# Cursor vs Visual Studio Code

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Visual Studio Code

| Attribute | Cursor | Visual Studio Code |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 42.5 (71% (medium)) | 61.4 (67% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 1 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 189,621 |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | 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. | 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. |
| features.capabilities | `{"type":"full_ide","builtin_ai":"native","deployment":"both","os_support":"Windows","remote_dev":true,"open_source":"closed","extensibility":"marketplace","pricing_model":"subscription","language_scope":"polyglot","git_integration":true,"code_intelligence":"ide_grade"}` | `{"type":"full_ide","lsp_dap":true,"builtin_ai":"native","deployment":"both","os_support":"Windows, macOS, Linux","remote_dev":true,"open_source":"open_core","base_platform":"original","extensibility":"marketplace","pricing_model":"free","language_scope":"polyglot","git_integration":true,"code_intelligence":"ide_grade","integrated_debugger":true}` |
| integrations.count | 2 | 7 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Slack"},{"name":"GitHub"}]` | `[{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"GitHub Actions"},{"name":"GitHub Copilot"},{"name":"Azure Pipelines"},{"name":"GitLab CI"},{"name":"Azure DevOps"},{"name":"MCP servers"}]` |
| language.primary | - | TypeScript |
| license.spdx | - | MIT |
| market.availability | - | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true,"windows":true}` | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"web":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Hobby","summary":"Free","features":["Limited Agent requests","Access to Composer","No credit card required"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"$20/mo","features":["Extended limits on Agent","Generous limits for Grok & Composer","Access to frontier models","MCPs, skills, and hooks","Cloud agents","Bugbot on usage-based billing"],"minSeats":1,"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Pro+","features":["3x Pro limits on Agent","Generous limits for Grok & Composer","Access to frontier models","MCPs, skills, and hooks","Cloud agents","Bugbot on usage-based billing"],"minSeats":1,"commitment":"monthly","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Ultra","features":["20x Pro limits on Agent","Generous limits for Grok & Composer","Access to frontier models","MCPs, skills, and hooks","Cloud agents","Bugbot on usage-based billing","Priority access to new features"],"minSeats":1,"commitment":"monthly","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Standard","summary":"$40/user/mo","features":["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","Team-wide privacy mode","SAML/OIDC SSO"],"commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"seat","amount":40,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Premium","features":["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","Usage analytics to understand team behavior","Team-wide privacy mode","SAML/OIDC SSO"],"commitment":"monthly","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing","features":["Pooled usage","Invoice/PO billing","SCIM seat management","Repository, model, and MCP access controls","Auto-run, browser, and network controls","Audit logs and service accounts","AI code tracking API","Priority support and account management"],"contactSales":true}],"summary":"Hobby free, Pro $20/mo, Teams $40/user/mo, Enterprise custom","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.cursor.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-01T15:16:05.790Z","startingPrice":{"amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` | `{"type":"free","summary":"Free","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://code.visualstudio.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T16:40:57.497Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | mid | free |
| pricing.transparent | no | yes |
| release.cadence_days | - | 6 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.135.0","date":"2026-08-26T16:52:46Z","type":"stable","version":"1.135.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.134.0","date":"2026-08-19T09:08:11Z","type":"stable","version":"1.134.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.133.0","date":"2026-08-12T09:41:17Z","type":"stable","version":"1.133.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.132.1","date":"2026-08-11T22:23:22Z","type":"stable","version":"1.132.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.132.0","date":"2026-08-05T09:49:29Z","type":"stable","version":"1.132.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.131.0","date":"2026-07-29T14:07:58Z","type":"stable","version":"1.131.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.130.0","date":"2026-07-22T17:39:17Z","type":"stable","version":"1.130.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.129.1","date":"2026-07-17T21:32:58Z","type":"stable","version":"1.129.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.129.0","date":"2026-07-15T22:13:23Z","type":"stable","version":"1.129.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.128.1","date":"2026-07-14T20:48:10Z","type":"stable","version":"1.128.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.128.0","date":"2026-07-08T08:25:25Z","type":"stable","version":"1.128.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.127.0","date":"2026-07-01T09:32:59Z","type":"stable","version":"1.127.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.126.0","date":"2026-06-24T12:49:34Z","type":"stable","version":"1.126.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.125.0","date":"2026-06-17T14:59:29Z","type":"stable","version":"1.125.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.124.2","date":"2026-06-12T05:06:56Z","type":"stable","version":"1.124.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.124.0","date":"2026-06-10T13:39:34Z","type":"stable","version":"1.124.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.123.2","date":"2026-06-10T09:39:44Z","type":"stable","version":"1.123.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.123.1","date":"2026-06-10T09:38:39Z","type":"stable","version":"1.123.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.123.0","date":"2026-06-05T08:50:41Z","type":"stable","version":"1.123.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/releases/tag/1.122.1","date":"2026-05-29T12:53:58Z","type":"stable","version":"1.122.1"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | yes |
| security.scorecard | - | 7.4 |
| security.soc2 | yes | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=%40theia%2Fvscode-builtin-javascript&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (IDEs & Code Editors)

| Capability | Cursor | Visual Studio Code |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Type | Full IDE | Full IDE |
| Language scope | Polyglot | Polyglot |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Deployment | Both | Both |
| **Platform support** |  |  |
| OS support | Windows | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Base platform | - | Original |
| **Extensibility** |  |  |
| Extensibility | Extension marketplace | Extension marketplace |
| **DX** |  |  |
| LSP / DAP support | - | ✓ |
| Remote / dev-containers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Integrated debugger / profiler | - | ✓ |
| Code intelligence depth | IDE-grade | IDE-grade |
| Built-in git integration | ✓ | ✓ |
| **AI** |  |  |
| Built-in AI | Native | Native |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Openness | Closed | Open-core |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Pricing model | Per-seat subscription | Free |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T15:10:30.142Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*