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The AI-first code editor

AI-first code editor built as a VS Code fork that deeply integrates LLMs into every part of the development workflow. Features Tab autocomplete with multi-line predictions, Cmd+K inline editing, AI chat with full codebase awareness, and Agent mode for autonomous multi-file edits with terminal execution. Supports GPT-4, Claude, and more with automatic context from project files and docs. Includes privacy mode for SOC 2 compliance. The leading AI-native IDE with 100K+ paying users.

About Cursor

Cursor is an AI-native code editor built on top of Visual Studio Code that reimagines the development workflow around artificial intelligence. Unlike traditional editors that bolt AI on as an extension, Cursor was rebuilt from the ground up to deeply integrate large language models into every aspect of coding. It solves the problem of context-switching between writing code and consulting AI assistants by embedding intelligent code generation, multi-file editing, and codebase-aware chat directly into the editor experience.

Cursor stands out with its full codebase context awareness, meaning it understands your entire project rather than just the current file, producing far more accurate and relevant suggestions than competing tools. Key features include Composer for multi-file agentic editing, Tab autocomplete with multi-line predictions, inline code generation from natural language comments, and the ability to run up to eight parallel agents using isolated git worktrees. Cursor supports frontier models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and xAI, and its proprietary coding model targets agentic workflows with sub-30-second response times. The Bugbot debugging assistant integrates with GitHub to automatically flag potential errors in code changes.

Cursor is designed for professional software engineers, full-stack developers, and teams who want to accelerate their coding velocity with AI assistance. It excels at large-scale refactoring, code generation from specifications, and rapid prototyping across complex codebases. With VS Code compatibility for extensions and settings, Cursor provides a seamless migration path for developers already in the VS Code ecosystem. Plans range from a free Hobby tier to Pro at $20/month and Business at $40/seat/month, making it accessible for individual developers and enterprise teams alike.

Pricing & Platform Specs

Pricing Summary

Cursor offers a free Hobby tier with core editor access, Composer, and Tab completions. Paid individual plans start with Cursor Pro at $20/month ($16/month billed annually) featuring a $20 third-party model allowance and unlimited Cursor models, followed by Pro+ at $60/month and Ultra at $200/month for high-volume developers. Team plans include Teams Standard at $40/user/month ($32/user/month billed annually) and Teams Premium at $120/user/month (5x usage). Enterprise tier provides custom pricing with SAML SSO and SCIM, and on-demand usage is available for pay-as-you-go model overage.

full pricing breakdown →

Supported Platforms

macOS, Windows, Linux

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The industry standard code editor

Microsoft's free, open-source code editor that has become the most widely used development environment in the world. Lightweight but powerful, with built-in Git, integrated terminal, IntelliSense, debugger, and tens of thousands of extensions. Recent updates add Agent mode for delegating coding tasks to AI, Model Context Protocol (MCP) support, and Next Edit Suggestions. Native GitHub Copilot, remote development via SSH/containers/WSL, and a browser version at vscode.dev.

Open SourceTelemetry

High-performance code editor built in Rust

High-performance code editor built entirely in Rust by the creators of Atom and Tree-sitter. GPU-accelerated rendering and a multicore architecture deliver 10x faster startup and 75% lower memory use than Electron editors like VS Code. Native real-time collaboration that works like Google Docs, deeply integrated AI with agentic editing (Claude and more), and Tree-sitter-powered syntax highlighting. Direct-to-display rendering on macOS. Available on macOS, Linux, and Windows.

Open Source

Agent-first development platform from Google with desktop app and CLI

Google Antigravity is Google's AI-powered agentic development platform, announced in November 2025 and expanded with Antigravity 2.0 at I/O 2026, that places autonomous AI agents at the center of software development. Distributed as both a VS Code-based desktop app and the new Antigravity CLI, it runs planning, implementation, and verification agents — backed by Gemini 3.1 Pro/Flash, Claude Sonnet/Opus 4.6, and GPT-OSS 120B — across editor, terminal, and browser.

freemiumTelemetry

Agentic coding platform by Alibaba Cloud

AI IDE with Quest Mode for semi-autonomous long-running development tasks. Features context engineering that automatically surfaces relevant code, documentation, and project knowledge. Supports Claude, GPT, and Gemini models, letting developers delegate complex multi-step coding workflows while maintaining oversight through structured task tracking and progress reports.

