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swap_horiz StarCoder Alternatives

Looking for alternatives to StarCoder? Compare the top Continue AI Extension options ranked by our AI scoring system.

You're looking at alternatives to:
StarCoder

StarCoder

StarCoder is an open-weights language model created by BigCode. It’s notable for its performance in code generation and completion tasks. Built upon the LLaMA architecture and trained on a vast collection of public code data, it's valuable for developers, programmers, and researchers working with so...

8.1 Great

apps Top StarCoder Alternatives

The top alternative to StarCoder in 2026 is Qwen3-Coder with a score of 9.2/10, followed by DeepSeek-Coder-V2 (8.9) and Codestral (8.6).

1
Qwen3-Coder

Qwen3-Coder

Qwen3-Coder is an open-weights large language model created by Alibaba Group. It’s notable for its performance in code g...

Agentic Qwen Model Open Weights
9.2 Excellent
2
DeepSeek-Coder-V2

DeepSeek-Coder-V2

DeepSeek-Coder-V2 is an open-weights language model designed for advanced code generation. Developed by Continue.AI, it...

Model Deepseek Moe Open Weights
8.9 Great
3
Codestral

Codestral

Codestral is a Visual Studio Code extension offering intelligent code completion powered by Mistral AI’s code-model. It...

Completion Mistral Current Code Model
8.6 Great
4
Qwen2.5-Coder-32B-Instruct

Qwen2.5-Coder-32B-Instruct

Qwen2.5-Coder-32B-Instruct is an open-weights large language model developed by Continue AI. It’s notable for its perfor...

Qwen Instruct LLM Open Weights
8.6 Great
5
CodeLlama

CodeLlama

CodeLlama remains a highly specialized and reliable choice, as it was explicitly fine-tuned on massive datasets of code....

Professional Fine Tuned Code Generation AI Coding Assistant
8.5 Great
6
Roo Code

Roo Code

Roo Code is an open source VSCode extension utilizing AI to analyze past code versions. It’s notable for assisting devel...

AI Open Source Vscode Agent
8.5 Great
7
DeepSeek-Coder

DeepSeek-Coder

DeepSeek-Coder is an open-code large language model created by DeepSeek AI. It excels at generating and interpreting cod...

Completion Model Deepseek LLM
8.5 Great
8
Copilot Workspace

Copilot Workspace

Copilot Workspace is an extension for Microsoft 365 apps leveraging continuous AI to assist users with various tasks. It...

Github Workspace Planning Agent
8.4 Great
9
AlphaCode

AlphaCode

AlphaCode is a DeepMind project employing advanced AI models to solve complex programming problems. It analyzes code gen...

Research Contest Past Code Model
8.4 Great
10
AWS CodeWhisperer

AWS CodeWhisperer

AWS CodeWhisperer is an artificial intelligence extension for integrated development environments. It provides real-time...

Security Legacy IDE Completion
8.4 Great
11
Phind-CodeLlama

Phind-CodeLlama

Phind-CodeLlama is an open-source large language model designed for code generation. It utilizes the LLaMA family archit...

Model Past Code LLM Phind
8.3 Great
12
WizardCoder

WizardCoder

WizardCoder is an open source AI extension developed by Continue.AI. It leverages past code models like WizardLM and inc...

Open Source Past Code Model Wizardlm
8.2 Great
13
OctoCoder

OctoCoder

OctoCoder is an open-source AI coding assistant extension designed to streamline software development. Built upon the Bi...

Coding Assistant Model Opensource
8.2 Great
14
StarCoder2-15B

StarCoder2-15B

StarCoder2-15B is an open-weights large language model designed for code completion and generation. It utilizes a substa...

Completion LLM Open Weights Bigcode
8.2 Great
15
Devstral

Devstral

Devstral is an open-source extension for the ContinueAI platform that facilitates rapid experimentation with diverse lan...

Agentic Mistral Open Weights Current
7.7 Good
16
CodeT5

CodeT5

CodeT5 is a T5 family model fine-tuned on a massive dataset of code and natural language, enabling it to perform tasks l...

Research Salesforce Past Code Model
7.7 Good
17
CodeGemma 7B

CodeGemma 7B

CodeGemma 7B is a family of open-source large language models developed by Google DeepMind's Gemma team, specifically de...

Google Completion Gemma Open Weights
7.4 Good
18
SantaCoder

SantaCoder

SantaCoder is an open-source extension for the Continue AI platform that utilizes a fine-tuned Code Llama model specific...

Open Source Completion Past Bigcode
7.2 Good
19
Stable Code

Stable Code

Stable Code is a Chrome extension developed by Continue AI that automatically generates code completions and snippets wi...

