Cursor

What it does

Cursor is a code editor built from the ground up around AI assistance. It forks VS Code and layers on deep AI integration — not as a sidebar or plugin, but as a core part of the editing experience. The standout feature is codebase-aware context: Cursor indexes your entire project and uses that understanding when generating code, answering questions, or suggesting edits. You can select a block of code, hit a shortcut, and ask Cursor to refactor it, add error handling, or write tests — and it produces output that fits the patterns already in your codebase. Multi-file editing lets you describe a change in plain language and have Cursor apply modifications across several files simultaneously. Tab completion works continuously as you type, suggesting the next logical chunk of code based on what you are building.

Who it's for

Cursor is for professional developers who spend most of their day writing and editing code. If you already use VS Code, the transition is nearly seamless — your extensions, keybindings, and settings carry over. Full-stack engineers get the most value because the AI handles context switching between frontend, backend, and configuration files without losing track of what you are building. Teams adopting AI-assisted development for the first time will find Cursor easier to onboard than configuring separate copilot plugins across different editors. It is not a tool for non-technical users — you need to understand code to evaluate and steer the AI output effectively.

Codebase awareness

What separates Cursor from copilot extensions is depth of context. When you ask Cursor to generate a function, it does not just look at the current file — it pulls in type definitions, related functions, and patterns from across your project. This means generated code tends to match your existing conventions: naming patterns, error handling approaches, import styles. The practical effect is less time fixing AI output to fit your codebase. The indexing runs locally and updates incrementally, so it stays current as you work. For large monorepos, initial indexing takes a few minutes, but subsequent updates are fast.

The bottom line

Cursor is the best AI code editor available today. The gap between using Cursor and using a standard editor with a copilot extension is significant — the codebase awareness, multi-file editing, and inline chat create a workflow that feels qualitatively different from bolt-on AI tools. The free tier is enough to evaluate whether it fits your workflow, and the $20 per month Pro plan is reasonable for the productivity gain. The main limitations are premium request caps on heavy usage days and the lack of native support for editors outside the VS Code ecosystem. If you write code professionally and are not locked into a different editor, Cursor should be at the top of your list.