tool for any remote team.
Pricing: Freemium model; with $150/month for a Pro plan with advanced features, and custom quotes for Enterprise size.
To Wrap Up
Hopefully, you will take advantage of our tool list.
You might have noticed that the number of AI-powered tools is continuously increasing. Each covers specific business needs and fits different skill levels and development practices.
Here are short and obvious tips on how to get the best out of AI software:
- Stay on the float with the latest technological advancement, but don’t skip best practices proven already.
- Participate in communities, forums, and events – may the networking force be with you!
- Experiment with tools. Open-source instruments are a great assistant for discovering the ones that best suit your knowledge, skills, and requirements.
We will not argue that a decent and relevant toolset is imperative throughout the development. If you need engineers who know how to apply those technologies for more efficient work, you can always hire AI developers for your team from our outstuff development company.
Let the challenge encourage you.
