The AI-first code editor
by Anysphere, Inc. · Founded 2023
Cursor is a VS Code fork built from the ground up for AI-assisted coding with multi-file editing and codebase understanding.
Cursor is the most exciting development in AI-assisted coding since GitHub Copilot. Built as a fork of VS Code, it preserves the familiar interface and extension ecosystem while adding AI capabilities that go far beyond what Copilot offers — particularly for multi-file editing and codebase-wide understanding.
Cursor's killer feature is its ability to understand your entire codebase. Ask it to "refactor the authentication system to use JWT tokens" and it will identify every relevant file, understand how they interact, and make coordinated changes across all of them simultaneously. This is fundamentally different from Copilot's file-level suggestions.
The Composer feature is particularly powerful — it's a multi-file AI agent that can implement entire features from a single natural language description. Describe a feature, and Cursor will create new files, modify existing ones, and wire everything together. It's the closest thing to having a junior developer who executes your specifications instantly.
Cursor also includes a chat interface with codebase context, allowing you to ask questions like "where is the payment processing logic?" and get accurate, cited answers pointing to specific files and line numbers.
| Feature | Cursor |
|---|---|
| Free Plan | Yes — 2,000 completions/mohighlight |
| Starting Price | $20/month (Pro) |
| Multi-file Editing | Yes — Composerhighlight |
| Codebase Understanding | Full codebasehighlight |
| VS Code Compatible | Yes — full compatibilityhighlight |
| AI Models | Claude, GPT-4o, Gemini |
| IDE Chat | Yes — with codebase context |
| Autocomplete | Yes — fast & accurate |
| Privacy Mode | Yes (Business) |
| Terminal AI | Yes |
I switched from Copilot to Cursor 3 months ago and I'll never go back. The Composer feature implemented a complete authentication system for me in 20 minutes — creating 8 files and modifying 4 existing ones. That would have taken me 3 hours. It's genuinely magical.
We onboarded our 5-person engineering team to Cursor 2 months ago. Our sprint velocity has roughly tripled. The codebase chat feature means new engineers can understand our architecture in hours instead of days. Worth every penny of the Business plan.
Yes, Cursor is built on VS Code and supports the full VS Code extension marketplace. Your existing extensions, themes, keybindings, and settings will work in Cursor.
Cursor goes significantly further than Copilot. While Copilot excels at single-file code completion, Cursor's Composer can edit multiple files simultaneously with full codebase context. Cursor is better for complex, multi-file tasks; Copilot has deeper IDE integration for simple completions.
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AI pair programmer that writes code for you
GitHub Copilot is the world's most widely adopted AI developer tool, suggesting code completions in your IDE.