I recently started using Cursor AI, a VS Code-based editor with built-in AI for coding tasks like autocomplete, and refactoring. It can even answer questions about the codebase, which is fantastic, especially if you are working on long term projects where it’s natural that some team members may move out and others have to take over their work.
All these have made Cursor AI quickly become a favorite among developers.
But Cursor isn’t perfect. Some developers feel it slows down with large projects, and introduces bugs that are tough to locate. Others don’t like its pricing changes, and many want something that goes beyond just coding inside the editor.
Like this user on X:
Imo the @cursor_ai + claude sonnet ai coding hype is blown out of proportion. As an early adopter and heavy user of cursor (at least 1,000 hours so far), here are 3 major issues I've noticed over the past couple of months:
— Mayo Oshin (@mayowaoshin) September 10, 2024
1. The first generated output(s) often contains subtle… pic.twitter.com/lzyyQkKm5K
If you’re in that camp, here are the best Cursor AI alternatives you can try in 2025.
IDE-Based Alternatives
If you want AI directly inside your editor, these are the closest matches to Cursor AI.
1. GitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot remains the most widely used AI coding assistant, with over 20 million users and adoption in 77,000+ organizations, powering 40% of GitHub's $2B annual recurring revenue. It integrates deeply with VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains IDEs, and now expanded to Eclipse, Xcode, and terminal environments like GitHub CLI.
Copilot shines at removing boilerplate code, generating tests from comments, and supporting mainstream frameworks like React, Django, and Node.js—thanks to its training on billions of public GitHub repos.
Its Copilot Chat enables project-specific questions with answers linked to your open files, issues, or even images (e.g., bug screenshots). In 2025, enhancements include auto model selection for faster responses and a new "coding agent" mode that autonomously handles multi-file tasks, like assigning issues to generate tested pull requests.
Developers can now choose from frontier models like GPT-5 (in preview), Grok 3, or open-source options via Hugging Face integration, with custom instructions for personalized outputs. Pricing starts free for basics (2,000 monthly code completions), with Pro/Business plans at $10/user/month for advanced features.
2. Claude Code
Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic CLI tool for developers, powered by Claude models like 3.5/3.7 Sonnet (or previews of Claude 4). It features a massive 200K+ token context window, allowing you to load entire repositories or large code files for meaningful analysis and edits.
Claude excels in reasoning and explaining complex logic, making it ideal for debugging, refactoring, and repo-level reviews, where tools like Cursor often struggle with context limits or hallucinations.
With terminal-based execution (e.g., direct file edits, git commits), a VS Code extension via integrations, and a web interface on Claude.ai, it acts like an AI code reviewer that handles enterprise-scale tasks. Many devs pair it with Claude 3.7 Sonnet for autonomous workflows. Pricing starts at $20/month Pro plan.
3. Tabnine
Tabnine supports local/self-hosted models, ensuring your code stays private with zero data retention or training without consent. It covers 600+ programming languages, including niche ones like COBOL or Rust variants that other tools overlook.
Enterprises love it for training on their proprietary codebases, delivering custom AI suggestions and features like the award-winning Code Review Agent (2025 AI TechAwards).
If privacy and control are priorities, Tabnine is a top pick. It offers a dev plan at $9 per month and Enterprise plan at $39/user/month
4. Amazon Q Developer (formerly CodeWhisperer)
Amazon Q Developer (rebranded from CodeWhisperer in 2024) is designed for cloud developers, offering real-time code completions and unique AWS-specific snippets like IAM policies and Lambda functions.
Its built-in security scanner flags vulnerabilities as you type, with reference tracking to avoid IP risks. It is ideal for AWS-heavy workflows and outperforms general tools in that ecosystem. It supports 15+ languages and IDEs like VS Code/JetBrains. Starts free (Individual tier); Pro at $19/user/month for advanced admin features.
5. JetBrains AI Assistant
JetBrains AI Assistant is designed specifically for IntelliJ, PyCharm, and the broader JetBrains suite. It goes beyond autocomplete to generate commit messages, explain errors, guide debugging. It also includes plus 2025 updates like image-based code analysis and Junie AI agent for autonomous edits
If you're a JetBrains-heavy team, it's the most natural fit. Starts free (AI Free tier with unlimited local completions and limited cloud features); AI Pro at $10/user/month), AI Ultimate at $30/user/month for higher quotas and advanced cloud tools.
