
Alternatives · 2026
Best How2 Alternatives in 2026
24 alternatives · 19 with a free plan · Updated
What are the best How2 alternatives?
The best How2 alternatives for AI Code Assistant in 2026 are Codebuff (AI code assistant, free), PureCode AI (AI code assistant for UI development, freemium) and Cosine AI (AI software development platform whose autonomous engineer finds context, free). 19 of the 24 listed alternatives have a free or freemium plan.
Looking for something other than How2? Below are 24 alternatives in AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator and AI Copilot, all closely matched, ranked by how much they overlap with How2. How2 itself is free. Each entry shows what the tool does, what it shares with How2, its key features and pricing.
What is How2?
Command suggestions pulled from both an AI model and StackOverflow are the core of How2, a terminal assistant that helps you find the right shell command without leaving the command line. You describe what you want to do, and How2 suggests a command for it.
- Pricing
- Free
Key features of How2
- Provides AI-driven command suggestions
- Supports multiple platforms (MacOSX
- Linux
- Windows)
- Offers a free tier with limited queries
How2 alternatives compared
| Tool | Pricing | Shared with How2 | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| How2 | Free | — | Original |
| Codebuff | Free | AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools | Strong match |
| PureCode AI | Freemium | AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools | Strong match |
| Cosine AI | Free | AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools | Strong match |
| GitHub Copilot | Enterprise | AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools | Strong match |
| Kodezi | Free | AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools | Strong match |
Top 24 alternatives to How2
- #1

AI code assistant that edits codebases and runs terminal commands from natural language instructions for developers.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- It indexes the entire codebase
Pricing: free, same as How2
- #2

AI code assistant for UI development that reads your codebase to suggest code, plan tasks, and generate interface designs.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- Normal and Agent workflow
- Advanced embedding for Human like codebase understanding
- Advanced task planning agent
Pricing: freemium (free plan + paid upgrades); How2 is free
- #3C
Cosine AI is an AI software development platform whose autonomous engineer finds context, edits code, runs tests, and commits changes.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- AI developer platform automating software development workflows with an autonomous AI…
Pricing: free, same as How2
- #4G
GitHub Copilot is an AI code assistant that gives real-time code suggestions inside your editor to help developers write code faster.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- Increased developer productivity
- Improved code quality and security
- Faster onboarding to new codebases
Pricing: enterprise (custom pricing), while How2 is free
- #5

Kodezi is an AI code assistant that finds and fixes bugs and helps developers write cleaner code faster.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- Boosts coding productivity
- Reduces debugging time
- Improves code quality
Pricing: free, same as How2
- #6

Code Genius is an AI code assistant that analyzes code, suggests improvements, writes unit tests, and generates documentation.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- Saves development time
- Enhances code quality
- Automates repetitive tasks
Pricing: free, same as How2
- #7

Cursor is an AI code editor for developers who want AI help with writing code inside a familiar coding environment.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- Significant productivity gains
- Seamless integration of AI into the coding workflow
- Familiar coding environment
Pricing: free, same as How2
- #8

SoftSpell is an AI development tool that generates CRUD APIs, API test scripts, and infrastructure as code from a project design.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- AI tool automating the entire SDLC from design to deployment
Pricing: enterprise (custom pricing), while How2 is free
- #9

CodeGPT is an AI agent platform for software development teams that automates PR reviews and developer onboarding, with an AI code assistant.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- It leverages deep codebase understanding to empower individuals and enterprises
Pricing: enterprise (custom pricing), while How2 is free
- #10

Cursor is an AI code editor, built on VSCode, that helps developers write, complete, and debug code with a pair-programming assistant.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- It offers both local and cloud-based options
Pricing: free, same as How2
- #11

Code Fundi is an AI coding assistant that helps developers debug, generate, and explain code, and chat with a repository.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- AI coding assistant for faster
Pricing: free, same as How2
- #12

AI coding assistant that gives GPT-4 access to a real development workstation for coding and DevOps tasks.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- AI co-programmer with GPT-4 access to a dev workstation for coding and DevOps tasks
Pricing: free, same as How2
- #13

