Cursor

Anysphere's AI-native IDE. Forks VS Code with Cursor Tab inline completion, agentic chat, and background agents. Best 'flow' for inline completion in 2026.

Download the installer from cursor.com — available for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Cursor is a VS Code fork with deep AI integration built in, not bolted on as extensions. After install, sign in with your Cursor account (free tier available, Pro starts at $20/month). Open any project folder. The AI features are: (1) Tab — inline completions that predict your next edit (not just next token), triggered as you type; (2) Cmd+K — inline code generation/editing: highlight code, describe the change, Cursor applies it; (3) Cmd+L — chat sidebar with full project context, can reference files and run terminal commands; (4) Agent mode — Cursor acts autonomously, reading files, running commands, and iterating. All features use Cursor's own model routing (default models include Claude 4 and GPT-5). Compatible with VS Code extensions and settings — Cursor reads your existing VS Code config. Verify: open any file, press Cmd+K, type "add error handling", see the diff applied. Time-to-first-action: ~3 seconds for Tab completions, ~10 seconds for chat/agent responses. No API keys needed — Cursor handles backend model access.

Best for: developers who want a single AI-native IDE with best-in-class inline editing and agentic features without managing extensions, full-stack web development where Cmd+K refactoring across multiple files accelerates common patterns, prototyping and greenfield work where Agent mode can scaffold entire features, developers moving from VS Code who want AI features deeper than extensions can provide. Not suited for: developers deeply invested in JetBrains or Neovim workflows (Cursor is VS Code-based), offline/air-gapped environments (Cursor requires cloud connectivity), teams with strict budget constraints ($20/month for Pro), developers who need provider flexibility (Cursor abstracts model selection), enterprise environments requiring self-hosted AI with data locality control.

Use Cursor when you want the best all-in-one AI coding IDE with native model integration, inline editing, and agentic features without managing extensions, API keys, or backend providers — it's the most polished AI-native IDE available. Switch to Claude Code when you want a dedicated terminal agent with maximum autonomy and prefer CLI-native workflows. Use Aider for git-centric pair programming with provider flexibility — Cursor locks you into Cursor's model selection. Use Cline inside VS Code when you want an agentic extension without switching IDEs — Cursor is a full IDE fork. Use GitHub Copilot when you want completions that work across every IDE (VS Code, JetBrains, Neovim) — Cursor is its own IDE. Cursor's Tab model (next-edit prediction vs next-token completion) is the best inline AI experience, and the Cmd+K inline editor is the fastest way to make targeted code changes. Its tradeoff: vendor lock-in to Cursor's editor, model selection, and pricing.

Problem: Tab completions are slow (>2 seconds) or don't appear. Fix: Cursor's Tab model requires low latency. Ensure you're on a fast internet connection (Tab pings Cursor's servers, not Anthropic/OpenAI directly). In Settings → Models, ensure "Cursor Tab" is enabled. If on a VPN, add Cursor to split tunneling. Problem: Agent mode modifies files you didn't intend. Fix: Agent mode in Cursor operates on the current workspace with access to all files. Use .cursorrules file in your project root to constrain agent behavior: "Do not modify files outside src/ without asking." Enable "Ask before file writes" in Settings → Features → Agent. Problem: Existing VS Code extensions break after switching to Cursor. Fix: Cursor is a fork and most extensions work, but some that use VS Code-proprietary APIs may fail. Settings sync (~/.vscode) is imported on first launch. If an extension fails, check the Cursor logs (Help → Toggle Developer Tools) for the specific error. Reinstall the extension from the Cursor marketplace.