freemium

Multi-agent AI coding platform

Verdant (also known as Verdent) is an AI-native coding tool by Verdent AI that orchestrates multiple specialized AI agents working in parallel to handle software development workflows. One agent plans architecture, another writes code, a third reviews quality — functioning like a small AI development team. Founded by Zhijie Chen (ex-ByteDance algorithms lead), Verdant achieves 76.1% on SWE-bench Verified, among the top coding agents.

freemium

Spec-driven agentic IDE and CLI by AWS

Spec-driven agentic AI IDE from AWS, built on Code OSS (the VS Code foundation), that transforms ad-hoc prompting into a structured workflow by auto-generating requirements documents, design specs, and implementation plans before writing code. Kiro keeps AI-written code tied to explicit acceptance criteria defined up front.

freemium

Side-by-Side Comparisons

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Cursor
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Tabby logo
Tabby

Cursor vs Tabby — Hosted AI IDE or Self-Hosted Coding Assistant?

Cursor and Tabby both sit on the AI coding shelf, but they optimize for different operating models. Cursor is a commercial VS Code–fork IDE with Tab completions, Composer/agent multi-file work, codebase-aware chat, and a growing cloud-agent surface. Tabby is an open-source, self-hosted coding assistant: you run completion and chat on your own infrastructure for privacy-sensitive and air-gapped teams. Use Cursor when you want an integrated AI-first editor as the daily desk. Use Tabby when self-hosted privacy and Apache-2.0 control are the constraint. Existing aicoolies Scores: Cursor overall 91, speed 94, privacy 62, developer experience 93 (Score date 2026-03-27); Tabby overall 85, speed 80, privacy 94, developer experience 82 (Score date 2026-07-28). Choose on operating-model fit first; the scoreboard is secondary review evidence with those dates.

CursorTabby
Factory Droid logo
Factory Droid
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Cursor

Factory Droid vs Cursor: Autonomous Headless SWE Agent vs AI-Native Interactive IDE

The evolution of AI software engineering has bifurcated into interactive pair-programming environments and autonomous background agents. Cursor and Factory Droid (Factory.ai) illustrate this paradigm shift. Cursor provides an AI-native desktop IDE based on VS Code with instantaneous inline completions (Cursor Tab) and conversational multi-file refactoring (Composer). Factory Droid operates as a headless, terminal-first autonomous software engineering (SWE) agent designed to execute multi-step issue resolution, run test suites, and open verified pull requests independently. Here is how their architectures, workflows, and developer ergonomics compare.

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Cursor
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Gemini Code Assist logo
Gemini Code Assist

Cursor vs Gemini Code Assist: AI-Native Editor and Background Agents vs Google Cloud Enterprise Assistant

Cursor and Gemini Code Assist represent two distinct philosophies in AI-powered software engineering. Cursor reinvents the code editor as a standalone AI-native fork of VS Code with multi-model background agents, while Gemini Code Assist provides enterprise IDE extensions backed by Google Cloud's 1,000,000-token context window. Here is how their architectures, agent workflows, and developer productivity compare.

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Verification dates are editorial checks. Routine CMS saves and automatic updatedAt timestamps do not advance them.

FAQ

What is Cursor?

AI-first code editor built as a VS Code fork that deeply integrates LLMs into every part of the development workflow. Features Tab autocomplete with multi-line predictions, Cmd+K inline editing, AI chat with full codebase awareness, and Agent mode for autonomous multi-file edits with terminal execution. Supports GPT-4, Claude, and more with automatic context from project files and docs. Includes privacy mode for SOC 2 compliance. The leading AI-native IDE with 100K+ paying users.

Is Cursor free?

Cursor offers a free tier alongside paid plans. Cursor offers a free Hobby tier with core editor access, Composer, and Tab completions. Paid individual plans start with Cursor Pro at $20/month ($16/month billed annually) featuring a $20 third-party model allowance and unlimited Cursor models, followed by Pro+ at $60/month and Ultra at $200/month for high-volume developers. Team plans include Teams Standard at $40/user/month ($32/user/month billed annually) and Teams Premium at $120/user/month (5x usage). Enterprise tier provides custom pricing with SAML SSO and SCIM, and on-demand usage is available for pay-as-you-go model overage.

Is Cursor still maintained?

Yes — Cursor is active. Its listing was last verified on September 20, 2026.

What are the best Cursor alternatives?

The first editor-selected Cursor alternatives are VS Code, Zed, Google Antigravity, and more.

How does Cursor score in our review?

The published editorial review lists Cursor at 91/100 overall across speed, privacy, and developer experience. Check the review's evidence status and test metadata for its verification level.