Cursor is an AI-native code editor made by Anysphere, used by about 17.9% of developers. It's built as a fork of VS Code, so it looks and feels familiar, but it bakes AI directly into the editing loop instead of bolting it on as an extension — letting you describe a change in plain English and have it applied across multiple files at once.
📌 Quick facts
Type: AI-native code editor (VS Code fork)
Made by: Anysphere
License: Freemium — free tier with limited AI usage, paid Pro tier for higher limits
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Primary use case: AI-assisted coding — generating, editing, and refactoring code across a whole codebase from natural-language prompts
Key features
- Multi-file AI edits — describe a change and Cursor proposes and applies it across every affected file
- Chat-driven refactors — an in-editor chat panel that understands your open project's context
- Tab-to-accept AI autocomplete — predicts your next edit, not just the next few characters, and accepts with Tab
- VS Code compatibility — most VS Code extensions, themes, and keybindings work unchanged
- Codebase-aware chat — can answer questions and make changes with awareness of your whole project, not just the open file
Getting started
Download it from cursor.com — installers are provided for Windows, macOS, and Linux. There's no separate package-manager install command; the downloaded installer sets everything up, including an option to import your existing VS Code settings and extensions.
-- After installing --
-- Cursor prompts to import VS Code settings/extensions on first launch
-- Open a project folder, then use the AI chat panel (Ctrl+L) to start editing
🎯 Best for: Developers who already like VS Code and want AI woven directly into editing and refactoring — prototyping quickly, exploring an unfamiliar codebase, or speeding up repetitive multi-file changes.