Cursor Review 2026: The AI-First Code Editor

What Is Cursor?

Cursor is a standalone code editor built as a fork of VS Code, with AI integrated directly into the editing workflow rather than added as an extension. Developed by Anysphere, it carries over all VS Code extensions, themes, and keybindings, so switching from VS Code takes minutes rather than days.

What Sets It Apart

Cursor’s Agent mode is its primary differentiator. Describe a change in natural language — “add JWT authentication to the API routes” — and it modifies route handlers, creates middleware files, updates type definitions, and fixes imports across your project in a single pass. This multi-file orchestration is where Cursor consistently outperforms extension-based tools that work within a single file at a time.

Tab completion goes beyond standard autocomplete by predicting your next edit based on recent changes. If you renamed a variable in one file, it suggests the same rename in related files. During refactoring sessions, this saves noticeable time. Codebase-aware chat lets you ask questions like “how does the auth flow work?” and get answers that reference specific files and functions in your project.

The free tier is limited enough that it functions as a trial rather than a sustainable plan. Professional use requires the Pro subscription. Large codebases with hundreds of thousands of lines can cause indexing lag, though Cursor has improved this steadily over time.

Who It’s For

• Professional developers writing code daily who want AI integrated into their editor
• VS Code users who want multi-file AI editing without switching paradigms
• Teams that want a shared AI-enhanced development environment
• Developers committed to JetBrains, Vim, or Emacs workflows will want to look at alternatives that support their editor

Sources

• Cursor
• Cursor Documentation
• Cursor Pricing