Cursor
by Anysphere
AI-first code editor with fast tab completion and a supervised coding agent
Last reviewed 2026-06-18
Cursor is an AI-first code editor built by Anysphere as a heavily modified fork of VS Code, with AI embedded into the core runtime rather than bolted on as an extension. Its signature features are very fast Tab autocomplete and next-edit prediction, codebase-wide semantic understanding, and an Agent mode that can search the repo, run commands, and make coordinated multi-file edits from natural-language instructions, including a Plan Mode that proposes a reviewable plan before writing code. Cursor is model-flexible (OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini) and also ships its own in-house models, including Composer, a low-latency model trained for agentic coding. It targets professional developers and grew rapidly through 2025 and 2026; reported revenue and valuation figures circulating publicly are third-party estimates rather than audited numbers.
What it can do
Predict next edits with Tab completion
CopilotLow-latency inline autocomplete and multi-line next-edit predictions as you type, accepted or rejected by the developer.
sourceRun Agent mode for multi-file work
SupervisedSearches the codebase, runs commands, and makes coordinated edits across files from a natural-language task, with the developer reviewing diffs.
sourcePlan before building (Plan Mode)
SupervisedThe agent researches relevant files, asks clarifying questions, and produces an editable plan that waits for approval before writing code.
sourceAgentic code review (Bugbot)
SupervisedReviews pull requests to catch bugs, sold as a separate add-on.
source
Strengths
- +Best-in-class Tab completion and tight, in-runtime AI integration that an extension-based tool can't fully match
- +Strong codebase-wide context, multi-file agent edits, Plan Mode, and parallel/cloud agents
- +Model flexibility plus fast in-house models (Composer) optimized for agentic coding
Limitations
- −Pricing has been a sore point: a 2025 shift to credit metering caused surprise overage charges and backlash
- −Can hallucinate non-existent APIs and slow down on very large projects
- −Closed-source and SaaS-only, with no real self-hosted or on-prem option
Overview
Cursor is an AI-first code editor: a VS Code fork by Anysphere with AI built into the runtime rather than added as an extension. It is aimed at professional developers who want AI deeply aware of the whole codebase.
What it does
Tab completion predicts the next edit as you type (copilot autonomy). Agent mode searches the repo, runs commands, and makes coordinated multi-file edits from a natural-language task, with the developer reviewing diffs. Plan Mode researches and proposes a reviewable plan first. Bugbot, a paid add-on, reviews PRs for bugs.
Integrations & setup
Inherits the VS Code extension ecosystem, integrates with GitHub, and supports MCP servers on paid tiers. It is model-flexible across Claude, GPT, and Gemini, and ships in-house models including Composer.
Pricing
Freemium: a free Hobby tier, Pro from $20/mo, plus higher individual, team, and enterprise tiers, with usage-based metering on top.
Best for / not for
Best for developers who want the fastest inline AI plus a capable in-editor agent. Less suited to those who need self-hosted/on-prem deployment or who dislike usage-metered pricing.
Alternatives
GitHub Copilot is the closest IDE competitor; Devin targets delegated async tasks; Replit Agent targets app building from a prompt.
What people are saying
Loved for
- +code
- +claude
- +coding
Common gripes
- −software
Recent mentions
“A Netflix engineer just mass-deleted tokens. And it works. We've been chasing bigger context windows for two years. 128K. 200K. 1M. More tokens. More cost. More latency. This tool flips the script. It compresses everythi”
“Brainstorming: Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude Image generation: Midjourney, Ideogram, OpenAI Image-1.5 Video generation: OpenAI Sora 2 Pro, Kling 3.0, Google Veo 3.1 Audio: ElevenLabs, Suno, Udio Support: Dante, Zendesk AI, For”
“Michael Truell's Cursor sold to SpaceX for $60B, going $4M to $4B ARR in 2 years The lesson hides in the backstory: In 2022 they called AI coding too crowded, so they stepped back Built a prototype in 2 weeks, for”
“Just a quick update, been working on something for you guys :) I joined Replit as an Ambassador and now going to be hosting the very first event with Rootly But let’s take a step back how I got here... My first tech even”
“Wild! Cursor just sold for $60bn, 4 years after launch. The biggest startup acquisition in history SpaceX, now merged with xAI, just closed its $60bn all-stock acquisition of Cursor. The largest startup exit EVER: By”
FAQ
How is Cursor different from GitHub Copilot?+
Cursor is a standalone AI-first editor (a VS Code fork) with AI in the runtime, enabling deep codebase indexing and coordinated multi-file agent edits. Copilot is primarily layered into existing editors, though it now also has agent modes.
What is Composer?+
Cursor's proprietary low-latency model trained for agentic coding and multi-file changes, used alongside third-party models like Claude and GPT.
Sources
- Cursor pricing · accessed 2026-06-18
- Best practices for coding with agents (Cursor blog) · accessed 2026-06-18
- Cursor (company) (Wikipedia) · accessed 2026-06-18
Last reviewed 2026-06-18