RoboCoder is a VS Code AI coding assistant that uses GPT-4o to plan changes and edit your project files inside the editor.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- VS Code extension integrating GPT-4o for AI-assisted coding and file editing
Pricing: free, same as How2
- #14

CodeStory is a VSCode-based AI coding editor that scans codebases, finds bug root causes, fixes them, and generates tests for developers.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- It's part of a new paradigm for programming
Pricing: free, same as How2
- #15

AutoCodeWizard is an AI coding assistant that helps you write, optimize, and understand code in several programming languages.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- AI coding assistant for writing
Pricing: enterprise (custom pricing), while How2 is free
- #16

CodeAI is an AI code generator and coding assistant that writes, optimizes, and documents code, with GitHub and VSCode integration.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- Privacy & Security: Enterprise-level encryption and compliance features
Pricing: freemium (free plan + paid upgrades); How2 is free
- #17C
CodeCopilot AI is a free AI code generator that runs inside your web browser, so your code stays on your device.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- It provides intuitive tools
Pricing: free, same as How2
- #18

AI coding assistant for enterprise teams that generates code, writes unit tests, and can be self-hosted and fine-tuned.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- Customization is available with fine-tuning and retrieval augmented generation (RAG)
Pricing: enterprise (custom pricing), while How2 is free
- #19

AI bug fixing tool for developers that analyzes errors, finds root causes, and generates pull requests to resolve them.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- AI assistant for automated bug fixing and error resolution
Pricing: free, same as How2
- #20

Open source AI pair programmer that helps edit code, suggests changes, and works with Git repositories across multiple programming languages.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- Seamless collaboration with LLMs
- Supports multiple programming languages
- Integrates with Git for version control
Pricing: free, same as How2
- #21

JIT.codes is an AI code generator where you describe what you want to build in chat, plus a community for sharing the code.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- JIT also functions as a community where developers share AI-generated code
Pricing: free, same as How2
- #22

Open-source AI code assistant for VS Code that adds customizable chat and autocomplete using any model.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- It's a VS Code extension that brings the power of ChatGPT to your IDE
Pricing: free, same as How2
- #23

Paird.ai is an AI code generator and real-time collaboration tool where developers write, review, and share code together with voice, video, and chat.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
Pricing: freemium (free plan + paid upgrades); How2 is free
- #24

Eval is an AI coding assistant that helps developers write unit tests and documentation in any IDE and programming language.
In common with How2: AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator, AI Copilot, AI Developer Tools
- Works with any IDE and programming language
- Provides AI-powered coding assistance
- Helps write unit tests and documentation
Pricing: free, same as How2
How we picked these How2 alternatives
We rank tools by how closely they match How2: tools that share more of its categories rank first, then tools whose main category, tags and description overlap with it, then community votes and views. Pricing type and features come from each product's SoftwareVital listing. Admins can pin or remove tools from this list.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best alternatives to How2 in 2026?
The closest alternatives to How2 are Codebuff, PureCode AI, Cosine AI, GitHub Copilot and Kodezi. They are ranked by how many categories and tags they share with How2 and how similar their descriptions are, then by community votes and views on SoftwareVital.
What is the closest alternative to How2?
Codebuff is the closest match because it shares AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator and AI Copilot with How2. It is free.
Are there free alternatives to How2?
Yes. 19 of the 24 alternatives have a free or freemium plan, including Codebuff (free), PureCode AI (freemium), Cosine AI (free), Kodezi (free) and Code Genius (free). How2 is free.
Which How2 alternatives are paid or enterprise tools?
GitHub Copilot (enterprise), SoftSpell (enterprise), CodeGPT (enterprise), AutoCodeWizard (enterprise) and CodeComplete (enterprise) use paid or enterprise pricing, which usually means more support and admin options for teams.
How does How2 compare to Codebuff?
Codebuff overlaps with How2 in AI Code Assistant, AI Code Generator and AI Copilot. Its listed features include it indexes the entire codebase. Pricing: free, same as How2. Open the side-by-side compare page for a full breakdown.
What category is How2 in?
How2 is listed under AI Code Assistant on SoftwareVital. Browse that category to see more tools in the same group.