Cursor AI Review

Cursor is a VS Code fork rebuilt from the ground up with AI as a first-class citizen. Instead of AI being a bolt-on extension, every aspect of Cursor is designed around AI-assisted development.

What Makes Cursor Different

Unlike Copilot or other coding assistants, Cursor reimagines the entire development experience:

• Codebase-aware AI - Indexes your entire project for context-aware suggestions
• Cmd+K multi-line editing - Generate, refactor, or modify code inline with natural language
• AI Chat with file context - Chat knows what files you’re working on automatically
• Multi-file edits - Make coordinated changes across multiple files simultaneously
• Model selection - Choose between GPT-4, Claude, or Cursor’s optimized models
• Fast autocomplete - Near-instant suggestions using optimized models
• Terminal integration - AI helps debug errors and suggests commands
• Composer mode - Build entire features from description

Game-Changing Features

Cmd+K Inline Editing: The killer feature. Highlight code, press Cmd+K, describe what you want in natural language. “Make this function async”, “Add error handling”, “Refactor to use TypeScript generics”—it just works. Feels like magic.

Codebase Indexing: Cursor understands your entire project structure, dependencies, and patterns. Suggestions respect your architecture, naming conventions, and existing abstractions. It’s not just autocompleting—it’s understanding your codebase.

Multi-File Generation: Describe a feature and Cursor generates all necessary files: components, tests, types, styles, documentation. Then links them together correctly. Reduces hours of boilerplate to minutes.

Terminal Integration: Error in terminal? Cursor sees it, understands the stack trace, and suggests fixes in context. Debug builds, understand cryptic error messages, get command suggestions.

Real-World Performance

After three months using Cursor as primary editor:

Productivity Gains:

• 30-40% faster feature development
• 60% less time writing boilerplate
• 50% faster debugging unfamiliar code
• Near-instant documentation generation

Quality Improvements:

• Better test coverage (AI writes tests alongside code)
• More consistent code style
• Fewer bugs from typos/syntax errors
• Better error handling patterns

What It Excels At:

• Boilerplate: Crushing repetitive code patterns
• Refactoring: Making large-scale code changes safely
• Learning: Understanding unfamiliar codebases quickly
• Testing: Generating comprehensive test suites
• Documentation: Writing clear JSDoc/TypeScript definitions

Where It Struggles:

• Novel algorithms: Falls back to patterns it knows
• Complex architecture: Sometimes suggests suboptimal patterns
• Domain-specific: Niche frameworks/libraries less accurate
• Performance optimization: Doesn’t optimize for performance without prompting

vs GitHub Copilot

The comparison everyone wants:

Cursor wins:

• Multi-line editing and refactoring
• Codebase-aware suggestions
• Multi-file generation
• Terminal integration
• Model choice flexibility
• Chat interface quality

Copilot wins:

• Broader IDE support (works in VS Code, JetBrains, etc.)
• Larger training data
• Enterprise features more mature
• Price ($10/mo vs $20/mo)

If you can commit to Cursor as your editor, it’s substantially more productive than Copilot. If you need to work across multiple IDEs, Copilot’s portability wins.

Pricing

• Free tier: 2,000 completions/month, basic AI features
• Pro: $20/month - Unlimited completions, GPT-4 access, advanced features, priority support
• Business: Custom - Team collaboration, security controls, SSO

The free tier is enough to evaluate. Pro tier is essential for serious use (free limits exhausted quickly).

Who Should Use Cursor

Perfect for:

• Full-stack developers building features rapidly
• Developers learning new codebases/frameworks
• Solo developers or small teams
• TypeScript/JavaScript/Python primary users
• Anyone frustrated with Copilot’s limitations

Not ideal for:

• Teams standardized on JetBrains IDEs
• Developers working offline frequently
• Budget-conscious individual developers ($10 vs $20)
• Teams needing mature enterprise features

The Migration Decision

Switching editors is a big commitment. Here’s the calculus:

Time to productivity: ~3 days to feel comfortable, ~2 weeks to master Productivity gain: 30-40% faster development (our testing) Break-even point: If you code 20+ hours/week, ROI in first month

The hardest part is muscle memory and favorite extensions. Cursor supports most VS Code extensions, but not all. Check compatibility before committing.

Verdict

Cursor represents the future of code editors. By building AI into the foundation rather than bolting it on, they’ve created experiences impossible in traditional editors. The Cmd+K inline editing alone is worth the switch.

Is it perfect? No. Are there rough edges? Yes. But the productivity gains are undeniable. After using Cursor, going back to traditional coding feels like writing with a pen after using a keyboard.

For professional developers who code daily, the $20/month pays for itself in the first week through time savings. This is the strongest AI coding tool available today.

Best for: Professional developers, full-stack engineers, startup teams, anyone who codes 20+ hours/week.

Skip if: You need JetBrains IDE, work offline primarily, or code casually (free GitHub Copilot in VS Code sufficient).