Cursor
Cursor is an AI-powered code editor optimized for AI code completion and programming assistance. Built on VS Code, it integrates advanced AI features using GPT models (like GPT-4) to help developers write, debug, and optimize code more efficiently.
Our Verdict
What is Cursor
Cursor is an AI-powered integrated development environment (IDE) and coding assistant built by Anysphere. It is designed to help developers write, edit, refactor, and navigate code more efficiently by using large language models that understand your codebase, respond to natural-language commands, and produce multi-line edits or suggestions.
Is Cursor worth registering and paying for
Whether to register and pay for Cursor depends on several factors, including your needs, budget, and project specifics. If your team requires efficient AI-powered coding assistance, real-time collaboration, multi-language support, and robust version control—and your budget allows—subscribing to Cursor can significantly boost development efficiency and workflow. However, if you’re satisfied with your current tools or find the cost too high, it’s wise to carefully consider whether the investment is worthwhile.
Our experience
After a few months of putting Cursor through its paces on everything from new greenfield projects to deep, crusty legacy code, I can confidently say it’s more than just “VS Code with a chatbot bolted on.” It genuinely feels like the first AI-first IDE, and while it’s not a magic bullet, it has fundamentally changed the way I approach a big chunk of my development work.
The Good Stuff: My Productivity Jumps
1. Codebase Awareness is the Real Deal:
This is the heart of Cursor’s advantage. Unlike extensions that just see the file you have open, Cursor’s AI understands the architecture. I can ask the chat window ($\text{Cmd} + \text{L}$): “Where is this user data fetched, and how does it get passed to the $\text{React}$ component in the $\text{Dashboard}$ file?” and it will pull in the database connector, the API route, and the $\text{React}$ file—all the correct context—and give a coherent answer with actual code snippets. This kills the context-switching fatigue of hunting through files or checking $\text{Git}$ history.
2. Inline Editing ($\text{Cmd} + \text{K}$) is Flow State Magic:
The ability to highlight a block of code, hit $\text{Cmd} + \text{K}$, and type a natural-language command like “convert this $\text{JS}$ function to use $\text{async/await}$ and add $\text{try/catch}$ error handling” is a game-changer. It shows a clean $\text{diff}$ of the suggested change, and you hit “Accept.” It’s a surgical, in-the-moment refactoring tool that keeps me in the flow. For boilerplate, utility functions, or quick format changes, it’s astonishingly fast.
3. The Seamless VS Code Foundation:
Since Cursor is a fork of $\text{VS Code}$, the learning curve is basically a straight line. All my themes, keybindings (mostly), and most of my essential extensions came right over. It’s an upgrade, not a migration. I can still use the standard, reliable $\text{VS Code}$ features, but now I have an integrated AI assistant whispering smart suggestions in my ear.
4. Multi-File Feature Generation (The ‘Composer’):
For bigger tasks, like “create a new $\text{settings}$ page component, add a $\text{dark mode}$ toggle that updates the global context, and create the corresponding route,” the multi-file composer can generate the structure, the component, and the context updates across three different files in one go. It’s better for prototyping and feature scaffolding than for complex refactoring, but the time saved on setup is substantial.
The Rough Edges: It’s Not Perfect (Yet)
1. The AI is Still a Flaky Teammate:
Let’s be real: it’s an $\text{LLM}$. It will occasionally introduce subtle, bizarre bugs, make suggestions that break compilation, or rewrite perfectly readable code into something unnecessarily complex. You must review its work, especially for core business logic. It’s a brilliant assistant, but it’s not an infallible senior engineer.
2. The Shortcut Wars:
The biggest initial annoyance for a veteran $\text{VS Code}$ user is the shortcut hijacking. $\text{Cmd} + \text{K}$ no longer clears the terminal by default—it opens the inline AI edit. Retraining years of muscle memory is a low-key form of torture, even if the new function is useful.
3. Performance and Clutter:
On truly massive codebases or when working with very large files, Cursor can occasionally feel sluggish compared to a stripped-down $\text{VS Code}$ install. Also, the $\text{UI}$ can feel a bit busy with the chat pane, the $\text{Cmd} + \text{K}$ popups, and the general “AI-first” visual cues. I sometimes long for a “zen mode” that mutes all the AI features just to focus.
Final Verdict: Highly Recommended for Power Users
Cursor isn’t for the developer who wants to blindly accept suggestions; it’s for the experienced user who knows what they want but wants to skip the typing and file-hunting. It accelerates the tedious parts of coding—boilerplate, searching for context, applying simple refactors—freeing up mental energy for the hard problems.
I’m sticking with it. The productivity boost, particularly the codebase-aware chat and the $\text{Cmd} + \text{K}$ inline editing, outweighs the occasional $\text{AI}$ hiccup and the shortcut frustration. It truly feels like the next iteration of the developer environment.
