Cursor
$20/month
* Affiliate link — I earn a commission if you sign up
Pricing
✓ Pros
- ✓Tab autocomplete draws context from the entire codebase, not just the current file
- ✓Composer: chat and write multi-file code with full repo context
- ✓Cmd+K: edit code inline using natural language
- ✓100% compatible with VS Code extensions and settings
- ✓Supports multiple models: Claude 3.5 Sonnet, GPT-4o, Gemini
- ✓Cursor Rules to customize AI behavior per project
✗ Cons
- ✗Pro plan at $20/month has a fast request limit (500 req/month)
- ✗Uses more RAM than vanilla VS Code
- ✗Autocomplete can sometimes be too aggressive and needs to be dialed back
- ✗Privacy concerns: code is sent to remote servers (Privacy Mode available)
What is Cursor?
Cursor is a fork of VS Code, rebuilt from the ground up with AI as a first-class citizen — not a plugin bolted on, but the core experience itself. The Cursor team has integrated AI into every workflow: from autocomplete to inline editing to writing entire new features from scratch.
💡 Cursor keeps 100% compatibility with VS Code. All extensions, themes, and keybindings work as expected. Migration takes 2 minutes.
3 killer features
1. Tab Autocomplete with Codebase Context
Copilot only looks at the current file and a few nearby files. Cursor Tab sees the entire repo — it understands your patterns, naming conventions, and existing implementations.
For example: if you already have a UserCard component, Cursor will automatically use the correct props interface when you start writing a similar component.
2. Composer (Cmd+I or Cmd+Shift+I)
Composer is where you chat with AI about your codebase and it edits files directly:
You: "Add authentication middleware to all /api routes using JWT,
read the secret from env, return 401 if no token is present"
Cursor: [Creates middleware.ts, updates route handlers, updates types,
adds helper functions — all in a single pass]
Composer works with multi-file context — no need to point it to specific files.
3. Cmd+K — Inline Edit
Select a block of code, press Cmd+K, and describe what you want changed:
"Convert to async/await"→ refactors Promise chains"Add TypeScript types"→ adds full interfaces"Write tests for this function"→ generates test cases"Optimize this SQL query"→ suggests indexes, rewrites the query
Cursor Rules
A .cursorrules file at your project root lets you customize AI behavior:
# .cursorrules
You are an expert Next.js developer.
- Always use TypeScript with strict mode
- Use Tailwind CSS for styling, never inline styles
- Prefer Server Components unless interactivity needed
- Follow the existing file structure in this project
- Always add error boundaries for async operations
With a rules file in place, every AI response in the project follows these conventions.
Cursor vs GitHub Copilot
| Feature | Cursor Pro | GitHub Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $20/month | $10/month |
| Autocomplete quality | Higher | Good |
| Multi-file context | ✅ Full repo | Limited |
| Inline chat | ✅ Cmd+K | ✅ |
| Multi-file editing | ✅ Composer | Copilot Workspace (beta) |
| Model choice | Claude, GPT-4o, Gemini | GPT-4o only |
| VS Code extension | Standalone IDE | Extension |
Privacy Mode
If you're working with a sensitive codebase:
- Settings → Privacy Mode → ON
- Code is not stored on Cursor's servers
- Requests still route through Cursor's infrastructure (not directly to OpenAI/Anthropic)
For higher compliance requirements, use the Business plan with an enterprise privacy agreement.
Conclusion
Cursor is a $20/month investment I genuinely can't work without. If you're coding more than 4 hours a day, the ROI is obvious. Start with the Hobby plan to get a feel for it, then upgrade when you start hitting the request limit.