Cursor Review: The "Copilot Killer"?
We switched from VS Code to Cursor for 30 days. Here is why we aren't going back.
💰 The Founder's ROI
*Savings based on a developer rate of $60/hr. The "Free" tier is sufficient for most hobby projects.
What is Cursor?
Cursor is a fork of VS Code. This means it looks, feels, and acts exactly like VS Code. All your extensions work. All your themes work.
The difference? AI is baked into the core, not added as a plugin. It "sees" your entire codebase, terminal, and documentation.
The Good (Why we use it)
- "Composer" Mode: You can hit Ctrl+I and say "Build a pricing page", and it will generate multiple files, edit CSS, and link them up. Copilot cannot do this.
- Codebase Awareness: It indexes your whole project. You can ask "Where is the auth logic?" and it points to the exact file.
- Use Your Own Key: You can use your own OpenAI or Claude API key if you want to pay per usage.
The Bad (What sucks)
- Subscription: The Pro plan is $20/mo (same as Copilot).
- Indexing: On massive repos, the initial indexing can take a few minutes.
Cursor vs GitHub Copilot
| Feature | Cursor | GitHub Copilot |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $20/mo | $10/mo |
| Edit Multiple Files | ✅ Yes (Composer) | ❌ No |
| Fix Terminal Errors | ✅ Auto-fix | ❌ Manual |
Final Verdict
If you are starting a new project, Cursor is objectively superior to VS Code + Copilot. The velocity gain from "Composer" mode alone is worth the switch.
We are not affiliated with Cursor, we just love it.