Cursor

What is Cursor?

Cursor is an AI-first code editor forked from Visual Studio Code that embeds large language models directly into the development workflow. Rather than bolting AI onto an existing tool, Cursor rebuilds the editing experience around it, giving developers inline code generation, a context-aware chat, and an autonomous agent in a familiar VS Code interface. It became one of the most widely adopted AI coding environments among professional developers in 2024 and 2025.

How does Cursor work?

Because it is a VS Code fork, Cursor keeps your existing extensions, themes, keybindings, and settings while layering AI on top. It indexes your codebase so the model understands the full project, not just the open file, and lets you reference specific files, folders, or documentation as context.

You interact with it through natural-language prompts in chat, inline edit commands, or by delegating larger multi-step tasks to the agent, which can read and modify many files, run terminal commands, and iterate until the task is complete.

Core features

• Codebase chat — ask questions and request changes with full project context, referencing files and symbols directly.
• Inline editing — select code and describe the change in plain language to rewrite it in place.
• Agentic mode — hand off multi-file tasks the agent completes autonomously, running commands and applying edits across the project.
• Smart autocomplete — multi-line, prediction-driven suggestions that anticipate your next edit, not just the next token.
• Model choice — switch between leading frontier models from Anthropic, OpenAI, and others to match the task.
• VS Code compatibility — full support for existing extensions, settings, and workflows.

Pricing and alternatives

Cursor offers a free tier for light use plus paid subscription plans that unlock higher usage limits and access to the most capable models. It competes with tools such as GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, and Claude Code, but stands out for how deeply its AI features are woven into the editor itself.

Who is it for?

Cursor suits professional developers and teams who want AI assistance integrated tightly into a full-featured editor without abandoning the VS Code ecosystem. It is equally approachable for newcomers exploring AI-assisted coding and for experienced engineers automating repetitive, multi-file work.