Comparison

Cursor vs Visual Studio

On the evidence we track, Visual Studio leads this comparison with a composite score of 58/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
Cursor43
Visual Studio58
Score
Vioscale score
Cursor43 / 100medium · 71%
Visual Studio58 / 100medium · 54%
Pricing
Free tier
Cursor
Visual Studio
Model
Cursorfreemium
Visual Studiocommercial
Price level
Cursormid
Visual Studiomid
Transparent
Cursor
Visual Studio
Integrations
Count
Cursor2
Visual Studio2
Security
Disclosure policy
Cursor
Visual Studio
Soc2
Cursor
Visual Studio
Reliability
Status page
Cursor
Visual Studio

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for ides & code editors. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
Type
CursorFull IDE
Visual StudioFull IDE
Language scope
CursorPolyglot
Visual StudioPolyglot
Deployment
Deployment
CursorBoth
Visual StudioDesktop
Platform support
OS support
CursorWindows
Visual StudioWindows, macOS, Linux
Base platform
Cursor-
Visual StudioOriginal
Extensibility
Extensibility
CursorExtension marketplace
Visual StudioExtension marketplace
DX
LSP / DAP support
Cursor-
Visual Studio-
Remote / dev-containers
Cursor
Visual Studio-
Integrated debugger / profiler
Cursor-
Visual Studio
Code intelligence depth
CursorIDE-grade
Visual StudioIDE-grade
Built-in git integration
Cursor
Visual Studio
AI
Built-in AI
CursorNative
Visual StudioNative
Licensing
Openness
CursorClosed
Visual Studio-
Pricing
Pricing model
CursorPer-seat subscription
Visual Studio-

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Cursor

Cursor is an AI coding agent that combines IDE capabilities with autonomous agents to help developers build software. It streamlines development workflows across desktop, CLI, and cloud platforms.

Independently observed

Visual Studio

Leader

Comprehensive integrated development environment for .NET and C++ development with AI-powered assistance, integrated debugging, testing, and CI/CD integration. Available as Visual Studio IDE for Windows and macOS, plus Visual Studio Code for cross-platform web development.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Cursor

from $20/moSubscriptionFree tier

Hobby free, Pro $20/mo, Teams $40/user/mo, Enterprise custom

  • HobbyFree
    • Limited Agent requests
    • Access to Composer
    • No credit card required
  • Pro$20/mo
    • Extended limits on Agent
    • Generous limits for Grok & Composer
    • Access to frontier models
    • MCPs, skills, and hooks
    • Cloud agents
    • +1 more
  • Pro+-
    • 3x Pro limits on Agent
    • Generous limits for Grok & Composer
    • Access to frontier models
    • MCPs, skills, and hooks
    • Cloud agents
    • +1 more
  • Ultra-
    • 20x Pro limits on Agent
    • Generous limits for Grok & Composer
    • Access to frontier models
    • MCPs, skills, and hooks
    • Cloud agents
    • +2 more
  • Standard$40/user/mo
    • Centralized team billing and administration
    • Team marketplace for internal rules, skills, and plugins
    • Agentic code reviews with Bugbot
    • Cloud agents and automations with shared team context
    • Usage analytics to understand team behavior
    • +2 more
  • Premium-
    • 5x Standard limits on Agent
    • Centralized team billing and administration
    • Team marketplace for internal rules, skills, and plugins
    • Agentic code reviews with Bugbot
    • Cloud agents and automations with shared team context
    • +3 more
  • EnterpriseContact sales
    • Pooled usage
    • Invoice/PO billing
    • SCIM seat management
    • Repository, model, and MCP access controls
    • Auto-run, browser, and network controls
    • +3 more
as of verify ↗

Visual Studio

Leader
from $45/moHybridFree tier

Free Community edition; subscriptions from $45/user/mo to $499.92/user/mo

  • CommunityFree
    • Full IDE capabilities for .NET and C++ development
  • Professional standard$99.99/user/mo (paid annually), renews at $66.59/user/mo
    • Visual Studio Professional
    • Azure DevOps (Basic plan)
    • $50 Azure credit per month
    • Basic dev/test software
    • Training and support
  • Enterprise standard$499.92/user/mo (paid annually), renews at $214.09/user/mo
    • Visual Studio Enterprise
    • Azure DevOps (Basic + Test plan)
    • $150 Azure credit per month
    • Premium dev/test software
    • Extended training and support
    • +1 more
  • Professional monthly$45/user/mo
    • Visual Studio Professional
    • Azure DevOps (Basic plan)
  • Enterprise monthly$250/user/mo
    • Visual Studio Enterprise
    • Azure DevOps (Basic + Test plan)
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Cursor
Visual Studio
macOS
Cursor
Visual Studio
Windows
Cursor
Visual Studio
Linux
Cursor
Visual Studio
CLI
Cursor
Visual Studio
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Cursor
Visual Studio
Self-hosted
Cursor
Visual Studio

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

In common (1)
  • GitHub

Cursor

2 total - 1 not shared
  • Slack
Independently observed

Visual Studio

Leader
2 total - 1 not shared
  • Azure
Independently observed

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.

Cursor vs Visual Studio: an evidence-based comparison · Vioscale