I don't use IDEs to begin with. I use a text editor, since I am a UNIX man.
So, I don't even have a reason to look at the "AI" flavor of an IDE.
The closest thing to an AI IDE that I have tried out were tools like AIDER and Jack's "goose" agent.
Neither of those specialized tools has been satisfactory. They all performed worse than just the LLM IMO.
I am sticking to crafting my own context that I supply to the LLM.
Tools like Simon W's `llm` tool help A LOT to be more efficient at using LLMs in a daily setting.
Ask HN: How much better are AI IDEs vs. copy pasting into chat apps?
11–20 of 140 posts
Re: Ask HN: How much better are AI IDEs vs. copy pasting into chat apps?
#12I'm not a developer. I use Claude and copy paste which works fine for me. Just picking up on one thing it's not unlimited use, Claude stops working for me after a certain amount of usage and offers me access to the max plan. I also would add that chat based code seems to bloat, the llm will add in a bunch of stuff that's not needed and that ultimately reduces the time it can work on my problems.
Re: Ask HN: How much better are AI IDEs vs. copy pasting into chat apps?
#13I've finally settled on this:
- A custom vscode plugin to help me copy file contents from the tree view, along with file paths
- A chat based ide (LibreChat, but anything will do)
- An agent that syncs code back, once I'm happy with the conversation (https://github.com/codespin-ai/codebox)
Sometimes I add the agent right at the beginning. Sometimes I do that when I feel the code is ready to be written back. Another thing with the codebox agent is that it lets the agent run unit tests (even inside a docker compose environment, if you want integration tests); so in some cases it can be fire-and-forget.
Re: Ask HN: How much better are AI IDEs vs. copy pasting into chat apps?
#14I rolled out Claude Code and Cursor to my whole company. They’re really much better than copy paste. And very affordable compared to professional developer wages.
Wrote about it: https://ghiculescu.substack.com/p/nobody-codes-here-anymore
Re: Ask HN: How much better are AI IDEs vs. copy pasting into chat apps?
#15I use copilot through VSCode. The copilot plugin lets me either ask questions or ask for edits to my code. I can choose which files to include as an additional context to the prompt. I can additionally choose which model to use. Some models are unlimited, others have some monthly quota. GPT-4o is unlimited and quite good with short tasks. It has also shortcuts for instance fixing errors in the code by just selecting…
But you aren't just asking for edits to your code, right? Copilot will actively suggest code completion as you type. This is the real benefit over chat as it's like pair programming.
That, and the way it generates commit comments, I don't think I will write another commit message even again.
Re: Ask HN: How much better are AI IDEs vs. copy pasting into chat apps?
#16I'm a staff software engineer doing a mix of front-end and back-end with emphasis on front-end.
I use both Cursor on Claude 3.7 and ChatGPT on 4o/o3. Cursor seems kind of "dumb" compared to 4o, but it's a good workhorse.
I let Cursor handle the basics - basically acting as a glorified multi-file autocomplete. I think through common problems with 4o, tough problems with o3, I copy all of Svelte's docs into 4o (https://svelte-llm.khromov.se/) to get good Svelte 5-focused feedback, I have 4o code-review what Cursor writes from time to time, I have 4o, sometimes o3, generate "precise" prompts that I'll give to Cursor when me talking off-the-cuff to Cursor doesn't get good results after a few attempts.
I don't consider myself an expert in these areas yet so I might be misusing Cursor, or not making enough use of its rules system, or something. I feel like I get good value for my ChatGPT subscription. I don't feel like I get good value for my Cursor subscription, but I also still feel like keeping it because $20 to type a lot less is still pretty nice. I would be upset if I only had a Cursor subscription and no access to ChatGPT. I am pretty hesitant to pay for AI à la carte. I feel much better about working within the limitations of a known subscription cost.
Re: Ask HN: How much better are AI IDEs vs. copy pasting into chat apps?
#17> The issue with Copilot is that it's not as smart as the "thinking" chat apps.
Upgrade to a paid plan and you can use many of the same “thinking” models.
Honestly, your entire question is best answered by signing up for a free trial of one of these tools and using it. Not the free tier, a trial or a paid plan.
Copy and pasting into another app is extremely inefficient. You really need to try a tool that integrates your model of choice into the editor.
Re: Ask HN: How much better are AI IDEs vs. copy pasting into chat apps?
#18I built a tool that helps with copy pasting code into chat UI called 16x Prompt.
It is used by quite a lot of people. So the problem is definitely there.
The app supports API integration as well. From usage stats, still there are more people using the copy pasting flow instead of API flow.
I suspect it is because people are already have a subscription so they can basically use that for free, versus via API where they have to pay.
With that said, Cursor's $20/month unlimited usage is really too good to miss. I will wait for it to end soon.
Re: Ask HN: How much better are AI IDEs vs. copy pasting into chat apps?
#19I thought Cursor was pointless until trying out Google's latest coding GPT, which blows everything else out of the water. I may switch from VSCode to cursor for the next few months just because of that.
Re: Ask HN: How much better are AI IDEs vs. copy pasting into chat apps?
#20Cursor has a free trial. Give it a try. AI is kinda personal, lots of people benefit, lots of people dislike it for many valid reasons.
VS Code is very quickly catching up to Cursor as well (added tab-driven completions).
Also you don’t have to be right on the edge of things. You can be, or you can wait for the dust to settle. Claude Code / OpenAI Codex and the agent modes are probably the edge now.
Also if you’re still using a terminal (who isn’t), try Warp. It’s improved a ton over the last year, support more niche shells like Fish now. It’s actually a really “fluid” AI chat integration, because it smartly figures out when what you’re typing is not a command but a prompt. (It’s probably also on the edge, I haven’t figured out how to tell it “you’re wrong” when it asks for a permission for example, I have to “cancel” the chat).