Cursor

What Is Cursor?

Cursor is an AI-native code editor built on top of VS Code that has quickly become the go-to IDE for vibe coding. Launched by Anysphere in 2023, it seamlessly combines the familiarity of VS Code with deeply integrated AI capabilities — letting developers write, edit, and refactor code using natural language prompts instead of manual keystrokes.

Unlike bolt-on AI extensions, Cursor was designed from the ground up to treat AI as a first-class citizen. Every feature — from tab completions to multi-file edits to terminal commands — is powered by frontier LLMs (Claude, GPT-4o, and more) that understand your entire codebase context.

Who Is Cursor For?

Target audience:

• Professional developers who want to ship faster without sacrificing code quality
• Vibe coders and non-traditional builders turning ideas into working software with AI
• Indie hackers & solopreneurs building MVPs and side projects at lightning speed
• Teams & enterprises looking for a secure, policy-compliant AI coding environment
• Students & learners exploring programming with AI guidance

Whether you're a seasoned engineer refactoring a large monorepo or a first-time builder prototyping an app idea, Cursor adapts to your workflow.

Key Use Cases

1. Rapid prototyping — Describe a feature in natural language and Cursor scaffolds it across multiple files
2. Codebase Q&A — Ask Cursor questions about unfamiliar code and get instant, context-aware answers
3. Refactoring at scale — Rename variables, extract functions, or migrate patterns across an entire project
4. Bug fixing — Paste an error message and let Cursor trace the issue and propose a fix
5. Learning new frameworks — Cursor explains code patterns and generates examples in the framework you're learning
6. Writing tests — Generate unit and integration tests with full understanding of your existing code
7. Documentation — Auto-generate README files, API docs, and inline comments

What's New in 2026

Cursor has been shipping aggressively. Key updates include:

• Background Agents (BugBot) — Cursor can now run autonomous agents in the background that work on GitHub issues, create branches, write code, and open pull requests while you focus on other tasks
• Max Mode — Unlocks extended thinking and multi-tool agentic workflows for complex tasks using the most capable models
• Memory & Rules — Project-level .cursorrules files and persistent memory let Cursor learn your team's conventions
• MCP (Model Context Protocol) — Connect external data sources, APIs, and tools directly into Cursor's AI context
• Image-to-Code — Drop a screenshot or Figma design into the chat and Cursor generates the matching UI code
• Multi-model support — Switch between Claude 4, GPT-4o, Gemini 2.5, and other frontier models on the fly

Pricing Breakdown

Plan	Price	What You Get
Hobby	Free	2,000 completions, 50 slow premium requests/mo
Pro	$20/mo	Unlimited completions, 500 fast premium requests/mo, Max Mode
Business	$40/mo	Everything in Pro + admin dashboard, enforced privacy mode, SAML SSO

All plans include access to the Cursor editor, tab completions, chat, and terminal integration. The Pro plan is the sweet spot for most individual developers.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Best-in-class multi-file editing — understands and modifies multiple files in one operation
• Familiar VS Code interface with full extension compatibility
• Excellent codebase context awareness (indexes your entire project)
• Fast, reliable tab completions that feel like mind-reading
• Active development with weekly releases and new features
• Strong community and ecosystem of rules, skills, and MCP servers

Cons:

• Premium model requests can run out quickly on heavy usage days
• Privacy mode is only enforced on Business plan
• Can occasionally hallucinate code that looks correct but has subtle bugs
• Requires internet connection for AI features (no offline mode)
• Some VS Code extensions may have minor compatibility quirks

How to Get Started

1. Download Cursor from cursor.com
2. Import your VS Code settings, extensions, and keybindings in one click
3. Open a project and press Cmd+L (Mac) or Ctrl+L (Windows) to start chatting with AI
4. Use Cmd+K to make inline edits with natural language
5. Try Tab completions as you code — Cursor predicts your next edit
6. Set up a .cursorrules file to customize AI behavior for your project

Video Resources

Here are some of the best tutorials and reviews for getting started with Cursor:

• Cursor AI Crash Course — Build 10x Faster by Fireship
• I Tested Every AI Code Editor — Cursor Wins by Theo
• Cursor Tips You Need to Know in 2026 — Search the latest tips
• Building a SaaS with Cursor from Scratch — Full project walkthroughs

How Cursor Compares

Cursor competes with GitHub Copilot, Windsurf (Codeium), and standalone agents like Claude Code and Aider. Compared to Copilot, Cursor offers deeper codebase understanding and true multi-file editing. Compared to Windsurf, Cursor generally has faster releases and a larger community. Compared to terminal agents like Claude Code, Cursor provides a visual editing experience that many developers prefer.

See our detailed comparisons:

• Cursor vs Copilot
• Cursor vs Windsurf
• Cursor vs Claude Code

The Bottom Line

Cursor has established itself as the leading AI code editor for 2026. Its combination of a familiar VS Code interface, deep AI integration, and rapid feature development makes it the top choice for developers who want to work with AI, not around it. Whether you're vibe coding a weekend project or shipping production software at a Fortune 500 company, Cursor is the editor to beat.