Cursor
Coding ToolsAI-powered code editor built on VS Code with deep codebase understanding. Can reason across your entire project and apply multi-file edits.
Best For
Pricing Plans
Features
Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Full codebase awareness
- +Multi-file editing
- +VS Code compatible
- +Composer mode for big changes
Cons
- -Higher price than Copilot
- -Resource intensive
- -Learning curve for advanced features
Getting Started Guide
Step-by-step instructions for non-technical users.
- 1
Download from cursor.com
Cursor is a standalone editor built on VS Code. Your existing VS Code extensions, themes, and settings transfer automatically.
- 2
Open your project
Open any codebase. Cursor indexes it automatically for full-project awareness — this is its key advantage over Copilot.
- 3
Try Cmd+K for inline edits
Select code and press Cmd+K (or Ctrl+K on Windows) to describe changes in natural language. Cursor edits the code in place.
- 4
Use Composer for multi-file changes
Press Cmd+Shift+I to open Composer. Describe a feature or refactor, and Cursor will edit multiple files simultaneously.
- 5
Use Chat for questions
Press Cmd+L to chat about your codebase. Ask "How does authentication work in this project?" and get answers grounded in your actual code.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cursor vs GitHub Copilot — which is better?
Cursor has full-codebase awareness and can make multi-file edits, making it better for complex tasks. Copilot is better if you want lightweight autocomplete in your existing editor without switching. Many developers use both.
Is the free tier usable?
The Hobby tier gives you limited AI completions and chat messages per month. It is enough to evaluate Cursor, but most active developers will need Pro ($20/mo) within a week.
Do I need to know VS Code?
Cursor is built on VS Code, so if you use VS Code already, the transition is seamless. If you use a different editor, there is a learning curve for the editor itself, though the AI features are intuitive.