Artificial Intelligence (AI) is redefining software development by helping developers write better, more efficient code with less effort.
Whether you’re a seasoned .NET developer or just exploring the ecosystem, using AI tools can significantly accelerate your coding experience.
In this blog post, I will show you 4 AI-powered solutions that stand out in 2025 for .NET devs.
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1. ChatGPT
ChatGPT is a conversational AI model by OpenAI, widely used for Q&A, debugging, brainstorming, and code generation.
This is my main and favourite AI assistant.
It has the following AI model versions:
- GPT-4 – considered as an old model
- GPT-4o – new main model, suitable for most of the tasks
- GPT-4o mini – lightweight 4o version, which is faster
- o1 – the most deeply thinking model with thorough reasoning
- o1-mini – lightweight o1 model, which is faster
ChatGPT is available through both free and paid plans, it has become a go-to for developers seeking quick answers or code snippets.
I personally use paid Pro plan and ChatGPT helps me a lot in being more productive on a daily basis.
Key Features:
- Dialogue-Based Interaction: Ask questions about .NET libraries, frameworks, or even architecture decisions.
- Refactoring & Optimization: Paste your code into ChatGPT and request improvements or alternative solutions.
- Educational Resource: ChatGPT can act as instructor, offering step-by-step explanations for complex concepts in .NET, data structures, or advanced design patterns.
Example Use Case:
- Writing code: tired of writing boilerplate code? Write a prompt, show existing code examples and ask ChatGPT to write the code for you
- Writing tests: ChatGPT can easily write unit, integration and E2E tests for the code samples you provide
- Writing docs: ChatGPT can easily write a documentation explaining the features of your application, explaining your API or even code summary
- Debugging: If you have a confusing exception in your application, you can paste the relevant code snippet into ChatGPT and ask for possible causes or solutions.
- Architectural Brainstorming: For instance, ask how to structure a new Web API project with multiple layers, and ChatGPT can outline a solution with sample code.
ChatGPT is like having a 24/7 consultant on hand for writing code, code reviews, debugging, architecture suggestions, or general knowledge questions.
My advice on using ChatGPT:
- In your prompts provide as much information as possible, give all the necessary code examples for better results
- When you ask ChatGPT to write the code for you – provide the best practice example for it to follow. For example, you want to generate API endpoints for your Entity. Show ChatGPT your existing code example following best practices on writing these endpoints, and the AI will generate code that is not worse than in your example.
- For coding, turn on “Kanva” mode in GPT-4o, so ChatGPT can write and edit code like in the code editor
Pros:
- Powerful Q&A: It’s like having a 24/7 consultant for .NET, architecture, debugging, etc.
- Generative Explanations: Provides detailed breakdowns, alternative approaches, or step-by-step instructions.
- Versatile: Can be used not only for coding but for any specialities and life scenarios.
- Free & Paid Versions: You can choose the free model or upgrade for larger context windows and faster response times.
Cons:
- Copy-Paste for Context Sharing: Pasting code into ChatGPT and further pasting results into your IDE back and forward takes some time.
- Not IDE-Integrated: Typically used through a separate web interface or custom plug-ins, doesn’t offer a seamless in-IDE integration.
- Model Knowledge Limited in Time: Depending on the version, it might not have real-time updates on the latest .NET announcements (though it is regularly updated and some ChatGPT AI versions can search on the global web).
2. GitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot is an AI pair programmer built on OpenAI technology.
It integrates directly into your IDE — whether that’s Visual Studio, VS Code, or JetBrains Rider.
GitHub Copilot provides suggestions or entire snippets of code directly in your IDE as you write the code — based on your current context.
It has the following AI model versions:
- GPT-4o, GPT 01
- Claude 3.5 Sonnet
Key Features
- Context Awareness: Offers suggestions tailored to your code, code style, and naming conventions.
- Autocompletion: Can complete large chunks of repetitive boilerplate or even entire functions, saving time.
- Wide Language Support: Although extremely popular for C#, Copilot also helps with other languages and even frontend solutions.
Example Use Case:
- Writing code: start writing code and Copilot will suggestion the next line or even the whole code snippets. For example, you create a Products Controller, Copilot will automatically suggest what methods your controllers can have and provide the full code implementation
- Writing tests: GitHub Copilot can help in quicker test generation
- Algorithm Suggestions: While solving specific problems, Copilot analyzes the project’s context and suggests the most optimized solution. You can write a comment on what you need to implement, and GitHub Copilot will generate the needed code
Pros:
- Time Savings: Excellent at parsing your existing code context and suggesting relevant completions, eliminating repetitive boilerplate code without manually typing everything.
- IDE Integration: Integrates seamlessly into Visual Studio, VS Code, and JetBrains Rider for inline code suggestions.
- Constant Updates: Backed by GitHub and OpenAI, it’s consistently updated with the latest model improvements.
- Multi-Language Support: Helps across your entire stack (front-end, backend, scripts, etc.).
Since December 2024, GitHub Copilot has a free version with 2,000 code suggestions and 50 Copilot Chat messages per month
Cons:
- Paid Subscription: a free version may have a low limits for everyday usage.
- Occasional Irrelevant Suggestions: Copilot can sometimes provide code that’s off-topic or duplicates logic you already have.
- Limited IDE integration: Copilot is context-aware but it is more limited when compared to Jetbrains AI and Cursor.
