What is Cursor IDE?

What Is Cursor?

Cursor is an AI-first code editor developed by Anysphere Inc., a company founded in 2023 by MIT researchers. Built as a fork of Visual Studio Code, Cursor retains full VS Code compatibility (extensions, themes, keybindings) while adding AI capabilities at the editor level rather than as a plugin. As of April 2026, Cursor has attracted significant adoption among developers seeking tighter AI integration than extension-based tools provide.

Key Features

• AI tab completion: Context-aware code suggestions that predict multi-line edits based on recent changes
• Chat (Cmd+L): Natural language conversation with codebase context, including the ability to reference files and symbols
• Composer (Cmd+I): Multi-file AI editing that applies changes across multiple files in a single operation
• Codebase indexing: Local semantic index of the entire project for accurate context retrieval
• Terminal integration: AI-powered command suggestions within the integrated terminal
• @-mentions: Reference specific files, folders, docs, or web URLs in chat prompts

How It Differs from VS Code + Copilot

While GitHub Copilot operates as an extension within VS Code, Cursor embeds AI at the editor level. This allows features that extensions cannot implement, such as inline diff previews of AI-suggested edits, multi-file coordinated changes, and deeper codebase-aware context windows. Cursor supports multiple AI model providers, including OpenAI, Anthropic, and custom API endpoints.

Pricing (April 2026)

• Hobby: Free — 2,000 completions, 50 slow premium requests per month
• Pro: $20/month — unlimited completions, 500 fast premium requests, 10 Composer uses/day
• Business: $40/user/month — centralized billing, admin dashboard, enforced privacy mode

Supported Languages and Platforms

Cursor supports all languages supported by VS Code, with AI performance strongest in Python, TypeScript, JavaScript, Go, Rust, and Java. It runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Limitations

As a VS Code fork, Cursor may lag behind VS Code updates by days or weeks. Some VS Code extensions that depend on specific VS Code internals may not work identically. The free tier is limited, and heavy AI usage requires a Pro subscription.