# Cursor

Published January 1, 2026 · Updated August 10, 2026

AI-first code editor built on VS Code

Category: Developer Tools · Free · Replaces GitHub Copilot Pro ($10/month) · [Official website](https://cursor.com)

## Install with Homebrew

`brew install --cask cursor`

## Quick take

On Mac in August 2026, Cursor is still the AI editor to beat for daily product engineering. Composer 2.5 plus the $20 Pro tier is the default recommendation for most individuals. Teams pricing got clearer after the June 2026 pool split. Keep CLI agents for marathon jobs. Keep Copilot if your org standardizes on GitHub across every IDE, including Xcode.

Best for: Full-stack product engineers, Startups standardizing one AI editor, Design-engineers who iterate UIs rapidly

## What is Cursor?

Cursor is an AI-first code editor built by Anysphere on top of VS Code. It keeps the parts developers rely on (extensions, themes, and keybindings) and adds a model-native layer for coding. Cursor Tab predicts your next edit and cursor jump, not only the next token, so a rename can ripple through files. Codebase indexing grounds chat and agents in your actual project. Composer handles multi-file edits. Cloud agents, MCP tools, and privacy controls round out the team setup.

As of August 2026 Cursor is a default AI coding environment on the Mac. Composer 2.5 shipped 18 May 2026 with stronger behavior on long tasks and published pricing of $0.50 input and $2.50 output per million tokens for the standard variant, and $3.00 input with $15.00 output for the faster default. Hobby stays free, Pro is $20 per month, Pro+ gives roughly 3 times the Agent limits and Ultra about 20 times. Teams Standard is $40 per user per month, $32 on annual, and Premium is about five times the usage for $120 per month monthly or $96 on annual. The June 2026 Teams change split first-party Composer and Auto pools from third-party API pools. You can still pick frontier models depending on plan and remaining usage, including Claude Opus 5 and Sonnet 5, the GPT-5.6 family, Gemini 3.x, and Grok.

The field is crowded now. Windsurf under Cognition, Claude Code, OpenAI Codex in the ChatGPT desktop surface, GitHub Copilot agent mode, Zed, and Meta Muse Code from August 2026 all compete. Cursor's argument is the tight loop inside the editor. Composer 2.5 made its name on fast iteration for UI work, a point that comes up a lot on X. The trade-off is capacity for very long unattended runs, where terminal agents often stretch further.

## Features

- **Cursor Tab.** Predicts your next edit and cursor jump, not just tokens. Helpful when a rename should cascade across files.
- **Composer 2.5 agentic editing.** Multi-file natural language edits with improved long-task behavior and instruction following versus Composer 2. Fast variant is default; standard variant is cheaper per token.
- **Codebase indexing.** Local embeddings/RAG so chat and agents can answer "where is auth handled?" with project-grounded context.
- **Model picker (frontier + first-party).** Use Composer/Grok pools and third-party models such as Claude Opus 5, Claude Sonnet 5, GPT-5.6 Sol/Terra/Luna, and Gemini 3.x subject to plan and usage.
- **MCP tools, skills and hooks.** Add tools, team rules and automation hooks so agent workflows stay repeatable.
- **Cloud agents & Bugbot.** Run agents beyond the local machine. Teams add shared context, review and analytics.
- **Privacy Mode.** Org- and user-level controls so code is not retained for training, table stakes for proprietary repos.
- **VS Code compatibility.** Import extensions and themes from VS Code so migration is quick for existing setups.

## Install Cursor on Mac

Cursor ships a Mac build optimized for Apple Silicon and modern macOS. Homebrew cask is the fastest path for many developers.

1. **Install.** `brew install --cask cursor` or download from cursor.com.
2. **Import VS Code state.** On first launch, import extensions, settings, and keybindings.
3. **Enable Privacy Mode if needed.** Turn on Privacy Mode for client or employer repos before indexing.

