Alternatives to Cursor
An AI code editor built on VS Code, with coding agents that plan and carry out tasks. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Cursor
An AI code editor built on VS Code, with coding agents that plan and carry out tasks.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Cursor.
Visual Studio Code
Microsoft's code editor, free to use but shipped under a Microsoft licence rather than an open one.
Visual Studio Code is the free editor Cursor is built on, with a large extension marketplace and AI features from Microsoft rather than Cursor's own agents.
Zed
A Rust editor from the people who built Atom, written for speed and for two people editing one file.
Zed is a GPU-rendered Rust editor that is partly open source, with AI features that can use your own key or a local model plus real-time collaboration.
VSCodium
Visual Studio Code built from the same source without Microsoft’s branding, telemetry or licence.
VSCodium is an MIT-licensed VS Code build with telemetry disabled and no built-in AI agents, using Open VSX for extensions.
code-server
Use a VS Code-based workspace through your browser.
code-server serves a VS Code-based workspace to your browser from a host you control, without Cursor's built-in AI agents or codebase indexing.
Trae
An AI-powered code editor with built-in chat and agent modes for writing and changing code.
Trae is a proprietary AI editor for Windows and macOS with chat and agent modes built in, and its AI features also depend on a remote service.
Kiro
An AI coding IDE and CLI that turns prompts into specs, designs and tasks for agents.
Kiro is a closed-source AI IDE and CLI that organises work into specs, designs and tasks for parallel agents, relying on cloud models and an account.
Theia IDE
An open-source IDE for desktop and browser from the Eclipse Foundation that runs VS Code extensions.
Theia IDE is an open-source, vendor-neutral IDE for desktop and browser with built-in AI features and control over data, using VS Code extensions from Open VSX.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Cursor as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
Amazon Q Developer
AWS AI coding assistant that writes, debugs and refactors code in your IDE.
Cursor is a full AI code editor built on VS Code with multi-file agents and codebase indexing, rather than a plugin for your existing IDE, and runs on macOS.
Cline
An open-source AI coding agent for VS Code, the terminal and a standalone desktop app.
Cursor is a closed-source VS Code-based editor with built-in agents and codebase indexing, relying on hosted models with paid plans for heavier use.
Codex CLI
OpenAI's open source coding agent that runs in your terminal.
Cursor moves you to a closed-source VS Code based editor with a CLI and cloud agents, adding codebase indexing, with heavier use requiring a paid plan.
Cody Enterprise
Enterprise AI coding assistant grounded in Sourcegraph's codebase context.
Cursor replaces the plugin with a VS Code based editor that indexes your codebase itself and runs agents, offered as freemium rather than enterprise-only pricing, but only on macOS and CLI.
Gemini CLI
Google's open source AI agent for the terminal, powered by Gemini.
Cursor is a closed-source VS Code-based editor with agents and a CLI, listed for macOS, with heavier use requiring a paid plan.
GitHub Copilot
An AI coding assistant from GitHub that suggests code and carries out coding tasks in editors and terminals.
Cursor is a full AI code editor built on VS Code with multi-file agents and codebase indexing, rather than an integration added to an existing editor.
Google Antigravity
Google's agent-first development platform with a desktop IDE and a terminal CLI for AI-assisted coding.
Cursor is an AI code editor built on VS Code with agents working across files, a CLI and cloud agents, relying on hosted models rather than Google's AI services.
Kilo Code
An open-source AI coding agent for VS Code, JetBrains, the terminal and the cloud.
Cursor is a closed-source editor built on VS Code with multi-file agents and codebase indexing, relying on hosted models and a paid plan for heavier use.
OpenHands
Self-hosted control centre for running coding agents against your projects.
Cursor is a closed-source VS Code-based editor with built-in agents on macOS and CLI, with heavier use requiring a paid plan.
v0
An AI assistant from Vercel that generates full-stack web apps from text prompts and publishes them.
Cursor is a VS Code based desktop editor with coding agents, suited to developers writing code directly rather than generating apps from prompts in the browser.
Visual Studio
Microsoft's integrated development environment for .NET, C++ and Windows development, with a free Community edition.
Cursor is a VS Code-based AI code editor on macOS with coding agents, replacing a full IDE with a lighter editor and hosted AI features.
WebStorm
JavaScript and TypeScript IDE with first-class framework support.
Cursor is a VS Code-based editor with AI agents and codebase indexing, closed source and requiring a paid plan for heavier use.
Windsurf Plugins
AI autocomplete and chat plugins for JetBrains, VS Code and other editors.
Cursor replaces the editor itself with a VS Code-based AI editor with multi-file agents, so JetBrains users would need to switch editors, and it lists macOS and CLI.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Lapce
A code editor written in Rust with GPU rendering, built-in LSP support, optional modal editing and remote development.
Sublime Text
A fast native editor for code and prose, paid for but with an evaluation that never stops working.
IntelliJ IDEA
Java and Kotlin IDE with deep code analysis and refactoring.