6. Zed AI
Zed is a high-performance code editor built in Rust for speed and multiplayer collaboration, allowing real-time co-coding with teammates while AI assists via agentic editing (delegate tasks, live progress tracking) and inline transformations.
Its low-latency design, leveraging GPU acceleration, feels snappier than traditional IDE. It includes features like Zeta's open-source edit prediction and support for any LLM (e.g., Claude 3.5 Sonnet).
It’s best suited for teams seeking human-AI workflows. Free for core editor and limited AI (2,000 predictions/month on Personal plan, BYO keys); Pro at $10/user/month for agentic features and higher quota.
Multi-Model AI Workspaces
Not every developer wants AI locked inside their editor. Sometimes you need a place where you can switch between models, compare results, and collaborate with teammates. That’s where multi-model AI workspaces come in.
These platforms aren’t code editors like Cursor, but they give you something Cursor can’t:
- Model flexibility: Use GPT-5, Claude, Gemini, or even older GPT-4.1 in the same workspace.
- API key control: Some let you bring your own keys, so you control both cost and data privacy.
- Team features: Prompt libraries, shared workspaces, analytics, and collaboration.
For developers, they’re useful when you want to test code snippets across different LLMs or compare reasoning styles.
Let’s look at some of these platforms.
7. Geekflare Connect
Geekflare Connect is more than just a coding assistant — it’s a multi-model AI command center. You can use OpenAI, Claude, Gemini and many more models side by side. Developers often like running the same snippet across different models to compare results.
Geekflare Connect is API key based, so you bring your own keys. That means full cost control and data privacy.
Geekflare Connect’s team features include prompt libraries, shared workspaces, and detailed analytics dashboards that show how AI is being used across the organization.
You can even choose GPT-5 Thinking mode explicitly when you need deeper reasoning, something most platforms don’t let you control. For developers, it’s flexible. For managers, it’s trackable. For teams, it’s collaborative. If Cursor feels too narrow, Geekflare Connect is the best choice to scale AI use across both coding and non-coding workflows.
8. TypingMind
TypingMind is designed for personal productivity, offering a clean, minimal interface to switch between models like GPT-5, Claude, or Gemini while saving and bookmarking prompts.
Its strengths include searchable chat history and organized folders, making it simple to reuse work without endless scrolling. As an API-key-based tool, you control usage and costs directly.
The agent-building feature allows creating custom AI agents with system instructions, examples, and tool integrations like web search or APIs. Multi-agent workflows support tasks such as debugging and drafting documents.
Typingmind is best for solo developers seeking a distraction-free space to experiment; supports 30+ languages and features like voice input. Starts free (basic features, no history save); one-time purchases: Standard $39, Extended $79, Premium $99 (lifetime access)
9. MagAI
MagAI is a versatile all-in-one AI platform for professionals who enjoy tweaking workflows, especially in content and creative tasks. It lets you build multi-step prompt chains across models like GPT-4o, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and Gemini, testing how ideas evolve, like generating a draft in one model and refining it in another for sharper outputs. You'll appreciate features like reusable prompt libraries, searchable chat history for tracking experiments, and easy imports of web content or YouTube transcripts right into conversations.
As an API-key-agnostic tool, it connects to providers like OpenAI and Anthropic, giving you full control over costs without vendor lock-in. You can also set the model selection to ‘auto’ and let MagAI choose the model most suited for your prompt.
While it offers basic team collaboration (e.g., shared chats and personas), Pricing starts at $20/month (individual creators); Team plan at $40/month for up to 5 users, unlimited workspaces, and advanced sharing.
10. TeamAI
TeamAI is built for collaboration-first usage. Instead of each developer bringing their own API keys, TeamAI handles billing centrally. It offers shared dashboards, prompt history, and team-level controls. This makes it easier for companies that want standardized AI usage across departments. The trade-off is that you don’t get cost visibility per API call the way API key–based platforms provide.
Final Thoughts
If you want AI directly inside your editor, tools like GitHub Copilot, Tabnine, and Codeium are the closest Cursor alternatives.
But if you want flexibility across models, cost control, and team features, multi-model workspaces are a better choice. Geekflare Connect stands out here because it combines developer flexibility with team collaboration and usage analytics — making it more than just a coding tool.
Top comments (1)
Windsurf and Warp.dev are also good.