Can I use my VS Code extensions in Cursor?

Yes. Cursor is a VS Code fork and supports nearly all extensions from the VS Code marketplace, plus your existing keybindings and themes.

Which model does Cursor use?

Cursor lets you pick per request between Claude, GPT, Gemini, and its custom Tab model. Most users default to Claude Sonnet for chat and edits.

Does Cursor send my code to its servers?

Yes by default. Enable Privacy Mode in settings to prevent code from being stored or used for training. Business plans enforce this globally.

How does Cursor differ from GitHub Copilot?

Cursor includes agentic multi-file editing and codebase chat as core features. Copilot's equivalent workspace agent is newer and less mature.

Cursor

The AI-First Code Editor Built for Pair Programming

Freemium

Code AssistantPair ProgrammingIDE

Visit Cursor

What is Cursor?

Cursor is an AI-native code editor forked from VS Code, designed from the ground up for working alongside large language models. Cursor combines familiar VS Code keybindings, extensions, and themes with deep AI integration: inline edits with Cmd+K, multi-file agent edits with Composer, and a codebase-aware chat that indexes your entire repository. Cursor lets you pick between Claude, GPT, and Gemini models, and ships with Tab autocomplete that predicts whole multi-line refactors. For developers who want more than completion, Cursor goes further by reasoning across files, running terminal commands, and applying patches. Cursor has rapidly become the editor of choice for AI-forward engineers.

Key Features of Cursor

Cmd+K Inline Edits

Select code in Cursor, press Cmd+K, describe the change in plain English, and Cursor rewrites the selection in place. Accept or reject with a single keystroke, with diff preview before applying.

Composer Agent

Cursor's Composer plans and applies edits across many files at once. Describe a feature, and Composer reads your codebase, proposes a plan, and writes patches you approve file by file.

Codebase Indexing

Cursor embeds your entire repository so chat answers cite real symbols and files. Ask 'where is auth handled' and Cursor surfaces the exact functions, not generic guesses.

Tab Autocomplete

Cursor's custom Tab model predicts multi-line edits, including jumps to lines you haven't touched yet. It often suggests the next logical refactor before you start typing.

Model Picker

Switch between Claude Sonnet, GPT-5, Gemini, and others per request inside Cursor. Use a stronger model for hard refactors and a cheaper one for boilerplate to control costs.

VS Code Compatibility

Cursor imports your VS Code settings, extensions, and keybindings on first launch. You keep your existing workflow and add AI superpowers on top with zero relearning.

Cursor Pricing Plans

Hobby

Free

Free Cursor tier with no credit card required, limited Agent requests, and limited Tab completions.

Pro

$20/month

Individual Cursor plan with extended Agent limits, frontier model access, MCPs, skills, hooks, cloud agents, and usage-based overage options.

Pro+

$60/month

Higher individual tier with roughly 3x more usage across OpenAI, Claude, and Gemini models than Pro.

Ultra

$200/month

Highest individual tier with roughly 20x more usage and priority access to new Cursor features.

Teams

$40/user/month

Team plan with shared team context, team-wide rules and automations, SAML/OIDC SSO, enforced privacy mode, analytics, and centralized billing.

Enterprise

Custom

Enterprise plan with pooled usage, invoice billing, SCIM, audit logs, granular admin and model controls, priority support, and custom Bugbot options.

Best Use Cases for Cursor

Refactoring a Tangled Component

Target user:: Frontend developer cleaning up a 500-line React component
Pain point:: Splitting it into smaller pieces by hand risks breaking dozens of imports and tests
Solution:: Select the component in Cursor, press Cmd+K, ask for extraction into hooks and subcomponents. Cursor produces a clean diff in seconds.

Building a New Feature End-to-End

Target user:: Full-stack engineer adding a notifications system
Pain point:: Touching the schema, API, and UI in coordination takes a full day of context-switching
Solution:: Open Cursor Composer, describe the feature, and let the agent draft migrations, endpoints, and components together. Review each file before saving.

Understanding a Legacy Codebase

Target user:: Engineer inheriting a 5-year-old Django project
Pain point:: Tracing how a billing webhook flows through the system takes hours of clicking and grep
Solution:: Ask Cursor chat with the @codebase tag. It points to the exact handler, helpers, and tests, with file paths you can click.

Writing a Migration Script

Target user:: Backend dev moving from MongoDB to Postgres
Pain point:: Mapping documents to normalized tables and writing the ETL is error-prone
Solution:: Describe the schemas to Cursor, ask for a migration script with batching and idempotency. Test it on a sample, iterate via Cmd+K.

How to Use Cursor — Step by Step

1
Download Cursor
Get Cursor from cursor.com for macOS, Windows, or Linux. The installer offers to import your VS Code settings and extensions automatically.
2
Sign In and Pick a Model
Create a Cursor account and sign in. Open settings to set your default model (Claude Sonnet is recommended) and enable codebase indexing for the open folder.
3
Try Cmd+K on a Selection
Highlight any function, press Cmd+K, and ask Cursor to add error handling or write a docstring. Review the diff and accept with Enter.
4
Open Composer for Multi-File Work
Press Cmd+I to launch Cursor Composer. Describe the change you want across the repo, attach relevant files, and let the agent draft a patch set.
5
Iterate in Chat
Use Cmd+L to open chat with @codebase context. Ask follow-ups, request revisions, and apply suggestions directly to files from the chat panel.

Cursor vs Alternatives

Want a full IDE built around AI?

Pick: CursorCursor is a complete editor with Composer agents and Tab model trained for code, not a plugin bolted onto an existing editor.

Already deeply invested in JetBrains?

Pick: GitHub CopilotCursor only forks VS Code. If you need IntelliJ, PyCharm, or Rider, Copilot has first-class plugins there.

Want the most agentic CLI workflow?

Pick: Claude Code or AiderCursor's Composer is great in the editor, but terminal-native agents handle long autonomous sessions and CI integration more cleanly.