About Cursor

Cursor is a full standalone code editor forked from VS Code, rebuilt around AI from the ground up. It supports the current frontier model lineup including Claude, GPT, and Gemini, and adds Composer for multi-file edits, an Agent mode for autonomous background tasks, and native MCP support. Because it is built on VS Code, existing extensions, keybindings, and themes carry over with minimal switching cost. Cursor has grown extremely fast since its 2022 founding, reportedly surpassing $2 billion in annualized revenue and over a million daily active users by 2026, used by engineering teams at companies including Shopify and Perplexity.

Key features

Agent mode

Autonomous multi-step coding tasks that run in the background while you keep working

Composer

Multi-file editing with full codebase context and diff review before changes apply

Model flexibility

Switch between Claude, GPT-4o, Gemini, and o1 reasoning models per task

VS Code compatible

Every VS Code extension, keybinding, and theme works out of the box

Pros and cons

✓ Pros

Most complete AI-native editor available, with agent mode that compresses hours of routine work into minutes

Full VS Code compatibility means near-zero switching cost for existing developers

Background agents allow parallel workflows no other IDE currently matches

Fast, accurate autocomplete considered best-in-class by reviewers

✗ Cons

Proprietary IDE means JetBrains, Vim, and other editor users cannot use it without switching

Credit-based pricing system can be confusing to understand at first

Performance on very large projects can lag behind vanilla VS Code

AI output still requires careful review; multi-file edits can occasionally introduce subtle bugs

Best for

Professional developers on complex projectsTeams wanting agentic multi-file editingDevelopers already comfortable with VS CodeFast-moving startups shipping features quickly

Why this score

Most fluid AI-native IDE experience with viral developer adoption globally

G2 4.8/5. $1B+ ARR. Most fluid AI-native IDE. Viral adoption.