Cursor is an AI-native code editor built as a fork of Visual Studio Code, designed specifically around AI-assisted development rather than bolting AI features onto a traditional editor. As of mid-2026, Cursor has become the most popular AI coding editor among professional developers, surpassing GitHub Copilot in developer mindshare for certain workflows. The platform integrates multiple AI models (GPT-4o, Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Claude 3.7, o3-mini, and custom models) directly into the editing experience through three core features: Tab (predictive autocomplete that suggests multi-line edits), Cmd+K (inline code generation and editing via natural language), and Composer (multi-file agentic editing that can plan, write, and refactor across an entire codebase). Pricing as of mid-2026: Hobby (free, 2,000 completions/month, 50 slow premium requests, limited Composer usage), Pro ($20/month, 500 fast premium requests/month, unlimited slow premium requests, unlimited Tab completions, full Composer access), and Business ($40/user/month, everything in Pro plus centralized billing, admin dashboard, team-wide model selection, and enforced privacy mode). The "premium requests" system is the key billing mechanism — fast requests use high-performance models with immediate response, while slow requests queue behind other users. Pro users get 500 fast requests monthly; beyond that, requests fall back to the slow queue. The platform also offers a "Privacy Mode" that prevents code from being stored or used for model training, though this requires explicit activation. User feedback is overwhelmingly positive on productivity gains — developers report 30–50% faster coding for boilerplate, refactoring, and test generation. The Composer feature is particularly praised for its ability to understand cross-file dependencies and make coherent changes across multiple files simultaneously. However, common complaints include the premium request cap burning faster than expected during heavy development sessions, occasional generation of subtly buggy code that passes syntax checks but fails logically, and the fact that Cursor sends code snippets to cloud AI providers unless Privacy Mode is explicitly enabled — a concern for teams working with proprietary code. For developers already using VS Code, the migration is seamless since Cursor is fully compatible with all VS Code extensions and settings.