Cursor is the AI code editor that convinced developers to pay $20/month to leave VS Code. Built from VS Code's foundation but with AI woven into every interaction, it's become the tool of choice for developers who want AI as a true coding partner, not just an autocomplete. But is it worth the switch?
Cursor is an AI-first code editor built on VS Code by Anysphere, a San Francisco startup founded in 2022. The company raised $60M in Series A funding in 2024, reaching a reported $400M valuation. What started as a "VS Code fork with AI" has evolved into something more ambitious: a complete reimagining of how developers interact with AI during coding.
The core insight is simple but powerful: instead of treating AI as a separate chat window or autocomplete, Cursor weaves AI into every interaction. Press Tab to accept intelligent multi-line suggestions. Press Cmd+K to edit code inline with natural language. Open Composer to scaffold entire features across multiple files. The AI isn't an add-on—it's the interface.
For developers who've tried GitHub Copilot or ChatGPT for coding, Cursor represents the next level of integration. Rather than copying code from a chat window, you describe what you want and watch it appear in your editor. It's the difference between having an AI assistant and having an AI co-pilot actually at the controls.
Cursor is built on VS Code's open-source foundation, which means your extensions, themes, keybindings, and settings transfer over. Most developers can switch in under 10 minutes. The familiar interface reduces friction—you're not learning a new editor, you're supercharging your existing one.
Cursor offers transparent pricing, though the "request" model can be confusing. Understanding what you're actually paying for requires knowing the difference between fast and slow requests.
| Tier | Monthly Cost | What You Get | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free (Hobby) | $0 | 2,000 completions, 50 slow premium requests, limited Composer | Trying it out, light usage |
| Pro | $20/month | Unlimited completions, 500 fast premium requests/month, unlimited slow Most Popular | Individual developers |
| Business | $40/user/month | Everything in Pro + centralized billing, admin controls, usage stats | Teams and companies |
Fast requests use priority access to GPT-4 and Claude—near-instant responses. When you exhaust your 500 fast requests, you fall back to "slow" requests which can take 10-30 seconds. Most Pro users never hit the limit with normal usage, but heavy Composer users doing large refactors can burn through fast requests quickly.
| Tool | Price | Model Access | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cursor Pro | $20/month | GPT-4, Claude 3.5, custom | AI-native editor, Composer |
| GitHub Copilot | $10/month | GPT-4 based | Works in any IDE, cheaper |
| Windsurf Pro | $15/month | Multiple models | Cascade agentic feature |
| Claude Code | ~$3/hour (API) | Claude 3.5 | Terminal-based, agentic |
Multi-line, context-aware suggestions that feel like mind-reading. Predicts entire function bodies, not just the next word.
Select code, describe changes in natural language, see diffs applied instantly. No copy-paste from chat windows.
Multi-file editing agent. Describe a feature, watch it scaffold code across multiple files with proper imports.
Sidebar chat that understands your entire codebase. Ask questions about code, get answers with file references.
Full VS Code extension compatibility. Your favorite extensions work out of the box.
Indexes your entire project for context. AI suggestions understand your patterns, types, and conventions.
Composer is what separates Cursor from "autocomplete with extra steps." It's an agent that can:
Composer isn't perfect—it sometimes hallucinates imports or creates files in wrong directories—but when it works, it's transformative. Tasks that would take 30 minutes of boilerplate become 30 seconds of description.
Cursor is impressive, but it's not magic. Understanding its limitations helps set realistic expectations.
At $20/month ($240/year), Cursor costs twice what GitHub Copilot charges. For teams, the Business tier at $40/user/month is $480/year per developer. If you're not using Composer regularly, you're paying premium for features you don't use.
On very large monorepos (500K+ lines), Cursor's indexing can slow down, and AI suggestions may take longer to appear. The codebase context feature, while powerful, has practical limits on how much it can process.
Composer sometimes:
You still need to review everything it generates. It's a powerful assistant, not a replacement for understanding your code.
While most VS Code extensions work, some don't. Extensions that rely on VS Code internals or have specific version requirements may have issues. Check your must-have extensions during the trial period.
Cursor's value is in Composer and advanced editing. If you'll use multi-file generation, inline edits, and codebase chat daily, the $20/month pays for itself in saved time within a week.
If you mainly want smart autocomplete and occasional code suggestions, GitHub Copilot at $10/month does that well. You don't need to switch editors and pay double for features you won't use.
| Tool | Price | Strength | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | $10/user/month | Works in any IDE | Teams wanting flexibility |
| Windsurf | $15/month | Generous free tier | Budget-conscious developers |
| Claude Code | ~$3/hour (API) | True agentic capabilities | Terminal-native developers |
| Codeium | Free / $12/month | Free tier is actually usable | Cost-sensitive individuals |
| Tabnine | $12/user/month | Privacy-focused, local models | Enterprises with data concerns |
For detailed comparisons, see our Cursor vs GitHub Copilot and Cursor vs Windsurf analyses.
Cursor represents the future of AI-assisted development. The integration is deeper than Copilot, the features are more powerful, and for developers who embrace the workflow, it genuinely accelerates coding. Tab completion and Composer are the real deal.
But the value depends on your usage:
AI Market Pulse delivers honest assessments of AI tools for developers and AI professionals.
Subscribe to Newsletter Browse All Tool Reviews
AI Market Pulse