Developer Tools

Cursor: A Code Editor That Actually Gets What You're Building

A code editor with AI built in from the ground up — it understands your whole project and can write, edit, and fix code for you.

• Free plan available; Pro from $20/mo★★★★★ 5/5

Cursor: A Code Editor That Actually Gets What You're Building

What It Is

Cursor is a code editor — the program you use to write code — but with AI woven into everything. Most AI coding tools are like a smart friend you can ask questions. Cursor is like a smart friend who's been sitting next to you, has read all your code, and knows what you're trying to build.

Instead of just suggesting the next line (like GitHub Copilot), Cursor understands your entire project. You can ask "Where does this function get called?" or "Add a login page to this app" and it'll look at all your files, figure out what needs to change, and make the edits across multiple files.

It's built on VS Code, the most popular free code editor in the world. If you've used that, Cursor feels familiar — same look, same shortcuts, same extensions. The AI is just there, everywhere, ready to help.

What Can It Do For Me?

  • Write entire features — describe what you want in plain English ("Add a contact form that saves to a database") and Cursor will create the code across multiple files
  • Understand your whole project — ask "How does the payment system work?" and it'll explain it based on your actual code
  • Fix bugs by asking — "This function is returning the wrong value, can you fix it?" and it'll find the issue and suggest a fix
  • Explain confusing code — highlight a chunk and ask "What does this do?" — great when you're working on someone else's project
  • Edit multiple files at once — when a change touches several files, Cursor handles all of them together
  • Learn by example — watching Cursor make changes teaches you how experienced developers structure things

Pricing

  • Free plan: 2,000 AI completions and 50 chat messages per month. Enough to try it.
  • Pro ($20/mo): Unlimited completions, 500 premium chat messages.
  • Business ($40/user/mo): Team features, admin controls, privacy mode.
  • 14-day Pro trial included.

The Good and The Bad

Pros:

  • The best AI coding experience available right now
  • Understanding your whole project (not just one file) is a game-changer
  • Plain English instructions to make changes across multiple files
  • Familiar if you've used VS Code — almost zero learning curve
  • The "explain this code" feature is incredible for learning
  • Privacy mode available — your code doesn't get used to train AI

Cons:

  • $20/month is real money, especially for students or hobbyists
  • The free plan is very limited — you'll burn through those completions fast
  • Sometimes it makes confident-looking changes that are subtly wrong
  • It's a newer tool, so occasionally there are bugs in the editor itself
  • If you don't use VS Code, switching means learning a new editor

Should You Try It?

If you write code more than occasionally, Cursor is the best AI coding tool available. The difference between Cursor and other tools is the difference between "helpful assistant" and "someone who's actually on your team." Understanding your whole project, making multi-file changes, explaining code in context — these are a different experience entirely.

For people learning to code, Cursor is like having a senior developer looking over your shoulder. You can ask it to explain anything and learn from the changes it makes. Just don't let it do everything — understanding the code matters more than speed.

For $20/month, if coding is part of your work or a serious hobby, it's one of the best productivity investments you can make. The free plan is too limited for regular use, but the 14-day trial gives you a real sense of the full version. Try it on an actual project and see how much faster you move.

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