3. JetBrains AI
In 2024, Jetbrains Released their AI assistant that is deeply integration into their Jetbrains Rider IDE and Resharper.
Jetbrains AI is context-aware as GitHub Copilot but in a much better way as it has access to the entire your solution, or files you allow it to have access to.
After testing both Jetbrains AI and GitHub Copilot I can say that Jetbrains AI is more context-aware and provides better inline code completions, though they are a bit slower.
On the screenshots you can see that Jetbrains AI has better suggestions, taking into account projections I use in the current file:
Jetbrains AI supports many technologies, including .NET and frontend.
It has the following AI model versions:
- GPT-4o, GPT-4, and GPT-3.5 models
- Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro and 1.5 Flash
Key Features
- Deep IDE Integration: Jetbrains AI can navigate solution files, .csproj details, and references more intelligently than other tools.
- Project-Aware: It recognizes your naming schemes, design patterns, and style preferences to suggest context-relevant changes.
- AI-Based Refactoring: Rider already excels at refactoring—now combined with AI, it can suggest bigger, project-wide refactors with minimal manual input.
- Quick Actions with AI: Rider has a lot of quick actions and fixes for your code, and AI brings it to the whole new level. You can ask AI to fix the compilation error, add code summary, write tests, refactor the code and many others.
- Full Inline Code Completions: works much more like in GitHub Copilot suggesting the next lines of code you need to write.
Example Use Case:
- Writing code: start writing code and Jetbrains AI will suggestion the next line or even whole code snippets. For example, you create a CreateProduct method in your Controller, AI will automatically suggest the implementation based on code you have (if you need to use a service, repository or even EF Core directly)
- Writing code summary: Jetbrains AI can generate code summary for your code
- Writing tests: Jetbrains AI can generate tests for any code in your solution, keeping in mind the context
- Code explanation, debugging and refactoring: need an explanation of existing code or help with debugging or refactoring – Jetbrains AI can handle this
- Powerful Q&A: you can have a Chat with Jetbrains AI much like with ChatGPT.
Pros:
- Deep .NET Integration: integrated into Rider, AI can leverage solution-wide insights.
- Advanced Refactoring: JetBrains tools are known for sophisticated refactorings; adding AI can supercharge that.
- Generating docs and tests: JetBrains AI can easily generate them for you.
- Code explanation: has the best capabilities of explaining code as it has access to the entire solution (or limited its part if you need to)
Cons:
- Paid License: JetbrainsAI is a paid instrument and is not included in the Jetbrains or dotUltimate license.
- Slow inline code completions: JetBrains AI is slower than GitHub Copilot in suggested inline code completions.
4. Cursor
Cursor is an “AI-first code editor: that’s been gaining popularity the last few month since its release.
It tightly integrates AI into the editor’s core, providing suggestions, chat-based code assistance, and refactoring.
Cursor is a fork of VS Code and has the similar interface and capabilities.
Cursor supports many technologies, including .NET and frontend.
It has the following AI model versions:
- GPT-4o
- GPT-4
- Claude 3.5 Sonnet
- cursor-small – is Cursor’s custom model that isn’t as smart as GPT-4, but is faster and users have unlimited access to it.
Key Features:
- Deep IDE Integration: Cursor can navigate solution files, .csproj details, and references more intelligently than other tools. Cursor has the best capabilities of changing the code directly in your files in the IDE, without extra clicks and code selections.
- Chat Interface: You can directly chat with Cursor about your codebase as you develop.
- Refactor on the Fly: Similar to GitHub Copilot or Jetbrains AI, but baked directly into the editor interface with an emphasis on conversational AI.
- Full Inline Code Completions: works much more like in Jetbrains AI and GitHub Copilot suggesting the next lines of code you need to write.
- Rapid Updates: Cursor is relatively new and constantly adding features, so expect dynamic improvements.
Example Use Case:
- Writing code: Type a prompt like, “Refactor this class following Single Responsibility Principle” or “Create a React component that renders blog posts received from the server” and let Cursor auto-generate the code.
- On-the-fly Q&A: Type a question – get the answer.
Pros:
- AI-First Code Editor: Designed from the ground up for AI, which can feel more intuitive than adding AI on top of an existing editor.
- Chat-Based Approach: Offers an integrated chat to discuss or refactor code in place.
- Inline Code Completions: Cursor suggests the next lines of code you need to write.
- Multi-Language: Works with various languages, including C#, so it can assist with both .NET and help with front-end code.
Cons:
- Early Stage: As a newer product, it may have less polish, fewer plugins, or missing enterprise-grade features.
- Missing Debugging Experience: Cursor doesn’t support debugging out of the box
- Paid Subscription: Offers free usage with limited features; advanced capabilities require a subscription.
- It is a separate IDE than VS Code, so it may not support all the plugins you use on your daily basis
Comparison of AI Tools
Let’s compare all 4 mentioned AI tools in different nominations.
- Best AI models: ChatGPT (o1).
- Best Q&A chat sessions: ChatGPT.
- Best inline code completion: GitHub Copilot
- Best AI refactorings: Jetbrains AI
- Best IDE Integration and context awareness: Cursor and Jetbrains AI.
Summary
Using AI will be essential in the toolkit of any developer in 2025 if you want to be more productive.
Remember AI instruments are just a helper tools that make you more productive when writing code, tests, generating docs, problem-solving, but it won’t replace official docs or best practices.
On my website: antondevtips.com I share .NET and Architecture best practices.
Subscribe to become a better developer.
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