Comparison

Cursor vs Visual Studio Code

On the evidence we track, Visual Studio Code leads this comparison with a composite score of 61/100. 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 Studio Code61
Score
Vioscale score
Cursor43 / 100medium · 71%
Visual Studio Code61 / 100medium · 67%
Pricing
Free tier
Cursor
Visual Studio Code
Model
Cursorfreemium
Visual Studio Codecommercial
Price level
Cursormid
Visual Studio Codefree
Transparent
Cursor
Visual Studio Code
Integrations
Count
Cursor2
Visual Studio Code7
Security
Disclosure policy
Cursor
Visual Studio Code
Scorecard
Cursor
Visual Studio Code7.4
Soc2
Cursor
Visual Studio Code
Reliability
Status page
Cursor
Visual Studio Code
Adoption
Dependent repos
Cursor
Visual Studio Code1
Github stars
Cursor
Visual Studio Code189,621
Activity
Commits last 30d
Cursor
Visual Studio Code100
Release
Cadence days
Cursor
Visual Studio Code6
History
Cursor
Visual Studio Code20 items
License
Spdx
Cursor
Visual Studio CodeMIT
Language
Primary
Cursor
Visual Studio CodeTypeScript
Market
Availability
Cursor
Visual Studio CodeAvailable worldwide

Capabilities

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

Core
Type
CursorFull IDE
Visual Studio CodeFull IDE
Language scope
CursorPolyglot
Visual Studio CodePolyglot
Deployment
Deployment
CursorBoth
Visual Studio CodeBoth
Platform support
OS support
CursorWindows
Visual Studio CodeWindows, macOS, Linux
Base platform
Cursor-
Visual Studio CodeOriginal
Extensibility
Extensibility
CursorExtension marketplace
Visual Studio CodeExtension marketplace
DX
LSP / DAP support
Cursor-
Visual Studio Code
Remote / dev-containers
Cursor
Visual Studio Code
Integrated debugger / profiler
Cursor-
Visual Studio Code
Code intelligence depth
CursorIDE-grade
Visual Studio CodeIDE-grade
Built-in git integration
Cursor
Visual Studio Code
AI
Built-in AI
CursorNative
Visual Studio CodeNative
Licensing
Openness
CursorClosed
Visual Studio CodeOpen-core
Pricing
Pricing model
CursorPer-seat subscription
Visual Studio CodeFree

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 Code

Leader

A multi-platform code editor combining traditional editing, debugging, and terminal capabilities with built-in AI agents that research, modify code, run commands, and iterate toward task completion.

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 Code

Leader
FreeFree tier

Free

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

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 Code

Leader
7 total - 6 not shared
  • GitHub Actions
  • GitHub Copilot
  • Azure Pipelines
  • GitLab CI
  • Azure DevOps
  • MCP servers
Independently observed

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