Cursor — AI-Native Code Editor
Cursor — AI-Native Code Editor
Section titled “Cursor — AI-Native Code Editor”Cursor is an AI-first code editor built as a fork of VS Code. It has the same familiar interface, extensions, and keyboard shortcuts as VS Code — but with powerful AI features built into the core rather than bolted on as a plugin.
Built by Cursor Inc. (formerly Anysphere), Cursor has become the most popular dedicated AI IDE as of 2025–2026.
How Cursor Differs from VS Code + Copilot
Section titled “How Cursor Differs from VS Code + Copilot”| Feature | Cursor | VS Code + Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Context awareness | Entire codebase via @codebase | Per-file or selected code |
| Edit mode | Applies AI edits across multiple files | Single inline suggestions |
| Chat | Full codebase-aware chat | Chat limited to selection |
| Diff view | Shows before/after of AI changes | Inline ghost text |
| Model choice | Claude, GPT-4o, Gemini | GitHub Copilot models |
Core Features
Section titled “Core Features”Tab Autocomplete
Section titled “Tab Autocomplete”Cursor’s Tab autocomplete predicts entire multi-line edits based on your recent changes — not just the current line. It learns your coding patterns and suggests relevant changes elsewhere in the file.
Cmd+K (Inline Edit)
Section titled “Cmd+K (Inline Edit)”Select any code, press Cmd+K (Ctrl+K on Windows), and type what you want to change:
Select the function → Cmd+K → "Add error handling and logging"→ Cursor rewrites the function, shows a diff, you accept or rejectChat (Cmd+L)
Section titled “Chat (Cmd+L)”Open a chat pane that is aware of:
@file— Reference a specific file@codebase— Search across the entire codebase@docs— Reference documentation from any URL@git— Reference recent git diffs or commits@web— Search the web
Composer / Agent Mode
Section titled “Composer / Agent Mode”Composer lets you describe a feature or task and Cursor:
- Plans the implementation
- Edits across multiple files
- Shows a full diff of every change
- You review and apply with one click
Model Selection
Section titled “Model Selection”Switch between AI models within Cursor:
- Claude 3.7 Sonnet (default — best for coding)
- GPT-4o
- Gemini 2.5 Flash
- Cursor’s own fast autocomplete model
Keyboard Shortcuts
Section titled “Keyboard Shortcuts”| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Cmd+K / Ctrl+K | Inline AI edit on selected code |
Cmd+L / Ctrl+L | Open AI chat |
Cmd+I / Ctrl+I | Open Composer (multi-file agent) |
Tab | Accept AI autocomplete suggestion |
Esc | Reject suggestion |
- Download from cursor.com
- Sign in (Google or GitHub)
- Import VS Code settings, extensions, and keybindings in one click
- Start coding — Cursor asks for your preferred AI model on first launch
| Plan | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Hobby | Free | 2,000 completions/month, 50 slow requests |
| Pro | $20/month | Unlimited completions, 500 fast requests, all models |
| Business | $40/user/month | Team features, admin dashboard, privacy mode |
Privacy Mode
Section titled “Privacy Mode”Cursor Privacy Mode ensures your code is not stored or used for training. All code is processed in memory only. Recommended for proprietary codebases.
Cursor vs Windsurf vs Claude Code
Section titled “Cursor vs Windsurf vs Claude Code”| Feature | Cursor | Windsurf | Claude Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interface | IDE (VS Code fork) | IDE (VS Code fork) | Terminal CLI |
| Multi-file edits | Yes (Composer) | Yes (Cascade) | Yes |
| Codebase indexing | Yes | Yes | Yes (manual) |
| Model choice | Claude, GPT-4o, Gemini | Claude, GPT-4o | Claude only |
| Price | $20/month | $15/month | $20/month (Claude Pro) |
| Best at | Overall AI IDE | Speed + clean UX | Autonomous tasks |