## Pros

- Best-in-class editor-integrated agents with Composer 2.5
- VS Code extension compatibility lowers switching costs
- Clear individual and team pricing ladders
- Strong privacy mode story for proprietary code
- Fast iteration loop praised for UI-heavy work

## Cons

- Heavy Agent users can still hit limits and need Pro+/Ultra
- Separate binary from upstream VS Code (update cadence differs)
- Very long autonomous jobs may fit CLI agents better
- Usage-based complexity across first-party vs third-party pools

## Closer look at Cursor on Mac

Cursor rewards a small amount of setup. Put project rules in .cursor/rules early so the agent learns your stack, for example Next.js App Router, your linter, and your test runner. Add ignore patterns for node_modules, dist, and data folders so indexing stays relevant. Use MCP tools and hooks to codify repeatable checks. Check the official changelog before you update, and re-check after any macOS Tahoe 26.x upgrade that might affect Gatekeeper or the shell command. When you evaluate cost, track Agent usage weekly for a month rather than guessing, then decide whether Pro, Pro+, or Ultra fits the work you actually do. Import VS Code extensions on day one so you are not rebuilding your environment from scratch.

## FAQ

### How much does Cursor cost?

Hobby is free with limited Agent requests. Pro is $20/month. Pro+ multiplies Agent limits about 3× and Ultra about 20×. Teams Standard is $40/user/month ($32 annual); Premium is higher at roughly 5× Standard usage ($120 monthly / $96 annual). Enterprise is custom. Composer 2.5 token rates are published separately for standard and fast variants.

### What is Composer 2.5?

Cursor's May 2026 first-party coding model optimized for agentic editor work. Standard and fast price points are published on Cursor's blog and model docs.

### Which models can I use?

Composer/Grok first-party pools plus frontier third-party models (Claude Sonnet 5/Opus 5, GPT-5.6 family, Gemini 3.x, and others) depending on plan and remaining usage.

### Is my code used for training?

Privacy Mode is designed so code is not retained for training. Enable it for sensitive work and enforce it org-wide on Teams.

### Can I keep my VS Code extensions?

Yes, Cursor is VS Code-compatible and can import extensions and settings.

### Cursor vs Copilot in 2026?

Copilot wins breadth across IDEs including Xcode and GitHub.com; Cursor wins AI-native multi-file editing inside its own editor.

### Does it run well on Apple Silicon Macs?

Yes, Mac builds are first-class for Apple Silicon developers on current macOS releases including Tahoe 26.x.

## Sources

- [Cursor pricing](https://cursor.com/pricing)
- [Introducing Composer 2.5](https://cursor.com/blog/composer-2-5)
- [Improvements to Teams Pricing (June 2026)](https://cursor.com/blog/teams-pricing-june-2026)
- [Composer 2 announcement](https://cursor.com/blog/composer-2)
- [The New Stack on Composer 2.5](https://thenewstack.io/cursor-composer-benchmarks/)
- [Cursor forum: Composer 2.5 live](https://forum.cursor.com/t/composer-2-5-is-now-live/160934)
- [Finout Cursor pricing guide 2026](https://www.finout.io/blog/what-happened-to-cursor-pricing-2026-guide-5-cost-cutting-tips)

## Related

- [Claude Code](https://bundl.run/apps/claude-code)
- [ChatGPT](https://bundl.run/apps/chatgpt)
- [Claude](https://bundl.run/apps/claude)
- [Codex](https://bundl.run/apps/codex)
- [Windsurf](https://bundl.run/apps/windsurf)
- [Kiro](https://bundl.run/apps/kiro)
- [Cursor vs Visual Studio Code](https://bundl.run/compare/cursor-vs-visual-studio-code)
- [Cursor vs Zed](https://bundl.run/compare/cursor-vs-zed)
- [Cursor vs Windsurf](https://bundl.run/compare/windsurf-vs-cursor)
- [Cursor vs Trae](https://bundl.run/compare/cursor-vs-trae)
- [Cursor vs Kiro](https://bundl.run/compare/cursor-vs-kiro)
- [Cursor vs Google Antigravity](https://bundl.run/compare/cursor-vs-antigravity)
- [Cursor vs Void](https://bundl.run/compare/cursor-vs-void)
- [Cursor vs Claude](https://bundl.run/compare/claude-vs-cursor)
- [Free alternative to GitHub Copilot Pro](https://bundl.run/https:/)

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