Developer Productivity & AI Coding

Cursor

AI-first code editor built on a VS Code base with chat, fast autocomplete, and agents that can make changes across an entire codebase.

by Anysphere

What it does

Cursor is an AI-first code editor from Anysphere, built on the open source foundation of VS Code. Instead of adding AI to an existing editor as a plugin, Cursor makes AI the core of the editing experience: multi-line autocomplete, chat grounded in an index of your codebase, and an agent mode that can plan and execute changes across many files, run terminal commands, and iterate on errors.

Because it is a VS Code fork, most extensions, themes, and keybindings carry over, which makes migration straightforward for VS Code users. Cursor supports models from multiple providers and offers a privacy mode in which code is not stored by the vendor. It has grown quickly among startups and individual developers and is increasingly evaluated by larger engineering organizations.

Key features

  • Tab autocomplete that predicts multi-line edits
  • Chat grounded in an index of your codebase
  • Agent mode for multi-file changes and terminal commands
  • Support for models from multiple AI providers
  • Privacy mode where code is not stored by the vendor
  • Compatibility with most VS Code extensions and settings

What teams use it for

The concrete work teams hand to Cursor.

  1. Fast iteration on features in small to mid-sized codebases
  2. Large refactors using agent-driven multi-file edits
  3. Prototyping and greenfield development
  4. Asking questions about an indexed codebase
  5. Moving VS Code users to an AI-native workflow

Where it fits

Good fit if

Developers and teams who want the deepest AI-native editing experience and are willing to switch editors to get it.

Limitations

Developers committed to JetBrains or other non VS Code environments, or organizations that prohibit cloud processing of source code.

Pricing

Free tier available; paid plans billed per user per month.

Common integrations

VS Code extensions Git GitHub Anthropic models OpenAI models Google models MCP servers

Categories and tags

Categories AI for IT, Security & DevOpsAI for Product & Software DevelopmentDeveloper Productivity & AI Coding
Industries Cross-industry
Use cases Code generation Code review Codebase Q&A
Capabilities AI agents & automation Generative AI & LLMs
Buyer roles Product & engineering
Company size Mid-market Small business Startup

Alternatives to Cursor

Other products in Developer Productivity & AI Coding, ordered by how well they fit the category.

GitHub Copilot

by GitHub (Microsoft)

AI pair programmer from GitHub that completes code, answers questions in chat, and runs agent tasks across major IDEs and github.com.

Developer Productivity & AI Coding View profile

This profile was compiled from public sources with AI assistance and reviewed by a BetterBuys editor. Last verified on June 10, 2026. How we research profiles.

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