⚡

AI IDEFree Hobby Tier

Cursor

The AI code editor - VS Code fork with deep AI integration and Composer

Cursor is one of the most popular AI-first code editors. It forks VS Code and adds powerful AI features: inline completions with multi-line awareness, chat with codebase context, and Composer - an agentic multi-file editing mode. Trusted by engineers at top tech companies.

Made by

Anysphere

Based on

VS Code

Free tier

Hobby (limited)

Pro plan

$20/mo (Pro+ $60, Ultra $200)

Platform

Mac, Win, Linux

Website

cursor.com

⚡ Install & Setup

Step 1 - Download Cursor

Go to cursor.com → Download. Pick your OS. Cursor installs as a standalone app - it does not replace your existing VS Code.

Step 2 - Import VS Code Settings

On first launch: Cursor → Import from VS Code. This copies your extensions, themes, and keybindings in one click.

Step 3 - Sign In

Sign up at cursor.com. The Hobby tier gives you about 2,000 completions/month plus a handful of agent requests. Pro ($20/mo) includes unlimited Auto-mode requests and a $20 monthly credit pool for hand-picked frontier models; Pro+ ($60) and Ultra ($200) scale that pool. Heavy use of Opus-class models can burn the pool fast, so watch Settings → Billing.

Step 4 - Choose Your AI Model

Cursor Settings → Models. You can use GPT-5.6, Claude Opus 5 / Sonnet 5, Gemini 3.8 Flash, or Cursor's own fast model. You can also add your own API keys (OpenAI, Anthropic).

🔑 Key Features

⌨️

Tab Completion

Multi-line AI completions that predict what you are about to write. Learns from your patterns within the session.

💬

Cmd+K (Inline Edit)

Select any code and press Cmd+K to ask AI to edit it in place. Diffs are shown before accepting.

🤖

Cmd+I (Composer)

Agentic multi-file editing mode. Describe a task and Composer plans and implements changes across your entire codebase.

🔍

Cmd+L (Chat)

Chat with your codebase. Reference files with @filename, symbols with @symbol, or the whole repo with @codebase.

🧩

@-References

Bring specific context into any prompt: @filename, @web, @docs, @git (for commit history), or @codebase for full-repo search.

📚

Docs Integration

Add documentation from any library with @docs. Cursor fetches and indexes them so AI answers use your exact library version.

🚀 Sample Usage

1. Cmd+K - Edit Selected Code

Select a function → press Cmd+K → type your instruction:

"Add input validation. Throw a ValidationError if email is not valid format or if name is empty."

Cursor shows a diff - press Accept or Reject.

2. Composer - Multi-File Task

Press Cmd+I and describe a cross-cutting change:

"Migrate all our fetch calls from the old apiClient to the new httpClient in src/lib/http.ts. Update all 8 service files."

3. Chat with Codebase Context

Press Cmd+L and ask questions that span multiple files:

"@codebase Where do we validate user permissions? I want to add a new admin-only route."

💡 Pro Tips

Add a .cursorrules file at your project root to set coding standards that Cursor follows in every session
Use @web to pull in live documentation when asking about a specific library version
In Composer, check "Auto-run" to let it execute terminal commands without prompting each time
Cmd+Shift+J opens the AI history to review past suggestions
You can bring your own Anthropic or OpenAI API key to use Cursor without the Pro plan limits

⌨️ Key Shortcuts

Inline edit (Cmd+K)Select code → Cmd+K

Open ChatCmd+L

Open ComposerCmd+I

Accept completionTab

Accept next wordCmd+→

Open terminalCtrl+`

⚖️ Which Coding Tool Should I Pick?

The current tool is highlighted. There is no single winner - pick by how you like to work. Models and pricing as of September 7, 2026.

Tool	Type	Pricing	Best for	Models / AI
GitHub Copilot	IDE extension	Free tier; Pro $10/mo	AI in your existing editor	GPT-5.6, Claude Sonnet 5, Gemini 3.8 Flash
Cursor(this page)	AI IDE (VS Code fork)	Hobby free; Pro $20/mo	All-round AI editor + agent	GPT-5.6, Claude Opus 5 / Sonnet 5
Devin Desktop (ex-Windsurf)	AI IDE (VS Code fork)	Free tier; Pro $20/mo	Local + cloud agents in one place	SWE-1.6 (own) + Claude / GPT / Gemini
Google Antigravity	Agent-first IDE	Free tier; Google AI Pro $19.99/mo	Autonomous build + browser test	Gemini 3.1 Pro / Gemini 3.8 Flash (agent-first)
Claude Code (CLI)	Terminal agent	Claude Pro/Max or API	Agentic coding in the terminal	Claude Opus 5 / Sonnet 5 / Haiku 4.5
VS Code + AI ext	Editor + extensions	Free options exist	Keep VS Code, add AI	Depends on extension

Pricing and model support change often. Verified June 2026 - confirm on each tool's official site.

🛠️ Troubleshooting & Common Pitfalls

⚠ Tab completions are not appearing

Cursor Settings → Features → enable Tab/Autocomplete, confirm you are signed in, and that the language for that file is not disabled.

⚠ Model errors or rate limits

The Hobby tier is limited. Upgrade to Pro, or add your own OpenAI / Anthropic API key in Settings → Models.

⚠ .cursorrules is ignored

The file must be named .cursorrules at the project root. Reload the window after creating it.

⚠ The editor feels slow

Disable heavy VS Code extensions you imported; large repos take time to index on first open.

📚 Related Course Lessons

Go deeper on the skills this tool is for:

L39 - Inline Code Completion →L40 - AI Chat for Development →L44 - Refactoring & Code Review →L46 - Agentic Coding →

🔗 Official Resources

Download Cursor ↗Mac, Windows, Linux Documentation ↗Agent, rules, MCP, skills, CLI Pricing ↗Hobby (free), Pro, Pro+, Ultra, Teams Changelog ↗What's new each release Community forum ↗Q&A, tips, and bug reports

Links open the official sites. Pricing and features change often - always confirm there. (Verified June 2026.)

→ Compare: Windsurf → Compare: VS Code + AI → Compare: GitHub Copilot