Can I run an AI coding assistant fully locally / offline?

Yes. A self-hosted completion server like Tabby plus a local model runtime (Ollama) keeps code on the machine, or the open-source Continue extension pointed at a local model. Both run without sending anything to a vendor cloud. Exact offline behavior depends on how you wire the model — we have not benchmarked it ourselves.

Which coding assistants keep my code private (no training on it)?

Self-hosted Tabby, Continue (local models), Tabnine self-hosted / zero-retention enterprise plans, and Cody enterprise self-host options are designed so code does not leave your environment. Cloud-only tools (Cursor, GitHub Copilot) send code to the vendor by default — privacy there depends on plan and opt-out settings, which vary.

Is GitHub Copilot or Cursor private?

Both are cloud-based: your prompts and code context go to the vendor. Copilot offers enterprise policy controls and an opt-out from training on some plans; the exact posture changes by plan and we have not verified it per-account. Treat them as not-private unless you have explicitly configured enterprise data controls.

Do local models match cloud coding assistants in quality?

Unverified. Smaller local models are generally weaker than large cloud models on large, multi-file repos, but the gap depends entirely on which model you run. We cite no benchmark here — test on your own codebase before relying on a local setup for production work.

private / local AI coding setup

A task + requirement decision guide — not another "best AI coding tool" list. Choose based on how much of your code you can keep off the cloud.

Task: get AI coding help without sending your source code to a vendor cloud.

privacyself-hostlocal modelIDEenterpriseBYOK

1 · Privacy modelCloud vendor vs self-hosted vs fully local/offline

2 · IDEVS Code / JetBrains / NeoVim / their own editor

3 · Model controlVendor model vs bring-your-own-key vs local model

4 · Self-hostableCan it run inside your network at all?

5 · Team / enterpriseSolo dev vs compliance / zero-retention needs

6 · BudgetFree/OSS vs paid plan

Decision matrix (observed capabilities)

Cells reflect public claims / SERP observation (2026-10). yes = supported, no = not supported, unverified = claim exists but we have not tested.

Tool	Self-host / local	IDE support	Model control	Keeps code private	Cost	Evidence note
Tabby	yes (self-host)	VS Code, JetBrains, others	local model (Ollama etc.)	yes	free / OSS	Open-source completion server; runs locally, code never leaves machine
Continue	yes (local)	VS Code, JetBrains	BYOK / local model	yes	free / OSS	Open-source extension; connects to Ollama / LM Studio locally
Cody (Sourcegraph)	enterprise self-host	VS Code, JetBrains, NeoVim	vendor + your embeddings	enterprise option	free tier + paid	Code indexing; self-host offered for enterprise
Tabnine	self-hosted / enterprise	many IDEs	vendor models, private deploy	zero-retention enterprise	free + paid	Enterprise self-host / zero-retention options claimed
JetBrains AI Assistant	cloud default; local completions free + Ollama	JetBrains IDEs	vendor + local endpoints	partial (cloud by default)	free local tier + sub	Free tier offers unlimited local completions; Ollama offline use
Ollama	local runtime	any (via extension)	local model	yes	free / OSS	Local model runtime behind most private setups (not a full assistant)
Cursor / GitHub Copilot	no (cloud)	their own editors	vendor	no (cloud)	paid	Contrast: code sent to vendor; privacy depends on plan/opt-out

Verdict — pick by your requirement

Code must never leave the machine (fully offline): use Tabby + Ollama, or Continue connected to a local model. Both keep your source code local.
Enterprise compliance / zero-retention: choose Tabnine self-hosted or Cody enterprise self-host — confirm the data-residency terms for your plan.
Already living in JetBrains IDEs: use JetBrains AI Assistant with local completions / an Ollama endpoint to avoid cloud uploads for completions.
Open, extensible ecosystem: go with the Continue extension + Ollama — you decide the model and the IDE setup.
Privacy is not a hard requirement: Cursor / GitHub Copilot are quicker to get started with but run in the cloud — use them only if you're comfortable sending code to the vendor.

Evidence (SERP-observed, 2026-10)

aimadetools.com/blog/best-ai-coding-agents-privacy-2026/ — "Coding Agents for Privacy" (2026-04), a roundup of self-hosted / local options.
privateaireviews.com/articles/best-private-ai-coding-assistants-2026 — compares seven private assistants and how they handle your data (2026-05).
jsjson.com/blog/blog-self-hosted-ai-coding-assistant-guide — a practical guide to Tabby + Continue + Cody with Ollama (2026-06).
aitrendtool.com/best/best-self-hosted-ai-coding-assistants — ranks Tabby, Pieces, JetBrains AI, Factory AI, Tabnine (2026-07).
baeseokjae.github.io/posts/local-ai-coding-privacy-guide-2026/ — a fully private VS Code setup in ~15 min, with no cloud account (2026-05).

Honesty notes

No tool quality/accuracy percentage on this page comes from our own measurement. Any claim shown here is a third-party statement explicitly marked unverified.
"Best / recommended" here means our editorial match to a stated requirement, not a claim that any external AI system will rank or cite this page.
Monthly-search / difficulty / competition figures are not included — they require our internal research index data. Replace "estimated" with those numbers when available.

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