Let’s be real for a second. I hate switching IDEs.
I spent years configuring my VS Code. I have my keybindings, my snippets, and my muscle memory perfectly tuned. So when everyone started hyping Cursor, my first reaction was: "Great, another AI wrapper that I don't need."
But after seeing yet another Twitter thread about it, I decided to give it a "30-day trial" for a Next.js project I was working on.
Spoiler Alert: I didn't switch back.
In this review, I’m going to skip the marketing fluff and tell you exactly why Cursor is eating VS Code's lunch in 2025, and more importantly, the few annoying things you need to know before you install it.
What actually is Cursor? (It's not just a plugin)
The biggest misconception is that Cursor is a plugin. It's not. It is a fork of VS Code.
This is brilliant because:
- Zero Migration Friction: All your VS Code extensions, themes, and keybindings work out of the box. I imported my settings in one click.
- Native Integration: Unlike Copilot, which lives in a sidebar, Cursor's AI lives inside the editor engine. It can see the terminal, the diffs, and the file tree.
The "Killer Feature": Codebase Indexing
This is the main reason I pay the $20/mo.
GitHub Copilot is great at guessing the next line. But Copilot (mostly) only knows about the file you currently have open.
Cursor, on the other hand, indexes your entire codebase.
A Real-World Example
I was refactoring a component in my ProDevStack project. I needed to change how the AffiliateCard component handled props, but this component was used in 15 different files.
In VS Code + Copilot, I would have to open each file and fix it.
In Cursor, I simply hit Cmd + K and typed:
"Refactor the AffiliateCard to accept a 'rating' prop instead of calculating it. Update all instances in the codebase."
Cursor scanned the project, found all 15 usages, and proposed a "Apply to All" diff. It saved me easily 20 minutes of grunt work.
Cursor Tab vs. Copilot: The "Flow" State
You know that moment when you hit Tab and the AI completes your code?
Cursor's autocomplete (called Cursor Tab) feels significantly faster and "smarter" than Copilot.
Why? Because it predicts your next cursor position, not just the text. It knows that after I type const user =, I'm likely going to need to console.log(user) on the next line for debugging, and it suggests the whole block.
The Downsides (Yes, it's not perfect)
I promised an honest review, so here is the ugly stuff:
- Resource Heavy: It eats more RAM than standard VS Code. If you are on an 8GB MacBook Air, you might hear the fans spin up when it's indexing a large repo.
- The "Lazy" Trap: Sometimes, Cursor is too good. I found myself accepting code without reading it thoroughly, only to realize later it imported a library I didn't want. You still need to be a senior engineer, not a copy-paster.
Pricing: Is $20/mo worth it?
The free tier is generous (2 weeks of Pro trial), but the Pro plan is $20/month.
The Math: If Cursor saves you 1 hour of debugging or boilerplate writing per month, it has paid for itself (assuming your hourly rate is >$20).
For me, it saves about 3-5 hours per week. It's a no-brainer investment for any B2B developer or freelancer.
Final Verdict
If you are a student learning to code: Stick with VS Code. You need to learn the syntax, not how to prompt.
But if you are a professional developer building products? Cursor is the shovel you need in the AI gold rush. It allows you to ship faster, stay in the flow, and delegate the boring parts of coding to the AI.
Rating: 9.5/10 (Would be 10/10 if it used less RAM).