Stability AI Small Model Open Weights Past
6.3 Fair
20
Magicoder

Magicoder

Magicoder is an extension for the Substrate blockchain framework, enabling developers to create and deploy smart contrac...

Open Source Research Instruct Past
5.9 Mediocre

summarize Quick Comparison Summary

Alternative Score vs StarCoder Action
Qwen3-Coder
Qwen3-Coder
Continue AI Extension Agentic Qwen Model
9.2 Excellent +1.1 Compare
DeepSeek-Coder-V2
DeepSeek-Coder-V2
Continue AI Extension Model Deepseek Moe
8.9 Great +0.8 Compare
Codestral
Codestral
Continue AI Extension Completion Mistral Current
8.6 Great +0.5 Compare
Qwen2.5-Coder-32B-Instruct
Qwen2.5-Coder-32B-Instruct
Continue AI Extension Qwen Instruct LLM
8.6 Great +0.5 Compare
CodeLlama
CodeLlama
Continue AI Extension Professional Fine Tuned Code Generation
8.5 Great +0.4 Compare
Roo Code
Roo Code
Continue AI Extension AI Open Source Vscode
8.5 Great +0.4 Compare
DeepSeek-Coder
DeepSeek-Coder
Continue AI Extension Completion Model Deepseek
8.5 Great +0.4 Compare
Copilot Workspace
Copilot Workspace
Continue AI Extension Github Workspace Planning
8.4 Great +0.3 Compare
AlphaCode
AlphaCode
Continue AI Extension Research Contest Past
8.4 Great +0.3 Compare
AWS CodeWhisperer
AWS CodeWhisperer
Continue AI Extension Security Legacy IDE
8.4 Great +0.3 Compare

See all Continue AI Extension ranked by score

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help Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best alternatives to StarCoder?
The top alternatives to StarCoder in 2026 include Qwen3-Coder, DeepSeek-Coder-V2, Codestral, Qwen2.5-Coder-32B-Instruct, CodeLlama. Each offers unique features and is objectively scored on Lunoo to help you compare.
How does StarCoder compare to its competitors?
Our AI-powered comparison system analyzes features, pricing, user reviews, and expert opinions to provide objective scores. StarCoder scores 8.1/10. Click any alternative above to see a detailed side-by-side comparison.
Is StarCoder worth it in 2026?
StarCoder scores 8.1/10 on Lunoo, making it a highly-rated option in the Continue AI Extension category. However, alternatives like Qwen3-Coder may better suit specific needs.
What is the best free alternative to StarCoder?
Several alternatives to StarCoder offer free plans or free tiers. Check the alternatives listed above and visit their websites to compare pricing and free options.
Why should I switch from StarCoder?
Common reasons users look for StarCoder alternatives include pricing, specific feature gaps, better integration needs, or simply exploring newer options. Our objective scoring helps you compare without bias.
How many alternatives to StarCoder are there?
Lunoo currently lists 20 scored alternatives to StarCoder in the Continue AI Extension category, ranked by our AI-powered evaluation system.
Which StarCoder alternative has the highest rating?
Qwen3-Coder currently holds the highest rating among StarCoder alternatives with a score of 9.2/10.
Can I use Qwen3-Coder instead of StarCoder?
Qwen3-Coder is one of the top-rated alternatives to StarCoder. While they serve similar purposes in the Continue AI Extension space, each has distinct strengths. Use our comparison tool above for a detailed side-by-side analysis.
What is the cheapest alternative to StarCoder?
Pricing varies among StarCoder alternatives. We recommend checking each alternative's website for current pricing. Many options in the Continue AI Extension category offer free tiers or competitive pricing.
How are StarCoder alternatives ranked on Lunoo?
Lunoo uses an AI-powered scoring system that analyzes category fit, feature coverage, pricing signals, public reception, recency, and value to provide 0 to 10 scores. Rankings are updated continuously.
StarCoder vs Qwen3-Coder: which is better?
StarCoder scores 8.1/10 while Qwen3-Coder scores 9.2/10 on Lunoo. The best choice depends on your specific needs. Use our detailed comparison tool for a full breakdown.
StarCoder vs DeepSeek-Coder-V2: which is better?
StarCoder scores 8.1/10 while DeepSeek-Coder-V2 scores 8.9/10 on Lunoo. The best choice depends on your specific needs. Use our detailed comparison tool for a full breakdown.
StarCoder vs Codestral: which is better?
StarCoder scores 8.1/10 while Codestral scores 8.6/10 on Lunoo. The best choice depends on your specific needs. Use our detailed comparison tool for a full breakdown.

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