PearAI is an Electron-based, VS Code fork that feels like a familiar editor with built-in, context-aware AI capabilities rather than a plugin layered on top. Interaction model is editor-first: an in-editor AI chat pane, inline edit suggestions, and file-level @ references that let developers call AI assistance from the same buffers and panels they already use. The primary developer value is context-aware augmentation of editing and debugging workflows—fast access to code-aware suggestions, automatic routing to the best model, and embedded automation for routine fixes—while preserving a native IDE experience and cross-platform compatibility (Mac, Windows, Linux).
Intelligence & Context Management
PearAI maintains a persistent, searchable code index tied to the project workspace: files and folders are referenceable with @ mentions and the editor supplies targeted fragments of the index to AI requests. The index is built automatically and used to supply contextual slices of code to models when a developer invokes chat, inline editing, or automation tasks.
Long-context reasoning is handled by two coordinated mechanisms. First, the system selectively retrieves and supplies relevant file fragments from the code index rather than sending the entire codebase. Second, PearAI Router orchestrates model selection at request time, routing queries to higher-performing or higher-context endpoints (including the PearAI Model and external models) so larger-context reasoning and specialized models are used where appropriate. PearAI Agent (automation/repair) and future PearAI Creator are integrated as execution consumers of that retrieval+model-routing pipeline to run multi-step, codebase-wide tasks.
PearAI exposes these capabilities from inside the VS Code fork, enabling the AI to operate with direct access to editor state, open buffers, and the workspace index—advantages that a plugin architecture cannot match in terms of low-latency access to internal APIs for rendering, file operations, and terminal linkage.
Key Workflow Tools
- Integrated AI chat pane: contextual chat that references the active file and workspace; chat entries can insert edits or generate diffs directly into buffers.
- Inline AI editing: edit suggestions appear in-place and can be committed or previewed as diffs without context switching to an external UI.
- Slash commands and file/folder @ mentions: quick command surface inside the editor for invoking actions scoped to files, folders, or symbols using explicit references.
- Terminal integration for debugging: the terminal is an execution surface for AI-driven debugging workflows and can be used by automation agents to run reproduce-and-fix cycles.
- PearAI Creator (coming soon): scheduled as a UI-driven generator for higher-level project scaffolding and templates; accessible from the editor UI.
- Automation agent UI: PearAI Agent (powered by Roo Code / Cline) is exposed via the IDE for running automatic coding and bug-fix tasks, with job status and logs surfaced inside the editor.
Model Ecosystem & Security
- Supported LLMs: GPT-4, GPT-4o, Anthropic Claude (including Claude 3 Opus), Meta Llama 3.1 405b, and PearAI Model (selected automatically by PearAI Router). PearAI Router evaluates models and routes requests to the highest-performing endpoint for the task (PearAI Model reported at 94.10 in PearAI’s selection metric).
- Model routing: PearAI Router is the runtime component that selects the best model per request, enabling workload-specific routing (e.g., larger-context or specialized models for multi-file reasoning).
- Privacy & compliance: Zero data retention policy (implemented with Anthropic for the relevant models) and SOC 2 compliance available on Enterprise plans. The core product is free and open source; premium tiers and Enterprise options add audited deployments and controls.
- Deployment & platform: Electron-based standalone IDE with cross-platform support (Mac, Windows, Linux). Enterprise customers receive compliance and encryption options under custom agreements.
- Pricing signals: public tiers begin at approximately $15/month (Maker/Pro), with a Lightspeed tier up to $200/month and Enterprise at custom pricing.
The Verdict
PearAI is a native VS Code fork designed to embed AI deeply into the editor with direct access to editor internals, a workspace-aware index, and model routing. Compared with a standard “IDE + plugin” arrangement, PearAI’s native integration provides lower-latency access to open buffers and workspace metadata, richer UI hooks for inline edits and terminal-driven automation, and centralized model-routing that optimizes per-request selection. For teams that need tight editor-AI coupling, workspace-scoped automation, and managed privacy/compliance, PearAI is technically preferable to a plugin-based approach; teams that require minimal change to an existing IDE ecosystem or that have bespoke integrations tied to upstream VS Code releases may still favor an IDE-plus-plugin path to minimize forking and maintenance cost.