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Cursor vs Visual Studio Code: catalog facts
Cursor	Visual Studio Code
Freemium A free tier is available, with paid plans for more model usage.	Free Free to download and use. GitHub Copilot and other AI features are separate paid…
macOS, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux
Familiar VS Code base and editing model Agents that work across multiple files	Extensions for essentially every language and framework Remote development over SSH, in containers and in WSL
AI features depend on hosted models Heavier use requires a paid plan	The shipped build is not open source and collects telemetry by default Its extension marketplace is licensed for Microsoft builds only
Downloadable app, Hosted service	Downloadable app
Closed source	Closed source
License not stated	License: Microsoft product licence
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.