Is Cursor a fork of VS Code?

Yes, Cursor is built as a fork of Visual Studio Code, maintaining full compatibility with VS Code extensions, settings, and keybindings while adding AI-native features like Agent, Tab completion, and Composer.

What is the difference between Tab and Agent in Cursor?

Tab provides intelligent inline code completion as you type, learning from your recent edits to predict multi-line changes. Agent is an autonomous assistant that handles complex tasks by running terminal commands, editing multiple files, and managing entire workflows through natural language instructions.

Does Cursor support my existing VS Code extensions?

Yes, Cursor maintains full compatibility with the VS Code extension ecosystem. You can install and use your existing extensions, themes, and keybindings without modification.

How does Cursor handle code privacy and security?

Cursor offers a Privacy Mode that ensures your code is never stored on their servers or used to train models. Enterprise plans include additional security features like SOC 2 compliance, audit logs, and granular admin controls. All data transmission uses encryption.

What happens when I exceed my API usage credits?

When you exceed your monthly included API credits, you can enable on-demand usage to continue working at the same API rates, or upgrade to a higher plan. The editor will notify you when approaching limits, and you maintain full control over spending.

Cursor

AI code editor built on VS Code with autonomous agents, intelligent tab completion, and multi-model support. Trusted by Shopify, OpenAI, and NVIDIA for accelerated software development.

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About Cursor

Cursor is an AI-first code editor designed to make developers extraordinarily productive. Built as a fork of Visual Studio Code, Cursor combines the familiar editing experience with advanced AI capabilities including autonomous coding agents, predictive tab completion, and natural language code generation. The platform supports multiple frontier AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and xAI, allowing developers to choose the best model for each task.

Trusted by over half of the Fortune 500 and companies like Shopify, OpenAI, and NVIDIA, Cursor has become the preferred AI development environment for engineering teams seeking to accelerate development without compromising code quality. The editor learns how your codebase works regardless of scale, providing contextually relevant suggestions across files and projects. With features like automatic imports, cross-file editing, and semantic code understanding, Cursor adapts to your workflow while maintaining enterprise-grade security through privacy mode and SOC 2 compliance.

Key Features

Tab Completion: Intelligent multi-line code completion that learns from your recent edits, linter errors, and coding patterns to predict next steps.
Agent Mode: Autonomous coding assistant that handles complex tasks, runs terminal commands, edits multiple files, and manages entire development workflows.
Multi-Model Support: Choose between Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok, and Cursor's own models with context windows up to 1 million tokens in Max mode.
Composer: AI pair programming interface for generating, refactoring, and explaining code through natural language conversation.
Context Awareness: Deep codebase understanding with semantic search, automatic context management, and cross-file editing suggestions.
Privacy Mode: Optional zero-data-retention mode ensuring code never leaves your machine or is stored by third parties.

Pricing

Hobby: $0/mo Limited agent requests and tab completions for individual exploration. No credit card required.
Pro: $20/mo Unlimited tab completions, extended agent limits, cloud agents, and maximum context windows. Includes $20 monthly API usage credit.
Pro+: $60/mo Everything in Pro with 3x usage on all OpenAI, Claude, and Gemini models. Includes $70 monthly API usage credit.
Ultra: $200/mo Everything in Pro with 20x model usage, priority feature access, and $400 monthly API usage credit for power users.
Teams: $40/user/mo Shared chats and commands, centralized billing, usage analytics, SAML/OIDC SSO, and org-wide privacy controls.
Enterprise: Custom Pooled usage, SCIM seat management, AI code tracking API, granular admin controls, and priority support.

Pricing last updated: February 22, 2026 at 12:36 PM

Use Cases

Building new features through natural language descriptions and autonomous agent execution
Refactoring large codebases with cross-file intelligence and automated testing
Learning unfamiliar codebases through AI-powered explanation and navigation
Accelerating daily coding with predictive tab completions and smart imports
Conducting automated code reviews and vulnerability detection at scale

Pros & Cons

Pros:

Native VS Code compatibility with full extension ecosystem support
Multiple AI model choices including Claude, GPT, Gemini, and Grok
Autonomous agent capable of complex multi-file editing and terminal operations
Strong privacy controls with zero-data-retention mode available
Used and endorsed by major tech companies including OpenAI and NVIDIA

Cons:

Can be expensive for heavy users exceeding API usage credits
Advanced features require learning new workflows beyond standard VS Code
Context window limitations may affect very large codebase operations without Max mode