Cursor

An AI-native code editor — a VS Code fork built around agentic editing, with your choice of frontier model driving it.

Dev tooling Proprietary Desktop app Free tier Verified 7 Aug 2026

The record

16 fields · verified by hand

Category: Dev tooling — AI code editor
Maker: Anysphere
Form factor: Desktop app (VS Code fork)
License: Proprietary
Free tier: Yes — Hobby plan
Self-host: No
Founded: 2022
First release: 2023

Models: Claude, GPT, Gemini — pick per prompt
Model-agnostic: Yes
Bring your own key: Yes (API-key mode)
Agent mode: Yes — multi-file edits
Autocomplete: Yes — next-edit prediction
Platforms: macOS, Windows, Linux
Privacy mode: Yes — no code retention
Price change: No change since Jun 2026

Our take

Editorial · not vendor copy

Cursor is the tool most teams land on when autocomplete stops being enough. It keeps the whole VS Code muscle memory intact, then layers agentic editing on top — you describe a change that spans several files, and it makes the edits for you to review rather than pasting snippets back and forth.

The reason it tops the category is leverage without lock-in on the model: you point it at Claude, GPT or Gemini and switch per prompt, so you are betting on the editor, not on one lab. The flip side is the same as any hosted tool — no self-host, and heavy agent use on the frontier models can push real spend well past the $20 sticker.

Pick it if you refactor across files daily and want one polished surface. If you live inside a single file, Copilot at $10 does the autocomplete job for less. If you cannot send code off-machine, an open-source agent like Cline is the honest answer.

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For the Cursor team

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Alternatives in Dev tooling

Ranked

Claude Code#02

Agentic CLI coding, Claude-only.

$20+/moProprietary

GitHub Copilot#03

Inline autocomplete + agent mode.

$10/moProprietary

Windsurf#09

Agentic IDE, now under Cognition.

Under reviewProprietary

Cline#—

Open-source agent, bring your own key.

FreeApache-2.0

Sources

Checked 7 Aug 2026

Pricingcursor.com/pricingOfficial · 7 Aug

Models & featuresdocs.cursor.comOfficial · 7 Aug

Privacy modecursor.com/securityOfficial · 7 Aug

Companyanysphere.incOfficial · 7 Aug