Which popular AIs have Desktop Apps or Separate Apps and VS Code extensions/CLI?
#gen-ai
Answer
AI Tools with Desktop Apps, VS Code Extensions, and CLIs
The AI tooling ecosystem has exploded. Here's a comprehensive overview of which AI tools offer what type of integration.
Desktop Apps
| Tool | Platform | Model | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude.ai Desktop | Mac, Windows | Claude | Full Mac integration, Computer Use |
| ChatGPT Desktop | Mac, Windows | GPT-4o | Voice mode, file sharing |
| Gemini | Web (no desktop app) | Gemini | Browser-based only |
| Perplexity | iOS, Android, Mac | Multiple | Research-focused |
| Notion AI | Desktop app | GPT-4/Claude | Embedded in Notion |
| Cursor | Mac, Windows, Linux | Claude/GPT-4 | AI-first IDE (not just assistant) |
VS Code Extensions
| Extension | Models | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | GPT-4o | Autocomplete + chat |
| Continue | Any (local or cloud) | Open-source, multiple models |
| Claude for VS Code | Claude | Official Anthropic extension |
| Codeium | Codeium models | Free autocomplete |
| Cursor | Claude/GPT-4 | Full IDE fork of VS Code |
| Tabnine | Tabnine | Privacy-focused autocomplete |
| Gemini Code Assist | Gemini | Google's VS Code extension |
CLI Tools
| CLI | Provider | Key Capability |
|---|---|---|
| claude (Claude Code) | Anthropic | Agentic coding, file I/O |
| gemini (Gemini CLI) | Long context, Google integration | |
| aider | Open source | Git-integrated AI coding |
| copilot | GitHub | VS Code + terminal copilot |
| ollama | Ollama | Run local models via CLI |
| llm | Simon Willison | Universal LLM CLI |
AI-First IDEs
| IDE | Base | Specialization |
|---|---|---|
| Cursor | VS Code fork | AI-first, Claude 3.5 default |
| Windsurf | VS Code fork | "Flow" AI collaboration |
| Zed | Native Rust | Fast editor with AI |
| Replit | Browser | Collaborative AI coding |
Installation Examples
bash# Claude Code CLI npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code claude # Start interactive session # Gemini CLI npm install -g @google/gemini-cli gemini # Start interactive session # Aider (git-integrated AI coding) pip install aider-chat aider --model claude-opus-4-6 src/main.py # Ollama (local models) brew install ollama ollama pull llama3.1 ollama run llama3.1
Feature Matrix
| Tool | Code | Chat | Files | Terminal | Autonomous |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Claude Code | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cursor | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| ChatGPT Desktop | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Aider | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Partial |