I used GitHub Copilot for about a year before switching to Cursor. I've been on Cursor for six months. Here's what's actually different in daily use.
What Copilot does better
Inline completions feel more natural. Copilot's suggestions appear smoothly and feel like a natural extension of typing. Cursor's completions are also good but occasionally feel more interruptive.
Less setup. Install the extension, sign in, it works. Cursor requires more configuration to get the most out of it.
Price if you already have GitHub Pro. Copilot is included. Cursor costs extra.
What Cursor does better
Chat with codebase context is significantly better. Copilot Chat exists but feels like a bolt-on. Cursor's chat was built around the idea of having real codebase context from the start. The @-mention system for adding specific files is cleaner.
Cmd+K inline edits are faster. Select code, describe the change, get a diff. The workflow is more direct than Copilot's equivalent.
Agent mode for multi-file changes. Cursor can make coordinated changes across multiple files with context about how they relate. Copilot's multi-file support exists but is less capable.
Model selection. Cursor lets you choose the underlying model. If you want Claude 3.5 Sonnet or GPT-4o for different tasks, you can. Copilot uses GPT-4 by default with limited flexibility.
The .cursorrules advantage
The biggest practical difference: .cursorrules files let you encode your project conventions in a way Copilot has no equivalent for. For a complex project with specific patterns, Cursor stays consistent in ways Copilot doesn't.
When I'd recommend each
Use Copilot if:
- You're primarily doing inline completion work and don't need heavy chat/agent features
- You already pay for GitHub Pro and the cost matters
- You work in VS Code and want minimal friction
Use Cursor if:
- You do a lot of multi-step "refactor this module" type work
- You want to specify conventions that persist across sessions
- You're doing complex enough work that good codebase-aware chat matters
The honest answer
For straightforward coding, the difference is smaller than either company's marketing suggests. Both complete code, both explain errors, both write boilerplate.
The gap opens on complex work: multi-file changes, maintaining consistency with codebase conventions, tasks that require understanding how parts of the system relate. That's where Cursor's architecture makes a real difference.
Cursor .cursorrules generator: builtbyzac.com/tools/cursorrules-generator.html.
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