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The Best AI Tools for Developers in 2025

September 1, 2024·1 min read

AIToolsDevelopment

The number of AI dev tools launching every week is overwhelming. Most of them aren't worth your time. Here are the ones I actually use and would recommend to another developer.

Code Editors & Assistants

Cursor

This is my primary editor now. The AI integration doesn't feel bolted on like it does in other editors. Being able to chat with your entire codebase (not just the open file) is incredibly useful on large projects.

GitHub Copilot

Still the best for inline code suggestions. It works best when you write clear function names and comments, which honestly makes your code better regardless.

AI APIs & Platforms

Anthropic Claude

This is where I go for anything that requires real thinking. Code review, architecture discussions, debugging complex issues. Claude picks up on nuance that other models miss.

OpenAI GPT-4

Great for general-purpose tasks, content generation, and quick prototyping. The API ecosystem is mature and there are integrations for basically everything.

Development Workflow

V0 by Vercel

Generates UI components from text descriptions. I use this mostly for rapid prototyping and exploring design directions before building properly.

Perplexity

My replacement for Stack Overflow, honestly. When I need to understand a new library or debug some obscure issue, Perplexity gets me to the answer faster than digging through docs.

One Piece of Advice

Don't try to adopt all of these at once. Pick the one that solves your biggest daily friction, get comfortable with it, then add another. I started with Copilot, then added Claude, then moved to Cursor. Each one built on the last.

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