Cursor
AI-powered IDE designed to replace VS Code with predictive editing and project context
- Pricing
- Free / $20/mo+
- Type
- Desktop
- Tier
- free
Cursor vs Visual Studio Code vs Windsurf
Comparing three ide tools to help you choose the right one for your project in 2026.
Visual Studio Code
Free source-code editor with rich extension ecosystem
- Pricing
- Free
- Type
- Desktop
- Tier
- free
Windsurf
Agentic IDE where developers and AI flow together (formerly Codeium)
- Pricing
- Free + Pro
- Type
- Desktop
- Tier
- free
Side-by-side comparison
| Dimension | Cursor | Visual Studio Code | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category | IDE | IDE | IDE |
| Platform | Desktop | Desktop | Desktop |
| Pricing | Free / $20/mo+ | Free | Free + Pro |
| Tier | free | free | free |
Head-to-head comparisons
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